My driver side door will not unlock, I got it to unlock once and then took the door panel off then locked and shut the door. I now cant open the door at all. When i pull on the little bars that are meant to unlock all the other doors in the car open except the driver door, any help will be much appreciated, cheers.

For this type of problem I recommend YouTube. Always a wealth of information on rear gates door locks etc.
Google > YouTube 2000 Ford Explorer door locks

Remove the front seat can give you access to remove the panel. But if it has screws around the outer perimeter, most likely will have to tear it out. Best to find a replacement first. Look at the drivers door, if it has screws, so does the passenger side. There are screws around the arm rest and door handle to remove, then it pops off. Again the seat has to be out of the way.

its more than likley the solinoid that controls the lock itseilf.
try removing the door lock fuse,
you should be able to use the lock manually untill you get a new solinoid,
good luck,Gary

you will need to remove the trim with the door shut ,the pop the lock with a screw driver to get it opened,it would be better if you took it to a mechanic

some how lever to the lock unit came off , need to open the interior panel of the driver door and put back lever to the lock unit. It should work.

Hi:
It is extremely difficult to remove the door panel with the door closed. You mentioned that you can unlock the door with a key, so does the door still open and close once unlocked? You most likely just need to replace the power door lock solenoid, as when they fail, they usually sieze up, and make manual lock unlocking difficult.

1. Driver's doo opend and unlocked, all other doors closed and locked
2. Inser Your key in ignition, don not turn, remove key
3. using the manual lock/unlock button on ther dirvers door, slowly press lock and unlock 5 times (count the lock 5 times and unlock 5 times)
4. Shut door
5 Open door
6. Using the lock/unlock button on the direvers door, slowly press and unlock 5 times (count the lock 5 times and the unlock 5 times)
7. With the door open insert you key into the ignition, turn to ON position (don't start), wait 5 seconds. Trun off and remove key.
8. Locks should cycle once (Car will lock and unlock once). If they don't cycle or they cycle more that once, do stips 1-7 over.
9. Using the remote, push lock button, hold for 1 second, release. The locks should cycle once. If not start over and go slower.
10 Close the door. Open the door. Press the lock button on the remote. The locks should cycle. Close the door. Press the lock button on the remote, the doors should lock. Press again and the doors shoud unlock.

I got this from a site called FixYa (don't have URL). It took me a few tries but it worked like a charm.

1. sitting in driver seat, with driver's door OPEN, press lock/unlock button ON THE DRIVERS DOOR to lock all doors, then manually unlock driver door only.
2. Insert YOUR key in ignition, DO NOT TURN, then remove key.
3. Using the same lock/unlock button ON THE DRIVERS DOOR, slowly press lock-unlock in 5 cycles
4. Shut door.
5. Open door.
6. Using the same lock/unlock button ON THE DRIVERS DOOR, again slowly press lock-unlock in 5 cycles
7. With the door open insert your key into the ignition, turn to 'on' position (DON'T START), wait 5 seconds. Turn off and remove key.
8. Locks should cycle once (Car will lock and then unlock once by herself). If they don't cycle or they cycle more than once, do steps 1-7 over.
9. Now using the remote, push lock button, hold for one second, then release the button. The locks should cycle once. If not, start over and go slower.
10. Close the door.
11. Open the door.
12. Press the lock button on the remote. The locks should do a lock-unlock cycle.
13. Close the door
14. Press the lock button on the remote, the doors should lock.
15. Press unlock button and the doors should unlock.

this just happend to me a week ago.. I got locked in the car.. first my husband took out the fuse that make the auto lock work, then he took off the inside of the door panel inside the car because we could not open the drivers side door. He said the spring had broke and so the door could not unlatch itself he just bent the spring back.....now it works great

DON'T LET THEM BREAK YOUR DOOR PANEL!!!!!

For those of you whose door is shut and you cannot open it, here is the trick that the Kia mechanic taught us: Insert the key into the door lock. In one quick motion, simultaneously turn the key to the unlock position AND pull the handle. It took us several attempts to finally get it to work.

Once the door is open, the check the diagnosis and repair instructions below.

*****

A couple months ago, our 2004 Kia Optima started exhibiting the same symptoms you describe: Door lock mechanism feels jammed, actuators automatically relock, etc.

We took the car to the local Kia dealership where we had purchased the car new, and the shop told us that it was a faulty door lock actuator. The mechanic did not open the door, but said that this was a common problem. They estimated $200 plus labor to repair.

This weekend, I decided to open the door and look for myself. What I found is that the actuator was fine. The fault was with the latch mechanism, called "door checker" in the Kia service manual. Not the lock... the latch; the actual part that latches onto the striker when the door is closed.

Here is my walk-through of the diagnosis and repair:

To determine the fault, I first removed the door panel. Remove 1 screw in the grab handle pocket, 1 behind the door open lever, and 2 screws at the forward edge, the bottom edge, and the rear edge. Remove the small window-corner speaker if equipped. Then lift off the door panel. Don't lift too far, there are wires to disconnect.

Once the door panel was removed, I removed the exterior door handle. Two bolts on the inside of the door secure it. Use 10mm socket to remove them. Then remove the connecting linkages by flipping the plastic catches on each to the side. This should allow you to pop the linkage from the socket. The heavy linkage is a little harder, as it has a locking groove. You may need a jewelers screwdriver or dental picks to open the plastic socket a little. Be very careful not to get forceful or you risk breaking the plastic catch. The actual lock mechanism turns 1/8 turn and slides out of the handle assembly. Set the handle aside.

Now disconnect the linkage from the actuator, again by flipping the plastic catch to one side and slipping the linkage from the socket.

Finally, disconnect the linkage that goes to the interior lock above the door-open handle.

With these linkages disconnected and the door handle out, remove the plastic cover on the latch mechanism. You should now be able to peer in and work the lock and opening levers independently and find the fault.

On my particular latch, the plastic bits (yes, they used plastic) had worn and become loose. This allowed the rotating part of the latch to rotate too far, which in turn caused a bind when you try to unlock the mechanism. The security system senses that the latch is not properly unlocked, causing the actuator to immediately engage and relock the doors.

If you confirm that this is your problem, then remove the three screws that hold the mechanism in place and replace the mechanism. I obtained mine from a salvage yard for $30.

Total time to diagnose and repair was about 3 hours - but you now will have an advantage in knowing what you're looking for!