Central locking

Since buying my 51-plate Ford Focus 1.6 LX hatchback with 153,000 miles, the central locking has been intermittent at best. Currently, the front passenger door will only lock/ unlock with the key, while the remaining doors lock/unlock with the remote. When opening/closing the driver’s door with the key, the rear passenger door locks only operate intermittently. The dashboard tailgate release is also intermittent in operation. Occasionally, the central locking will operate while the vehicle is in motion.

So far, I have checked the plugs and wiring between the front passenger door and the body. I should mention that the current Ford battery replaced the original in 2007 and the car starts first time every time. A voltage check shows 11.95 volts on a frosty morning.

I also have a puzzling leak in the boot. The very front top area of carpet with the Velcro strip is saturated, as is the rear left-hand corner. The spare wheel well is dry. Stripping out the boot and removing the light units gave no clue. I tried soaking the back of the car with a hosepipe and all seemed watertight.

Finally, the offside rear indicator only operates intermittently, with a very fast tick in use. A new bulb did not cure it and all of the cables are sound and dry, as are the bulb contacts. John Gravestock

It’s possible you have a collection of faults, as opposed to one problem causing all the symptoms. The central locking fault that is preventing the front passenger door from closing could be due to the passenger door lock solenoid, which is not triggering when the remote central locking is activated. Similarly, it may be the connections within the driver’s door solenoid which prevent it from activating the central locking when using the key. In both instances, the fault could also be caused by a failure in the loom between the body and door, but as you've already checked this, then that's unlikely, although a fault in the wiring between the door and the vehicle would be the most likely cause of the central locking activating while driving.

The tailgate release button on the dashboard may be the cause of the problem with the tailgate. I would try spraying some switch cleaner into the switch before investigating any other possible causes. Again, these may include wiring problems between the tailgate and vehicle body.

The indicator problem may be due to the connections in the plug between the wiring loom and bulb holder. This is quite a common failure. The terminal pins on these are quite small and I would also try cleaning them with switch cleaner.

The damp area on the carpet is possibly not due to a leak from rainwater but from the rear washer system. I would check that the hose to the rear washer is properly connected and that this is not leaking into the vehicle when operated.