XJS ( X27 ) 1975 - 1996 3.6 4.0 5.3 6.0

89 XJS door lock question

Old Sep 26, 2025 | 08:23 AM
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NK-minnesota's Avatar
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Default 89 XJS door lock question

Have had my 89 for a few years. Really enjoying it.

just noticed that when I lock the drivers door using my key it only locks the drivers door.

when I unlock with the key from either door it unlocks both doors.

when I lock using the key in the passengers door it locks both doors.

so… to lock the car I always need to walk around and lock the passengers door.

is this normal? Thanks very much


 
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Old Sep 26, 2025 | 09:11 AM
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My '89 locks and unlocks both doors either side and the trunk. Does the driver door interior lock work? It should lock and unlock everything as well.
 
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Old Sep 30, 2025 | 05:40 AM
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Originally Posted by lt1-xjs
My '89 locks and unlocks both doors either side and the trunk. Does the driver door interior lock work? It should lock and unlock everything as well.
no it doesn’t lock the rest of the car. If I manually flip the drivers lock lever it only locks the drivers door. If I manually flip the passenger lock it locks everything.

must be some bad sensor in the drivers lock.
 
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Old Sep 30, 2025 | 08:45 AM
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If you remove the door card, you will find that the actuating rod is adjustable. If you lengthen it a bit, it should fix the problem and activate both doorlocks. You might have to lengthen the passenger side as well.
 
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Old Sep 30, 2025 | 02:02 PM
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Are you absolutely certain both doors are completely shut?
Have you adjusted any of the door latching mechanisms or at the B pillar?
Are those parts solidly attached to the door and B post?
 
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Old Oct 1, 2025 | 05:24 AM
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Originally Posted by equiprx
Are you absolutely certain both doors are completely shut?
Have you adjusted any of the door latching mechanisms or at the B pillar?
Are those parts solidly attached to the door and B post?
the doors are both fully shut. However: 3 years ago I had a minor accident that damaged the drivers door which had to be repaired. I’m wondering if things were not all properly adjusted when it was repaired.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2025 | 06:32 AM
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I'm guessing, as Greg said, that it's the adjuster rod behind the door card. The symptoms you describe are really typical of that situation. Sometimes just exercising the drivers door lock flap manually a lot of times can help to get it working properly again with the key.

Cheers

Paul
 
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Old Oct 1, 2025 | 06:53 AM
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Thanks everyone for helping me chase this down.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2025 | 08:52 AM
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A couple of links
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...js-v12-287759/

and see post 19 in this thread

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...repair-177091/
 
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