Drivers door electrical issue (DDM?)

BRIANF

MEMBER
2001 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
175,000 MILES

My wife has this vehicle and one day all the electrical components associated with the driver's door stopped working. The key fobs no longer work, cannot make any seat adjustments, nothing on the door itself works. After doing some research, I found that the driver's door module may be bad, although a mechanic friend suggested I check the wiring for voltage. Without knowing which wires are supposed to be hot and weather it's supposed to be 5 or 12 or? Volts, it seems like a waste of time to open the door panel up. All fuses are good and relays work and have even been switched around (compatible with other areas like turn signal, wipers, etc.). Any help would be greatly appreciated !

Thursday, January 28th, 2021 AT 3:04 PM

2 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
34,330 POSTS

I think he's referring to checking for broken or frayed wires between the door hinges. That's common on all car brands and models, especially at the age and mileage you listed.

You don't have to know the functions of the wires. They'll all be of different colors and / or with different colored "tracers", or stripes. Pull the rubber boot back, then look at the wires. There may be plastic wrap around the harness. That will usually be shredded by the sharp points of wire strands poking through it.

If you find broken wires, I'll describe how I handled them at the dealership. You'll need a soldering iron and heat-shrink tubing. This is a good time to replace every wire if one or two are broken. The rest are going to break soon too.

There isn't one diagram for everything in the door. If the wires are okay, we'll have to pick one system and start with that

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Thursday, January 28th, 2021 AT 3:20 PM

DANNY L

MECHANIC
5,648 POSTS

Hello, I'm Danny.

Yes, it sounds like you are having a DDM- driver door module or wiring problem related to the ddm. Here is a door panel removal tutorial and a wiring testing tutorial:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/door-panel-removal

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

I've attached picture steps below on door panel and the ddm removal and replacement. I've also attached below the wiring diagram for the power locks for your car. Hope this helps and let us know what you find. Thanks for using 2CarPros.

Images (Click to make bigger)