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Driver door spontaneously opened while driving

K

Krispy

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87
Had a very alarming thing happen a couple of day ago...

While driving on the M25 at 70mph in our December 2020 registered Ocean 6.1 the drivers door spontaneously decided to open. My wife was driving, I was in the passenger seat. First I knew anything was wrong was when the door warning chime sounded, she realised something was up a split second earlier when she felt wind rushing at her.

Fortunately she managed to grab hold of the door, but couldn't yank it fully shut without driving one handed to the hard shoulder first, where she stopped and slammed it shut. Felt very fortunate that the motorway was very quiet.

Just wondering if anyone else has had something like this happen? I know that there were some recalls in the middle of last year for something similar, but would have imagined this would have been sorted out prior to our December model?
 
There is a safety recall on this, but thought it was for vehicles manufactured up to Feb 2020. Unless yours was built around then?
Might be worth checking with a dealer.
 
Just called VW to report the issue - they are sending a technician to our in 1.5 hours! I guess they're taking this seriously. As they should - it's not hard to imagine how it could have led to a very serious accident.

Will update when I have some answers.

Mine was a just-delivered dealer demo model with 0 miles on the clock in December, so surely must have been manufactured many months after the recalls.
 
Just called VW to report the issue - they are sending a technician to our in 1.5 hours! I guess they're taking this seriously. As they should - it's not hard to imagine how it could have led to a very serious accident.

Will update when I have some answers.
That’s a positive response!
Strange regarding the build timings but obviously something not quite right, hopefully it will all get sorted for you.
 
Mine was a just-delivered dealer demo model with 0 miles on the clock in December,

So was mine, but the build date was a lot earlier. Do you know if yours is a 2020 or 2021 model? do you have sports mode on the gearbox or a button on the B pillar for the alarm? Those are the two easy ways to spot an earlier van.
 
Following with interest as I’m sure quite a few T6.1 owners will be.
 
Update: the VW mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with the door, so booked it in for a more thorough examination at our local VW Commercial garage in a couple of weeks. Will update again if and when I know anything more...
 
Update: the VW mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with the door, so booked it in for a more thorough examination at our local VW Commercial garage in a couple of weeks. Will update again if and when I know anything more...
Make sure to keep your seatbelt on in the meantime!
 
Ive been having problems too. T6.1 Ocean 199hp picked up in Dec. The drivers door wouldnt open when frosty outside. When it did open ( from the inside) it wouldnt stay shut , like the mechanism was seized inside. I took it too the local Van centre in Derby and they replaced some cables. It then seemed fine (apart from a rattle inside the door!) . I ve only driven the van a few times since and now, from the outside, the door wont open at all,. For such an expensive vehicle, its crap and its the hassle of having time off work to take it back.
 
Was it cold / frosty that day? I had the same (Jan 2020 6.1). Back in Feb drivers door lock seized early morning (it was snow covered) ended up driving and to work holding the door shut. VW Garage swapped out cables and water seals next day as a recall / warranty issue (it's basically when water seeps in and freezes the lock mechanism). Why they felt the need to change the design after years of it being fine I'll never know......
 
For such an expensive vehicle, its crap and its the hassle of having time off work to take it back.
Why are you taking time off? Why not just call VW assist & tell them you can’t get the drivers door open. Let them sort it.
 
Why are you taking time off? Why not just call VW assist & tell them you can’t get the drivers door open. Let them sort it.
Thanks for that info , i forgot i had this. I will ring them tommorrow, cheers!
 
I collected my new 6.1 in March last year and was informed in August directly by VW of door seals causing problems in cold weather which could possibly mean doors opening when driving . Recall was arranged and apparently fixed by my local dealer .
 
It's wasn't particularly cold when my driver side door opened on the motorway, nor was it raining, so seems unlikely to be anything to do with water sealing.

What I find slightly galling is the fact that the VW Assist guy told my wife that he'd never heard of any issues with the door opening before - claimed it was new to him. And yet it was the subject of a major recall last year, and a cursory google search reveals we certainly don't seem to be alone with this issue...
 
What is DVSA?
 
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