The central locking motor is a 2 wire electrical motor that attaches to the power supply on the vehicle and uses electrical power to operate the central locking to lock or unlock the vehicle. There is one central locking motor per door on the vehicle, and another to operate the boot. Often when the central locking is used you will hear the motor whirr in to action. This noise will also be accompanied by a clunking noise when locking and unlocking the door.

Failures of the central locking motor could be caused by dirty brushes inside the motor. It is possible to clean these and see if this solves the problem. However, if the central locking motor is still out of action, it’s possible that one of the components of the motor has failed. A common cause of motor failure is the microswitch. If the motor fails, you will most likely require a replacement.

Failure to replace the damaged motor will mean that you are unable to lock or unlock its corresponding door or boot. This can obviously cause security issues, so it is recommended to get the motor replaced as soon as possible.