Range Rover's Dead Locks: Battery or Door Handle Mystery?

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars, and I actually faced almost the exact same issue with my 2002 Range Rover Sport diesel. The symptoms were identical, door locks acting up and flickering lights. Took it to my regular mechanic, and it turned out to be a faulty cable connection between the door handle electronics and the control unit. The repair wasn't too complex, but finding the exact issue took some diagnostic time. Total bill came to around 110 Euro, which included labor and parts. Before going ahead with specific advice, have you noticed any other electrical issues? Does this happen with all doors or just one specific door? Any recent work done on the doors or electrical system? BTW, if you're considering Range Rovers, the Discovery from the same era was generally more reliable with these electronics. Hope this helps!

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Range Rover just hit 165315 KM, and I've started noticing these electrical gremlins recently. Actually, all doors are affected, and the issue started about two weeks after my last service. I'm also getting this weird clicking sound from the central locking when I try to lock/unlock. Haven't had any other electrical work done recently, but I've noticed the power windows are a bit sluggish too. Looks like I might be facing a similar cable connection problem as yours. I'll get it checked out ASAP, really hoping it won't turn into a bigger electrical headache!

Hey again! After reading about those additional symptoms you're experiencing, especially that clicking sound and the sluggish windows, I'm actually thinking this might be different from my initial cable connection guess. In my case, after I dealt with the first repair I mentioned, similar issues came back a few months later. Turned out I was chasing the wrong problem, it wasn't just the door handle electronics at all. The real culprit was actually a failing battery! The symptoms are really similar, and Range Rovers from our era are pretty sensitive to voltage issues. The battery in these cars doesn't just die suddenly, it kind of goes through this weird phase where it causes all sorts of electrical gremlins first. The clicking sound you mentioned? That's exactly what mine did when the battery was on its way out. The fact that all your doors are affected (just like mine were) and the power windows are sluggish really points to a power supply issue. I ended up replacing the battery (cost me about 200 with installation), and all these problems disappeared completely. Might be worth checking your battery's voltage before diving into more complex repairs. Saved me a lot of headache in the end! Let me know what you find out, I'm really curious if you're dealing with the same thing I did!

Oh wow, that's really interesting about the battery! You know what, that actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. I've had this battery for quite a while, and I can't even remember when I last replaced it. The way you described those symptoms with your Range Rover matches mine perfectly, especially that clicking sound! I'm actually feeling a bit relieved now because a battery replacement sounds much better than dealing with complex electrical issues. Think I'll get the battery tested first before jumping into any other repairs. That 200 price tag sounds way more appealing than what I was imagining for electrical system repairs! Really appreciate you sharing your experience, you've probably saved me from going down a rabbit hole of unnecessary repairs. I'll definitely update the group once I get it sorted. Thanks again for the help!