Wacky rear door won't open from outside (will from inside)
 

2005 C230 Sport Sedan

The other day went to open the left rear door and it would not open. I hit the unlock on the fob and inside car and nothing. The lock stem thing wouldn't even go up or down (it was in the down position). When I tried to pull the stem up manually it didn't seem to be attached to the metal part of the stem. I then pull on the outside handle a little hard and the door opens part way, it's still partially latched. Another quick tug and it opens.

Funny thing is that it will open just fine from the inside. Any ideas on what could be happening?

Hello Michael - take a look at the 2 links below. They are DIY tech articles from our site on the rear door handle and rear door lock. I hope that they will help you troubleshoot the issue and resolve it. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can assist with any future part needs.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...or_Handles.htm

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart..._Door_Lock.htm

Yikes, thanks for the links.

Can you tell me what could possibly be wrong, can it be fixed or do I have to buy an entire new mechanism?

It's hard to know for sure if a new mechanism is needed. Unfortunately it's one of those jobs where you won't know until you get in there - you may need to only adjust the mechanism. I would suggest doing a bit more research to see if this is a common issue and/or what others have done as the resolution. Try googling " Mercedes W203 rear door lock issue" or something similar to those keywords. I would imagine that someone else has already done this and will be able to give you some pointers. Sorry that I don't have more of a definitive answer...