2026 Ford Explorer: Set the Child Locks and Rear Window Lockout

The Explorer’s rear-door child locks and rear window lockout do different jobs. The door locks stop the rear doors opening from inside; the window button disables the rear window controls. Switching on one does not replace setting the other.

This guide covers the illustrated controls in the 2026 Ford Explorer Canada/US owner’s manual. Set them while safely parked, with Park selected and the parking brake applied. Keep children out of the vehicle while you set and check the locks.

Set each rear door separately

Open the rear door and find the child-lock key slot on its rear edge. Match it to Ford’s actual drawing on printed page 45, rather than turning an unfamiliar latch or fastener. Left and right below mean the vehicle’s sides when facing forward.

1. For the left rear door, turn the key clockwise in the child-lock slot to switch the child lock on.
2. For the right rear door, turn the key counter-clockwise to switch the child lock on. The direction is opposite to the left door.
3. Check each door separately. With a second adult outside ready to open it, have an adult inside pull the closed rear door’s inside handle twice. The door should not open. Do not use a child for this check.

Ford specifies the twice-pull check on printed page 46. Keep the normal door locks unlocked for the check and keep the key available to the adult outside. Afterward, the outside adult can open the door using its exterior handle. If the door opens from inside with the child lock set, do not rely on that lock; arrange a check.

Use the separate rear window lockout

Find the button with the crossed-out window symbol on the driver’s door control panel. Ford’s panel drawing on printed page 129 identifies it as the window lock; the drawing’s letter A is a reference callout, not a letter printed on the button.

Press that button to lock the rear window controls. Its light comes on when the rear controls are locked; press it again to unlock them. Ford’s printed page 127 recommends the lockout when children or pets are in the rear seat. Keep hands and objects clear of the windows whenever operating them.

When a rear door will not open from inside

A working child lock deliberately prevents the rear inside handle from opening the door. Have an adult outside open it using the exterior handle, with the normal door lock unlocked. If it will not open from outside either, do not assume the child lock explains the whole problem or force the mechanism.

To turn a child lock off, open that rear door and reverse its setting: counter-clockwise on the left side, clockwise on the right. Do not use one direction for both doors. Switching off the window lockout does not switch off the door child locks.

These controls do not replace supervision

Never leave a child alone in a vehicle or use these locks to keep a child inside while you leave. Transport Canada advises checking inside before locking and leaving, keeping keys out of children’s reach and moving a sleeping child to a safe place outside the vehicle. Child locks also do not replace the correct child restraint.

Instructions checked October 31, 2026 against the 2026 Explorer Canada/US manual, July 2025 edition, printed pages 45–46, 127 and 129. Match the illustrated controls to your vehicle.