GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I assume the child safety lock switch is what is missing, and it is just not in the locked position? Have you compared the door side to the other rear door to see the difference?

yeah all i can think of is the child lock, take some pictures so we can see what you mean. picture of the handle from the inside and a picture of the child lock with the door open

It sounds to me like the child lock is engaged. When the child lock is engaged, the door can only be opened from the outside regardless of whether the door itself is locked or not.

Here's a picture of the child lock (the black oval shaped piece toward the top of the picture). Both rear doors have one.

Up = disengaged
Down = engaged