Broken Lock Follower: Symptoms, Repair and Replacement

Your handle spins freely or feels limp, and the latch no longer retracts? The culprit is very often the follower: the square-holed part at the heart of the lock that turns handle rotation into latch movement.

Recognising a failing follower

• The handle turns without resistance and without moving the latch
• Significant play has appeared between handle and door
• The spindle keeps slipping out of its housing
• The handle droops and no longer springs back (broken follower spring)

Repair or replace?

If only the spindle is worn, replacing it (a few euros) is enough. If the follower itself is cracked or worn oval, the lock case must be opened: on quality locks the follower can be replaced on its own; on entry-level models, replacing the whole case is often more reliable and barely more expensive.

Replacement in practice

1. Remove the handles and take out the spindle.
2. Unscrew the faceplate and slide the case out of its mortice.
3. Open the case, replace follower and spring, reassemble checking the play.
4. Test handle and key for a dozen cycles before closing the door.

On a front door or a multipoint lock, a reassembly mistake can leave the door locked shut. Our locksmiths operate throughout Île-de-France to replace followers, cases and complete locks, with a free quote before work.