Patent ID: 7699363

Claim:
Sliding door arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising: a sliding door which is movable in a sliding motion between an opened position uncovering an opening in a vehicle body and a closed position closing said opening in the vehicle body, inner and outer surfaces of the door extending across and covering said opening in said closed position; a main lock arrangement for temporarily fixing the sliding door in the closed position, an auxiliary lock arrangement comprising a latch having a first latch element for supplementing the main lock arrangement when the sliding door is in the closed position, said auxiliary lock arrangement also having a second latch element for fixing the sliding door in the opened position; wherein the first latch element of the auxiliary lock arrangement comprises a recess for engaging an engagement element on the vehicle body in the closed position, said recess having an interior surface facing in a direction substantially perpendicular to said inner and outer surfaces of the door of the door, said interior surface acting to resist any forces imposed on the door perpendicularly to the direction of said sliding motion and in a direction from said inner surface of the door toward said outer surface of the door when the sliding door is in the closed position by engagement of said interior surface of the recess against said engagement element.