Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock equipped with a locking mechanism (1, 2, 15), an actuation lever unit (3, 4) acting on the locking mechanism (1, 2, 15), and a catch lever (10). The catch lever (10) renders the actuation lever unit (3, 4) ineffective, at least when acceleration forces of a given magnitude occur, e.g. in case of an accident (crash). According to the invention, the catch lever (10) blocks the actuation lever unit (3, 4) during non-deflected normal operation and in the event of a crash while releasing the actuation lever unit (3, 4) only for deflected normal operation.