Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has a housing, a latch fork pivotal on the housing about a latch-fork axis, engageable in a latched position with a door bolt to retain same and lock the door, and having a latching surface offset from the latch-fork axis, a main latching lever pivotal on the housing adjacent the fork about a main-lever axis substantially parallel to the latch-fork axis, and a secondary latching lever pivotal on the main lever about a secondary-lever axis substantially parallel to the latch-fork axis and having an outer end formed with a surface engaging the latch-fork surface in the latched position. A pair of stops define for the latching levers in the latched position of the latch fork a normal position with the surface in surface contact and an actuated position with the surfaces only in line contact. Thus to open the door the main lever is pivoted from the normal position to the actuated position and thereafter the latching-lever surface is slid off the latch-fork surface.