The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock equipped with a locking mechanism (1, 2, 3), an actuation lever unit that acts on the locking mechanism (1, 2, 3) and includes a release lever (4), and a catch lever (10). The catch lever (10) blocks the locking mechanism (1, 2, 3) 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 locking mechanism (1, 2, 3) in the event of a crash while releasing the locking mechanism (1, 2, 3) only for normal opening operation.