A later problem with the latch mechanism of the cargo doors was traced to shorted wires which caused the latch motor (DC) to reverse itself. The difficulty in actually solving that problem was that the loss of the door took all the evidence with it. IIRC they finally fished a door off the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea which provided the clues to solve it.
This was long ago and we worked few DC10s but I recall the latch mechanism being mechanically engaged though the door itself was motorized and upward lifting. Course, I could be ‘membering wrong or they could have changed it.