An actuating means for a vehicle body closure latch includes a driver or passenger controlled electric motor driving a reciprocable rack through a gear train. The rack is resiliently biased to a neutral position and shifts an actuator from neutral to an operating position when the rack is moved from the neutral position to a driving position. The actuator is engageable with a latch operator to control movement of the latch bolt to unlatched position when the actuator moves to an operating position. When the actuator reaches the operating position, the actuator is positively stopped to stall the motor or power operator. When the power is removed from the stalled motor or power operator by the driver or passenger releasing a switch, the bias of the resilient centering means returns the rack to its initial neutral or starting position and back drives the motor through the gear train.