Stuck Door Lock!

[RAZ]

Has anyone had a door lock stuck locked?
My passenger door is locked and will not un-lock!
Key will not open it and button will not pull up.
Turning key moves the button alittle. Pulling on lock
button it comes up half way but its pulling back down.
Power door lock does nothing, not a sound.
With door locked I can't open door
to take off door panel to see whats the matter.
I rolled the window down and barely see the rods are bending
when turning key.
ANY IDEAS?

THANKS STEVE
2000 VX #0009

[Triathlete]

Only one door is doing this? If so remove the door panel and check for any thing binding. If nothing is binding carefully remove one end of the rod (they are brittle and break easy so be carefull). See if the electric actuator is moving properly. If not it may be broke. It can be taken apart to see if it is stuck or damaged. My drivers door stopped working. I did this and found the teeth on the gears in the actuator are stripped. Until I find a donor replacement I have the rail disconnected so that the key and lock work.

[RAZ]

I can't open the door to get the door panel off.
Door is locked shut. Passenger side only.

STEVE

[mbeach]

My passenger door does this when it's cold.
Door lock actuator gets moisture in it (as a result of a breakin, not design related) and siezes up.

The linkages are pretty fragile as Triathelete stated, so venture into your door carefully when it finally lets you.

AW Golden lists replacement door 'guts' (that's everything except the handles) at @$150. I'm not sure of the availability or interchangeability data though.

[SGT.BATGUANO]

How about key and button together? Or keep toggling the switch one way then the other , maybe you'll free something up.

Other than that you could get a can of wd-40 with the longest spray nozzle you can find, raise window fully and randomly spray the p**p out of the door innards, let it sit a while, then try unlocking.

[Triathlete]

Before disconnecting mine I would have to jiggle the key around while turning it back and forth in the key hole until it would unlock. Give that a try. Good luck!

[nater]

This sounds like a bad solenoid for the power locks. There is a slight possibility that it is shorting as you pull up/ turn the key. If that is the case, disconnect the battery, and turn the key to unlock AND pull on the knob.

If that doesn't work, you MIGHT be lucky enough with a slim jim to dislodge the rod that connects the solenoid to the latch, then unlock manually. Odds are very slim, however, you are more likely to just bend or disconnect all the rods, not just the one you want. These can usually be straightened and reconnected without a lot of expense (once you are inside the door).

If that doesn't work, you will need to find a way to get inside the door while it is closed. We had a similar thing happen to a Previa at our dealership; we actually consulted the upholstery shop next door to see what he thought could be repaired after tearing the panel off. We proceded to cut through a cloth portion of the panel after the upholstery shop brought over fabric samples for the customer to approve the repair.

If it was me, I would try to find a replacement door panel from a junkyard, then proceed to remove the old as carefully as possible.

If your replacement panel cost over $300-$400 dollars (unlikely) it might be worth considering cutting through the metal on the outside, then having it welded back in and repainted. (Drastic, consider this only if a panel is absolutely impossible to find or repair). Get a quote from a body shop first.

Good luck.

Nate

[Tone]

All that sounds rather drastic - try the other solutions and then pull the door panel off carefully - I think I have written up the how to somewhere on here there are 3 screws on the door panel and one on the tweeter pod - then it pulls straight off and then up. You can then close the door without the panel on (important - the passenger side controls must be plugged in for the system to work) and see the mechanism as Nater suggests but you will NOT have to cut into the metal - geesh, Nater, you scare me. This is a simple repair but best done with the interior panel off.

[nater]

Tone, it's my understanding that the DOOR WILL NOT OPEN. That being said, here is the only logical course of action:

-Find any way you can to get the door open without damaging it. Tone, if you know of a way to get the door panel off with the DOOR CLOSED, post it here. (It's unclear in your response if this can be done). If so, there's the solution, and my drastic scenario is pointless. Otherwise, consult everyone you can think of, the dealer, a local repair shop, a guy who is good with a slim jim, etc. Get LOTS of people to look at it before giving up. Maybe even try a tow truck driver with break-in experience.
-IF you conclude (after exhaustive attempts) that the door WILL NOT open without gaining access to its internals, try like hell to get the door panel off with the door closed.
-IF you must penetrate the door, try to do as little damage as possible to the interior panel if it cannot be removed intact from the inside. Before starting, consider ways to repair the panel, then damage it appropriately.
-IF the panel is irreplaceable, unrepairable, or extremely expensive, consider, as a last resort, coming in through the door skin's sheet metal. Yes, it's drastic. This is only if you CANNOT get a new door panel, or are certain you could not get an existing door panel repaired after tearing it off in pieces.

Me personally, I would try to find a panel at a junkyard for under $100, then carefully tear apart the existing panel until I gained access to the latch. Pop the door, pop the old panel off, disconnect the solenoid, then test the latch with a screwdriver (instead of the striker). Once I had the latch working reliably (and the solenoid physically disconnected) then you could open and close the door until you get the repair parts (lock cyl, solenoid, or whatever is needed).

There is also a possibility that the solenoid has a short inside it and tugging on it a little is causing it to activate the other way. (Unlocking with key causes the lock to pull back down). I don't know the latch internals enough to know if this is a possibility. Disconnecting the battery and then using the manual lock mechanism (key and knob) should work fine if this is the problem. (You need to cut the power to the solenoid). If the solenoid has siezed, cutting the power won't help the situation.

Tone, do I still scare you? ;-)

Nate

[VX crazy]

Call Pop A Lock or go by a locksmith or body shop and let them slim jim the lock open. I will bet it is simply jammed - suprised using the key and pulling on the latch / button will not open - how about key and pulling on the inside opener loop? The inside latch can be removed with the door shut but I agree the panel cannot be removed w/o damage with the door closed.

Hope you are not going to tell us later that it has been in an accident recently or that an alarm has been added....

[RAZ]

The door will not open!
Can I get the door panel off with the door closed?
I sprayed a alot of wd-40 in there and worked the key and button together.
With the fuse for the door locks pulled out.
Still no luck

STEVE

Not from a accident! Viper alarm put in 4 years ago

[nater]

Tone, do you have any ideas for this? I know my ideas are drastic, but my ego won't be crushed if you post a solution...

Raz, did you try disconnecting the battery? Also, did you call around to try to find a replacement door panel?

Nate

[RAZ]

I GOT IT OPEN!!!
Sprayed more WD-40 in there with window down and keep working
the key and button together heard a pop and it opened!
Took off door panel and found power door lock was the
problem. Took it apart and gears had broken teeth.
Did not put it back in will have to use key till I get a new one.

STEVE

[Triathlete]

That is exactly what was wrong with mine. If you find a good price on the part let me know. I've been to busy/lazy to search yet!

[nater]

That's awesome news! That's the best possible outcome given the circumstances.

Nate

[AnalogVX]

My passenger door is stuck/locked the same way. I tried a slim jim and I can turn the key while working the slim jim, but the lock won't budge. Can't get the door panel off to have a look. I'll try disconnecting the battery to see if the solenoid will let loose.

[AZOutlaw]

when my door gets stuck locked, I use a screwdriver to unscrew and adjust the handle from the interior...then it always unlocks. Seems to only happen when I lock the driver door with the power lock button, from the inside when the door is closed

[totallto]

Well AnalogVX, did you ever get the door unlocked and if you did, tell us how you did it.

[swanny]

So my power lock on the driver side doesn't work. Key is fine, but neither my button or fob opens it. Only the passenger side works. I just got a new alarm put in and they think it's a motor. Any resources on where to get a new one? Also, while I'm on the topic, my window motor is getting sketch...Is there a particular one you guys recommend as a replacement?

[moontn]

i spent around 30 minutes pulling door lock up and lifting outside door handle while jiggling lock and it opened. the door lock actuator was the culprit. i want to thank everyone for this forum as it is the best source for information for these rare vehicles