My Granddaughter has a 2006 Honda Civic. She said the seat belt got caught in the driver side door and now the door can’t be unlocked. I found the belt not caught in the door but it can’t be unlocked and opened. The manual unlocking knob is stuck in the unlocked position, but the door can’t be opened. Turning the key will not unlock and open it. The inside and outside handles work, I see linkage moving a lever down in the door but the door will not budge. I can’t get the inside door panel off completely to start looking for what’s jammed, might anyone know what might be wrong with this driver’s side door?
Without actually seeing the door mechanism guess are about all you will get . Any body shop can solve this or maybe a service like ( pop a Lock ) can get the door open . Of course you might have to drive to the shop while holding the door shut and then it might jamb again.
Try pushing the door really hard against the body (inward) to take tension off the locking mechanism while having someone else turning the key back and forth.
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A plastic clip that secures the latch rod may have broken, and the rod is no longer attached to the door latch.
In cases like this, I’ve unbolted the seat and moved it into the back seat so the door panel can be removed.
Tester
If that’s the case, can it be opened using a slim jim?
Thanks for all replies. The latch and lock cables have been removed from the handle 7 knob, but tugging on them still doesn’t open the door. A friend of my Granddaughter’s is taking the car home with him to attempt further removal for access to door latch mechanism
I don’t think I’ve ever had a door that simply wouldn’t open no matter what. I guess if I had that problem I’d get a sturdy 2x4 or 2x6 x about the width of the car and place one end against something sturdy-looking on the problem door and (gently) whack the other end with a 4 pound hammer. The impact-shock might help pop the door open, at which point you could fix what’s broken. This idea could be extended with improvised gadgetry so the impact force on the stubborn door was spread over a wider area.
I’m not sure what the backup plan would be. Even if you remove the seats, I think the door hinges still remain inaccessible. Worse case scenario, the door could be cut off I suppose. Then replace it with another door. Definitely not the preferred path.
Once you get it solved be sure to lube the latch. I try to lube all latches and hinges on every oil change, doors, trunk, hood.
Again, thanks for all replies. My Granddaughters friend has got the door open, i am anxious to talk to him to find out how he did it
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