# Car door locks question **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [April 16, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747 "2011-04-16T02:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![santix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@santix](https://community.cartalk.com/u/santix)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/1 "2011-04-16T02:13:58Z")
Why does it happen in some cars that if someone lifts the handle from the outside, just as the door is being unlocked, that particular door remains locked, making you lock it and unlock it in order to be able to open it? Is it a safety reason? A design feature? Or is it just a consequence of the way those locks work? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/2 "2011-04-16T13:07:57Z")
It’s timing. The person is lifting the outside handle a split second before the door has unlocked, and therefor the door won’t open. You have wait until AFTER the doors are unlocked. Trying to open one DURING the unlocking process is unlikely to succeed. ---
**Author:** ![santix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@santix](https://community.cartalk.com/u/santix)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/3 "2011-04-19T14:23:50Z")
Yes, you are right but I think I expressed myself wrong. What I wanted to describe is that is happens when you lift the handle, and keep it that way, BEFORE the door is unlocked. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/4 "2011-04-19T14:37:34Z")
We’re going in a circle. ---
**Author:** ![chaissos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/chaissos/32/2347_2.png) [@chaissos](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chaissos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/5 "2011-04-19T14:43:16Z")
All things being equal, nothing should happen except it just wouldn’t unlock. Let go of the handle, and then it should unlock normally. It can, in the case of unsufficiently lubricated door mechanism, cause a sticking situation, where the door is technically neither locked, nor unlocked, but won’t open, either. Sometimes you can undo this temporary sticking by locking (with the manual locking mechanism, not the power one) and unlocking the door. I read again…comprehension. Must be getitng old. It’s just the mechanics of the lock. Nothing more. Good luck, Chase ---
**Author:** ![santix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@santix](https://community.cartalk.com/u/santix)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/6 "2011-04-19T14:49:24Z")
That’s exactly it, the sticking situation. And the fix is the locking and unlocking. But the weird thing is that I’ve seen it happen with different cars, even new ones, so I didn’t think about a lubrication problem or malfunction. Is it even possible to damage the locking mechanism that way? ---
**Author:** ![chaissos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/chaissos/32/2347_2.png) [@chaissos](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chaissos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/7 "2011-04-19T14:52:35Z")
It’s possible to damage just about anything if you hit it hard enough. And that’s basically what you’re doing when the lock is interfered with during the unlock process. I’ve seen it (sticking) on a few cars, but it’s not really all that common, I don’t think. Mostly the dealers will tell you to replace the lock (at a couple hundred or so), when all you really need is some silicone spray, or a removal and some proper grease. ---
**Author:** ![santix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@santix](https://community.cartalk.com/u/santix)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-door-locks-question/63747/8 "2011-04-19T14:55:37Z")
I understand. I’ve found that this action has a name, according to [urbandictionary.com](http://urbandictionary.com) it’s called “prepulling”: prepull: when opening a car door as soon as the driver unlocks it leaving you pulling very fast with the door still locked _click click\*\*pull_ DAMN!.. the door is still locked… ☹ i must have prepulled