Help! As I am literally tired of getting stuck in my own car. Let me explain. A month or so ago I was opening my car door and I don’t think I pulled all the way before I tried to open and my door got stuck in the awkard half way open/closed position so I pulled it back into the fully closed position to open. Ever since then I don’t know if I had something come loose inside the door or what but 99% of the time I can’t open the door with the inside handle and I have to roll down the window and use the handle on the outside. I took it to my local mechanic who was convinced I was playing a joke on him since he could open the door from the outside and wasn’t much help other to say that since i live in Florida the heat would be causing the door to “glue” itself shut but I have lived in Florida for many years and never had this happen before. Any ideas of what could be wrong or how much a repair might be? I should note that even when pulling on the handle and giving it all my against the door it won’t budge from the inside.
I have no idea why the mechanic would pass the buck with a lame excuse rather than fix the problem.
There could be any one of several reasons why the door is not opening from the inside.
One of the most likely causes could be an inner latch rod jarred loose from the latch mechanism or loose because of a broken plastic clip. Principles are the same no matter the type of car; it’s just that some are more complicated and difficult to access compared to others.
The inner door panel probably needs to come off and guessing a bit, I’d say the problem should not be too severe at all. Maybe half an hour to an hour labor with the cost varying based on shop rates and so on. Replacement lock clips are cheap. (Lock meaning holding the rod in place; not the lock for the key.) Hope that helps somewhat.
Sounds like the door lock/latch assembly is beginning to fail. On most cars it is a simple repair.
doesn t sound like your local mechanic values your business
Roll down your window and see if the door latch assembly is visible through the top of the door. If you can see it, buy some kind of spray lube from the auto store (There are various brands) that comes with the skinny red straw to direct it in tight spaces. Spray the latch liberally with it and see if it helps.
Look at Mechanic Files and find another mechanic. Take it in ASAP. If an emergency happened, you could be trapped in the car.
Hey! Just wanted to give everyone an update. I will save the me going to several different mechanics part and jump right to me going to the dealer after my perferred mechanic couldn’t see me without an appt since they were so busy. So I went to the dealer and they took the door off and did an inspection and came back telling me the Inside Door Actuator was broken and needed to be fixed and of course that would be $300. I was like thank you but no thanks and went back to my regular guy just to see if he could do it cheaper. After he looked at the door he dosen’t think its the actuator since the electronic locks work on both the inside and outside and things it is simply some small plastic piece falling off of the door lock assemply which is what makes the most sense to me. He said he would take off the door for free and take a look for me when I come back and see if I can get done cheaper. If it is the Actuator what would be a good (not being ripped off) price? Same for door lock assembly? I should note that when the door is open and i pull on the inside handle you can see something inside going click click softly like it is trying to release the door.
1 to 2 hours labor plus the part. Alot of newer cars the lock and actuator are an assembly. Sometimes there are small springs that break and can be fixed. Most of the time it is an internal failure and not repairable.
Steve