Car door wont open

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a 1996 Buick Century. My drivers door wont open. The latch appears to be stuck. i have the panel off, all rods are connected. The lock works fine. The solenoid is working. The latch seems to wrapped around the post coming out of the door frame. Is there a trigger, or something I can do to release the door so i can open it?

2

Since no one is posting an answer, I’d guess that no one knows specifically how to deal with mid 1990 Buick door locks.

Some generic possibilities based on prior problems with entirely different cars.

  1. The door latch is broken internally.

  2. The door latch is fine, but the door is jammed by a twig or something and just needs to be pushed really hard while the door latch is released.

  3. I assume that at this point, the weather where you live is warm enough to preclude the possibility that the latch is just frozen shut?

To deal with the possibility of a jammed door, make sure the door is unlocked then get someone agile and strong to climb in from the passenger side and try and push the door open while you pull on the door handle from outside. Keep in mind that if the door opens, it will probably be moving pretty fast.

If that fails, I think that your choice is to partially dismantle the passenger side door or give up and call a locksmith. The passenger side door latch should be a mirror image of the driver side. Maybe you’ll get some ideas how to release the driver’s side from examining the passenger side latch which is working properly.

3

Not that noone knows, I have not been in here in months.

I would do exactly as you posted. With it unlocked, and latch handle held out, a firm kick as close to edge of door from INSIDE…

Some latches or bolt pins get gouged from sagging doors… and can get STUCK.

Find a dealer that Prez. Obama has not shut down, replace items as you find to have wear… likely the latch and latch bolt.

If door was sagging, also get a hinge pin kit.

I may be a locksmith, but you had the most likely solution.

And if none of this works, the lock may have a broken spring, allowing one of the overcam actions to be stuck partway between lock/unlock.

I often will feel around and find these “camlike” components, and see if I can manually pivot the thing.

GM should not be too tough… it are the Volkswagen ones that are tougies, whereas the latch is mounted OUTSIDE of the door cavity, so when door is closed, it is hidden between the door and the pillar post…

Jeff
City Lock
Boulder Colorado