I have a 2003 Toyota Matrix. It has manual locks and windows and the locks have stopped working on the passenger side door and the trunk hatch back. The locks basically won’t turn. I’m thinking the tumblers or something like that have gotten stuck. The driver side door and ignition work fine. I am using a copy of the original key because the original was lost. The original didn’t have a chip in it or anything like that and the locks stopped working before it was lost. Those are the basic details of my situation. I really don’t want to remove the door panel because it looks like a pain so I’m thinking about taking it in to have them replaced. My question is should I take it to the dealer or call an auto locksmith? Can they make the new locks work with the same key as the driver side door and ignition? I’m wondering if any one knows a ballpark figure on what this will cost to have fixed? Thanks for your time.
Perhaps your key copy was of a worn key or not copied correctly. Your dealer can make a replacement key from the vehicle’s VIN (key code info. on file).
A good locksmith can make any key, even chipped ones, cheaper than the dealer.
Hopefully it is just something like needing a better key but this problem started happening while I still had the original key so not sure if this will fix it. I was just wondering if I did have to have the actual locks replaced what would be a ball park figure for the cost of this repair?
I’m not expert in these matters, but it sounds like an inspection of the inner working parts for the door and an inspection of the trunk lock are in order. I am not convinced that the key is the issue. I would first take the inner door panel off the passenger side and see if everything works correctly from the inside. Need to rule out all but the lock itself.
My local body shop replaced a door handle/lock combination for me for about $50 labor, plus parts.