I have a 2000 Toyota Camry which I purchased new. It has 37,000 miles on it and has had regular maintenance. When I am driving with the doors locked, the “door lock” light on the dash starts to flicker and the door locks open, the dome light flashes and the light circle around the key flashes. My local mechanic says this may be a short in one of the contacts on one of the doors - perhaps the right passenger door since it was banged in a parking lot. Is this condition dangerous? Will the doors fly open? Will the car suddenly stop in traffic? Will I lock it when I get out and not be able to get back in? I am retired and living on a pension and work by my local Toyota dealer is very very expensive. Thank you for your help
The damaged door opens and closes smoothly? If not, it may need some body work to make sure it latches properly.
If it latches solid then not likely you have a safety issue. Your doors will not fly open, and you will be able to get into your car with no problem. It seems one of the door switches (probably the damaged door) that signals when a door is open or closed is either bad or is just at the point where a small bounce activates it.
A body shop should be able to evaluate the problem and fix you up for just a small charge. Just tell them you want an estimate of costs before you approve any work.
No your doors will not fly open. Is this really a “door ajar” warning? I fault your mechanic for not relieving your fears about this condition.
Thank you for your response.
Yes, the damaged door opens and closes smoothly. The only obvious indication of damage is that when the door is closed, the edge of the door does not fit as smoothly into the body of the car as the others do. I will contact a body shop.
If I contact my Toyota dealer, how can I get an honest appraisal without encountering a charge?
I am an older woman and have felt more than once taken advantage of because they think I don’t know any better and will just take the word of any man talking to me.
When I have said I will think about their recommendation (new tires for instance) they act annoyed and rude.
Admittedly, I live in an area in which most women do not care how much something costs, they just want it fixed.
My father was a Greyhound bus driver and my uncle a mechanic for Greyhound. When they taught me how to drive (in a 1953 Chevy Coupe) I also had to learn how cars worked.
Thank you for your response.
I am an older woman and have felt more than once taken advantage of by the Toyota dealer because they think I don’t know any better and will just take the word of any man talking to me.
When I have said I will think about their recommendation (new tires for instance) they act annoyed and rude.
Admittedly, I live in an area in which most women do not care how much something costs, they just want it fixed.
My father was a Greyhound bus driver and my uncle a mechanic for Greyhound. When they taught me how to drive (in a 1953 Chevy Coupe) I also had to learn how cars worked.
Again Thank you.
Hello, Some time ago, you answered a question about the door locks on my 2000
Toyota Camry. I since discovered that if I shut the passenger door very securely, the lock light would go out. Near the end of May, this method no longer worked. So I asked my mechanic if he could disconnect the sensor in the right door. He said he could.
Do you think that is all right? Disconnecting will not cause some other problem?
Geeeze anyway, what happened to simple mechanical things.
Hello, Some time ago, you answered a question about the door locks on my 2000
Toyota Camry. I since discovered that if I shut the passenger door very securely, the lock light would go out. Near the end of May, this method no longer worked. So I asked my mechanic if he could disconnect the sensor in the right door. He said he could.
Do you think that is all right? Disconnecting will not cause some other problem?
Geeeze anyway, what happened to simple mechanical things.