Passenger door won't unlock

[DaRockwilder]

Hello!

The passenger door on my '03 Alero wont unlock. It doesn't work with the key, doesn't work with the remote, and doesn't unlock manually from inside. I tried disconnecting the negative side of the battery and trying to manually unlock the door with no luck. I can't take the door panel off because the door wont open. Its not frozen, I had the car sitting in a heated shop for a few hours with no change.

I can pull the trim off the outside of the door and see down inside the door. The rods that I can see are connected. When I try the key or the manual lever for the unlock inside the car, it feels like something is jammed. My only conclusion is that the door lock actuator has gone bad and is holding the door locked.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, how did you get the door open to replace the actuator (or just pull the fuse for a while)?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!

[clutch1]

TBH I'd probably get the grinder and cut apart the door panel. Make sure you can find a new one on ebay first, though .

[cherrington17]

if you can see the rods in there, you should (in theory) be able to pull one of them an unlock the door.

its how they get the door open when you lock your keys in it... I just don't know which one, or how.


and if your replacing the lock mechanism... just break the actuator completely... and replace it. If its "jammed" snap the bastard off completely and it won't be "jammed" anymore. It'll just kinda "float"

[DaRockwilder]

I'll give that a try.

When I bought the car the passenger side door lock wouldn't work electronically, just manually. I replaced the actuator a few years ago and the door worked off the switch again, the original plastic piece had broken off. I'm sure I could get a hold of the rod running from the key to the lock mechanism and use it to snap the plastic piece of the actuator again. I don't want to try it with the key and break the key off in the lock or something.

Thanks!

[gerry]

Don't cut the door! Omg!

Find someone who knows how to use a slim jim to pull on the lever to unlock the door from the outside. If you don't know anyone then i recommend you drive to a taxi stand and ask one of the drivers.

Most taxis offer this service but its not advertised because its considered illegal. Typically costs 20 to 40 bucks. (keep this in mind if ever you lock your keys inside your car!)

So if the guy gets the lock to pull back you should then get the door to open and then be able to change the lock.

Just keep in mind you won't be able to lock your door until you change the lock so find the part first.

If you do this and don't know how to replace the lock msg me and ill scan you the page from my haynes manuel. (I got it for christmas!)

Good luck!

Gerry

[DaRockwilder]

lol, no I'm not going to cut the door panel. I don't think there will be any way to unlock the door until I "break" the actuator for the power door lock. Once I do that, the door should manually lock and unlock as normal.

I hope.

[gerry]

The lock is on a lever that pulls the pin back allowing the door to open. Someone using a slim jim will push on the lever unlocking the door. You can't "break" it the way your suggesting without using the jaws of life. The actuator is just a motor connected to this lever.

If you cut power to the car the manual switch still doesn't work. Why, because the metal piece connecting the manual switch and the motor to this lever has snapped.

Look up on youtube how to use a slim jim. Its the only way to unlock your door.

I've included a pic of the inside of your door. the red arrows indicate the lever that is connected to the lock. using a coat hanger, you need to pull that lever up to disengage the lock to then open your door.

Pm me your email and i'll send you the rest of the scanned pages from the book.

Originally Posted by DaRockwilder

lol, no I'm not going to cut the door panel. I don't think there will be any way to unlock the door until I "break" the actuator for the power door lock. Once I do that, the door should manually lock and unlock as normal.

I hope.

[DaRockwilder]

But, if the door wont unlock manually.... wont pulling on that rod have the same problem?

[gerry]

That rod piece has one end connected to the manual lock lever on the door, right next to the electric motor, and all the way at the opposite end is connected to what is keeping the door locked.

Both the manual lever and the motor pull on this rod. The rod is broken somewhere, so you need to physically grab onto it to pull the lock open.

Look at the picture.

[cherrington17]

Originally Posted by DaRockwilder

But, if the door wont unlock manually.... wont pulling on that rod have the same problem?

Look at it this way... if your keys are locked in the car, and you have someone unlock it... they have to get the door open somehow.

Yeah, sure...sometimes they hit the unlock button from the inside. But many others just use a "slimjim" and pull something inside the door to manually unlock it.

This is what gerry is talking about.

[DaRockwilder]

well, ok. I'll try it.

There is resistance when I try to pull the manual door lock lever, feeling like something is jammed.

[zzyzzx]

Its not frozen, I had the car sitting in a heated shop for a few hours with no change.

Are you sure that it just doesn't need more time to thaw out?

[DaRockwilder]

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

Its not frozen, I had the car sitting in a heated shop for a few hours with no change.

Are you sure that it just doesn't need more time to thaw out?

That's a possibility I'm also considering. When I get a chance to try to open the door with a slim jim or whatever, It will be in a heated shop again.

Also, are both those rods in that picture coming from the manual unlock lever? I was thinking one was for the door latch from the door handle.

[lonnie]

Originally Posted by gerry

Don't cut the door! Omg!

Find someone who knows how to use a slim jim to pull on the lever to unlock the door from the outside. If you don't know anyone then i recommend you drive to a taxi stand and ask one of the drivers.

Most taxis offer this service but its not advertised because its considered illegal. Typically costs 20 to 40 bucks. (keep this in mind if ever you lock your keys inside your car!)

So if the guy gets the lock to pull back you should then get the door to open and then be able to change the lock.

Just keep in mind you won't be able to lock your door until you change the lock so find the part first.

If you do this and don't know how to replace the lock msg me and ill scan you the page from my haynes manuel. (I got it for christmas!)

Good luck!

Gerry

Originally Posted by gerry

The lock is on a lever that pulls the pin back allowing the door to open. Someone using a slim jim will push on the lever unlocking the door. You can't "break" it the way your suggesting without using the jaws of life. The actuator is just a motor connected to this lever.

If you cut power to the car the manual switch still doesn't work. Why, because the metal piece connecting the manual switch and the motor to this lever has snapped.

Look up on youtube how to use a slim jim. Its the only way to unlock your door.

I've included a pic of the inside of your door. the red arrows indicate the lever that is connected to the lock. using a coat hanger, you need to pull that lever up to disengage the lock to then open your door.

Pm me your email and i'll send you the rest of the scanned pages from the book.

This guys sounds like he knows what he is talking about.

[DaRockwilder]

I live in a small town, in the middle of nowhere. If I don't have access to a slim jim, could I do this with a metal coat hanger? The trim on the outside of the door just pops off, so a coat hanger should fit in, no problem. I guess it depends on the direction I need to pull. Straight up?

[gerry]

I suggest you look online about using a slimjim before you start. Yes you can use a coat hanger. I've done it with a machete before on my dads car, took about 3 seconds.

Bend the hanger straight and then bend a little hook at one end and a straight bend at the other.

Should look like the letter L with a hook at the long end. The short end bend is so you can rotate the hook.

Feed into the door via the window about half a foot to the right of the lock and about 1 to 2 feet down into the door.

Leave the glass up. I don't know if you can do it with the glass down, I never tried... Duh!

Using the hook part, fish around and try to grab onto the lever/rod inside the door. Very Gently pull up and towards the front of the car. If this is your first time doing this, it could take you 1 min or it could take you 20 min. Its all about luck, skill and instinct..

Good luck and don't force anything. If the hook part gets stuck maneuver it out by not forcing anything.

Ill try and post a video if I have time.

[DaRockwilder]

Thank you, Gerry. I was able to use a coat hanger to unlatch the door, which allowed me to remove the door panel. The door still wont unlock but at least I can open it and figure out whats wrong with it now that the door panel is off.

Was much easier with the window down, only took me a few minutes to figure out I was unlatching the door, not unlocking it.

I haven't looked at it hard enough yet to determine whats wrong with the locking part of the door, though.

[Gr1m]

you should be able to get the door panel off without actually opening the door. there is nothing that holds the panel onto the door frame on the inside B-pillar seam. it might be hard to get it off, but it is possible.

check the 2 rods that run to the inside handle from the door lock and make sure that they are working (pull the rod and see if the door lock opens) sounds like the rod(s) came disconnected on one end or the other.

[DaRockwilder]

Door panel is already off, and the rods are all attached, seems to be a problem with either the latch itself, or the power door lock actuator.