Door Won't Open....sometimes
 

Hey all, need a little help!

On my 08 the driver door sometimes won't open. The window indexes and I can hear the "clicking" but the door won't pop open.

I've searched and it seems the actual switches go out commonly, but I switched the passenger and driver sides and still have the same problem, so it's something about the driver side. Opens fine from the inside.

What else controls the door opening?

Thanks!

Still sounds like the door switch. It is a cheap fix $15 part. I would buy one for the drivers door and see if it fixes it then I would also replace the pass side. I am sure that this is the problem. ( I just did mine for the same thing)

i don't see how it could be the door switch...if that was the case it would be the passenger side not working now since i swapped the switches. But the passenger works fine with the old driver switch.

I suspect it's more than likely the latch itself. I'm having the same issue where mine will occasionally work and sometimes it won't.

Try having the door open and push down the latch to simulate the door closing. Push the inner door button and see if it opens or not. Mine will occasionally do the same thing where the window will index but not door latch won't move.

Is it related to the proximity detection mechanism? My driver door will not open when I walk up without manually pushing unlock on the fob, while the passenger door opens just with the fob in my pocket.
Anyone else have this problem?

did a little more research and came across that the door latch actuator in the jamb goes bad too. That's definitely what mine is. Closed it manually an it barely opens up.

Too bad this one is $150 vs $15 :(

Here's the part number. maybe this will help someone later when doing a search. 88956758

My '07 does that sometimes and other times it works fine.

Sounds like a very weak battery on the FOB.

Did you clean the pads?

:trainwreck:

Astounding amount of misinformation is so few replies. Clearly the OP knows more about how the doors work than most of those trying to help.

• Probably nothing wrong with the door pad or the window would not index.
• There is no "proximity detection mechanism".
• Nothing wrong with the FOB or, again, the window would not index.

The issue is most likely the latch. Everything is working normally except the latch is not moving either at all or far enough. First thing to try is lubrication with some silicone spray.

However, the fact that it works normally from the inside MIGHT indicate you have multiple issues. The door pad IS dirty meaning that the open signal is very short causing the DDM (Driver Door Module) computer to think you are finished opening the door before you have pulled it open releasing the latch. When you open from the inside you are pushing the button and the door at the same time. When I first got mine I had some trouble getting the doors open because I was squeezing the pad and pulling the door open. It works MUCH better to just stick your fingers in the slot and pull the door open never trying to squeeze the pad or hold the door.

:iagree::iagree: And also there is absolutely no reason that someone would have to push a fob unlock button before trying to open the door. Something is wrong with that system and it should be fixed. It is not normal operation. In fact, having to push a fob unlock button negates the very design of the system, which is to avoid the need to push any buttons on the fob.:thumbs:

Maybe try a little silicon spray on the latch before spending a ton of money. That seemed to help mine when it was acting like yours. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. Today I had to use the pull latch on the inside to get in. Probably has been a combination of the pushing from the inside that lets the door open when the exterior handle doesn't work. So I'm feeling pretty confident it's the latch.

Thanks for the suggestion! But the embarrasment of walking up to the car and trying to open the door and then failing and having to go to the passenger side is worth the $150 to have it never happen again :lol::lol:

I do understand brother.

Door won't open
 

I had the same problem recently. Since both door switches did not work it is probably your door latch located in the pillar. I replaced mine and that cured the problem. It is easy to do.

I'm having the same issue. I can't open the door from the inside or the outside but the window indexes so I guess I have to buy the new latch.

FYI for anyone else experiencing this, a temp fix so you can use the car without climbing out the window or passenger's side is to tie a cord/rope/cable to the little emergency pull cord inside the trunk on the drivers side then just run the cord up and hang the other end behind your seat. Even though it seems to be pulling the wrong direction the cable slides around the interior carpet just fine without tearing it. Just pull that cord right from the driver's seat over your right shoulder and the door pops open. Then obviously you can pop the trunk and just pull the tab when you want to get back in.

Thanks for the info everyone! :thumbs:

If you have the problem opening from the inside and the outside, it's the latch. And yes, it goes bad slowly. Sometimes it will work and sometimes it will not.

On the plus side, the latch is VERY easy to replace.

[QUOTE=Yorad;1589811841]FYI for anyone else experiencing this, a temp fix so you can use the car without climbing out the window or passenger's side is to tie a cord/rope/cable to the little emergency pull cord inside the trunk on the drivers side then just run the cord up and hang the other end behind your seat. Even though it seems to be pulling the wrong direction the cable slides around the interior carpet just fine without tearing it. Just pull that cord right from the driver's seat over your right shoulder and the door pops open. Then obviously you can pop the trunk and just pull the tab when you want to get back in.
QUOTE]

I'm confused. Why not just pull the manual door latch lever at the bottom left hand side of the drivers seat to manually open the door. Why run a cable to the release in the trunk?

[QUOTE=Elizabeth City Vette;1589812154]Because I forgot about that one, LOL!!! :rofl: :crazy2: Thanks for reminding me! I'm having a rough week dammit! :lol: I curse that thing every time I detail the car because it's hard to vacuum around, I don't know how I could forget it exists!

Now I just have to figure out where to get it. Did your local dealer have it, did you order it through them or just find it online?

:iagree::flag: