Hello,

i have a 2000 honda accord and the driver side door is stuck in the lock position. i remember the exact moment this started because when i put my key in to unlock the door, it definitely felt different when i turned the key to unlock it. i do not want to try to describe how it felt or sounded differently because i may give the wrong symptoms.

anyway, what happens now is that the key can unlock the passenger door from the driver side, and the manual door lock (actuator?) does move up when you unlock the doors and moves down when you lock the doors. However, the driver side door will not unlock and cannot be opened from inside or outside.

one more thing, i do have keyless entry but i lost my key FOB so i unlock the door with my key.

if anyone could tell me how to fix this problem or at least how to remove the door panel or open some part of the door panel without damaging it too badly, i would greatly appreciate it, thanks.


Arselon

 

This is a difficult problem. Are you sure the interior door release is pulling the actuator rod? It could have separated. Remove door release trim cover (release screw and pull trim pieceforward and outward), and see if release rod is attached to lever. Long shot, but maybe you'll get lucky and find the lever loose.

If it's connected, then the door latch/lock assy is faultly and will need to be replaced. I've never done this but here's what I know:

1) Remover drivers seat by removing hold down bolts and fish seat out through the back seat (hopefully you have a 4-dr).
2) Remover door panel. It's supposed to be possible w/ car seat removed for access, but I am skeptical. You may have to damage the door panel to remove.
3) I found a video on Youtube about how to release the latch. Not sure about the video. Check my posts or search for "lock repair" to find the link.

I have read much earlier that it's necessary to drill a hole through the door latch/lock assy to release the door latch. It has to be drilled at a very precise position. Here I would suggest possible seeking help from a professional mechanic w/ experience of this problem.

good luck

 

i did remove the door release trim cover and the rod is attached to the door release. if that was the case, the door would still open from the outside, just not the inside.

i do have experience removing door panels and fixing lock issues if a rod pops out of place.

the door panel would have to be damaged if you remove it without openening the door

and thanks for telling me about the video, i will look for it and check it out.

i have also read about drilling the hole but do not know where it needs to be drilled.

 

TexasHonda, thank you for your reply.

as it turns out, the outside door handle and the inside door handle both move the same lever inside the door (obviously).

the issue wasnt with the rods.

this solution is 100% correct regarding all 98 - 02 honda accord coupes but i cant speak for other models.

first, remove the white plastic cover that protects the moving parts, it is only secured in place by a single phillips screw in the middle and a rubber sleve that encases one of the rods.

what is important is that there is a ROD that connects to the key switch and it unlocks the door when you turn your key. the ROD going from the key switch (im sure switch isnt the right word) connects to the lock assembly to a curved plastic track. if you are not sure what ROD i am talking about, try to lock and unlock the car door with your key and you will notice it move, along with the rod attached to the nub that goes up and down when you lock and unlock your door.

anyway, behind the plastic track that the rod connects to is a flat metal lever with a notch in it on one side. you WILL NEED to place a mirror inside your car door through the access hole (i had to cut a hole the size of a plate in my door trim). the mirror must be placed so that it is under the outside door handle facing the inside of the car.

the issue occurs when the metal lever no longer strikes the notch that unhinges the door due to normal and wear or by being unexplaining pushed out towards the front of the car.

i couldnt access the notch with a screw driver but instead i took a hanger and arched it upward and made a hook at the end, i had to put my hand pretty deep inside the access hole and place my hand very close to the end of the hanger. i pushed down on the notch and felt good knowing the my weeks of climbing through the window or passenger door were finally over.


i havent placed pictures online yet because i am waiting for my new parts to come in the mail so i can include those in the pictures as well.

 

Thanks for the followup. Hopefully you can post a few pics when you replace the parts.

good luck

 

this may b late but maybe someone will get something out of it.....so my girlfriends door was shut and would not open...lock was broken.. apparently...so heres what i did......got the panel off from the inside.....really not all that hard....once you know what to do...I had to take off the back interior panel which involves taking out the back seat....but once i got this out just popped the 2-3 clips down the left side of the door panel...once thats complete...you can just lift up on the panel enough to get the window trim out of the tract all the way down the door panel.....then i used a screw driver to pop off the clip holding the panel on close to the front part of the car....a diagram will show its location...wala..off it came......ok so once i was here i got a dremel tool and.....into the the darkness...
1. take off window track. just 1 10mm bolt and a swift pull down.....
2. take off the white plastic cover that hides the lock mechanism...just 1 phillips screw.
3. cut the metal part of the mechanism just below the 2 top bolts...and just above the 1 bottom screw.
4. wedge the cut metal out of the 1 weld spot in the middle ...I had to cut it again...
5. I just cut as much of the visible white plastic I could out of where i had just cut the metal bracket off....and after some prying to finaly break out the plastic i could see the latch.
6. push up or down on the lever...and the DOOR WAS OPEN....replaced the whole mechanism. and it was back working in no time.. Hope this may help someone...

 

Thanks Bushcal. Nice information for your first post.

 

The definitive guide....

My background: I am an amateur DIY, but skilled and and have a engineering education. This job was very frustrating...but makes it that much more rewarding.

I want to thank Bushcal for his suggestion to cut out the latch, rather than drill. I am not sure if drilling is better but the striker survived and I had an excuse to buy a dremel. He also made it sound simple so it gave me the confidence to go forward. It took me 2 weekends (8 total hours plus time to order parts). I have updated his instructions below based on my experience because he is incorrect that the window track can be removed while the door is still stuck shut.

What you need: Tools (standard tools + Dremel, Lock assembly for Driver door 72150-S84-A02, AND a bushing 72134-SM1-003 (I think)) for a 1999 Honda LX 4 door

1) Take out car seat and make sure the window is all the way up.
2) After several attempts to pry out the door without the proper leverage, I removed the passenger door to see how it the panel is removed. I returned to the driver door and applied much more pressure and was able to get the panel off. The door panel sustained minor damage in the right hand corner as well as 3 of the clips. Although I was able to reuse the 3 damaged clips, I recommend you order these as well a head of time.
3) Remove the door control panel and interior door handle. Remove the door. Disconnect all electrical connections. Remove the plastic sheeting from the left half of the door. Carefully remove and save the linkage from the interior door handle.
4) Remove the black tube from the white latch protector. Remove the rods connected by the "swing" locking mechanism.
5) Remove the white latch protector. You will need a mirror to see the screw. Take note of the location of the white plastic latch protector (it took me a while to reinstall). Also, unlike Bushcal's instructions, you cannot remove the window track until the door is open. It is very difficult (but doable) to get the white latch protector out while the window track is still in place. If I had to do this again I might cut out the window track and buy a replacement.
6) Remove the actuator from the latch (3 tiny screws). I removed the 2 large screws connecting the actuator to the hidden metal protector and lost the screws and the orientation of protector (metal piece behind the actuator that took me a while to reinstall). You will want to note the orientation of the actuator protector (barely visible behind the actuator) and make sure you do not lose the 2 large screws in the door crevice.
7) Buy a dremel with at least 2 metal cutting disks. This is difficult (especially with the window track in place), but cut the lower part of the latch (right above the bottom screw) and cut the higher part of the latch (right below the 2 screws). I had to cut through the two rivets in between to pry out the metal chuck. Since the window track is still in place, it is very tight so I could only attack the top part of the latch when the cutting wheel had lost half its diameter. See pictures on next thread.
8) Next you will see some plastic behind the metal chunk you removed. I swiss cheesed it at a low RPM using a drill bit on dremel. Work out the plastic and you will see the latching mechanism. Play with it with a screwdriver while pushing out the door.
9) Yay!!! the door is open. Remove the latch and window track from the outside. Next steps sucks.
10) You will have one rod still connected to the door handle. Note how many screw turns are between the rod and the connector (mine had 4 AND the replacement mechanism will have a longer rod so I you will have to determine the number of turns on the new rod). Destroy the plastic housing between the rod and the handle mechanism using diagonal cutters (difficult). This is the bushing I refer to above as something you need to purchase. I lost patience and only partially damaged the bushing so I reused it when installing the new latch. I am not 100% sure the part number of the bushing listed above is the one needed for this step since I never ordered it.
11) Put everything back together and don't forget to check the mechanisms as you put it back together. I am slow so it took me 1.5 hours to put it all back together.

I was so happy I got this job done that I nearly locked the keys in the car testing the latch....so be careful checking the install


Good luck DIY'ers

 

Attached are images showing the latch. One shows the metal piece that was cutout and laid on top (note the cuts on the rivets). The other shows the cutout of the plastic to reveal the latch mechanism (dead middle of the latch). Note the small piece on the left. I had to cut this off before being able to cut the latch on the top.

 

Attached is the manual...very helpful.