Back door will not open

PARKER55

MEMBER
2005 DODGE DURANGO

I have a 2005 Dodge Durango 4DSW. I never had a problem until a few months ago. The back door will not open. The lock is frozen up. Unfortunately there is no other way to unlock the lock except to use the button that unlocks all the doors. There's no key intry. I took it to a repair shop, here in my home town of Oracle Az, & one of the mechanics (he had already taken off the door panel & that didn't work) called one of the Dodge Dealerships, in Tucson, Az, & was told that 2005 Durango's sometime have this problem. The only way to fix the problem is to cut the lock & keep cutting it until it releases. Then they can replace the lock to the tune of between $400 & $500. I'm retire & on a fixed income so there is no way I can get it fixed at that price. Is there any other way to fix it alittle cheaper?
Would appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks, Diana Parker
parker55@hotmail. Com

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,192 POSTS

Hi, Diana:

I read and reread your post. If I understand, the only way to unlock the door is by using the power locks. You can't open it by hand. (Correct)? First, in 30 years of working on vehicles, I've never see that. Also, I have been around Chrysler products most of my life. What they described to you makes no sense to me. Here is why. The locking linkage in the door is attached to a solenoid. The solenoid does nothing more that function for the split second that the button is pushed. Other than that, it does nothing. The manual lock is attached to the same linkage. All it does is move a mechanism to lock or unlock the door. If you "cut" the linkage to the lock, basically, the button that you manually pull on will pull right out of the door. You don't want that. The only other thing that makes sense to me is that the actuator is bad and not allowing it to move. I want you to try something. On our home page under the DIY section is a complete section regarding checking and replacing electric door lock solenoids. Review it, check it yourself (don't ask them. They'll charge you again), and I think you'll find nothing more than linkage that is binding or a solenoid that is binding. If you are uncomfortable with doing it yourself, have a different tech check it for you. Before they do anything, ask what their plan of action is and let me know. That way, I can at least tell you if they are on the right track. Truly, if you have a few tools around and a small amount of mechanical ability, I feel confident you could do it yourself. I'll be here if you run into trouble or have questions.

Joe

PS: I double checked. There are no technical service bulletins (TSB) from Chrysler regarding this problem on an 05 Durango. Thus, it is nothing more than a theory at this point. If it was a wide spread problem, there would be a TSB on it.