1999 Plymouth Voyager door latch

ART1

MEMBER
1999 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
165,000 MILES

On the drivers side sliding door, the latch is stuck shut and the door will not open, have taken apart the interior door panel and the latching bar is connected at both ends and the lever to the locking latch is moving ok. The door will not open or unlatch. Is there anyway to get this thing unlatched from the inside of the car or do I need to cut out the bolts to the latch.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,729 POSTS

Chrysler had a real lot of trouble with these cheesey latches. They where designed to go together quickly on the assembly line. It was common for the linkage to the rear latch to pop loose from the vibration of slamming the door closed. There are two latches. Check that the linkage to the rear latch is moving. If it is, try tugging on it when pulling the handle to make it move a little more. If that works, the linkage is out of adjustment. The linkage is nothing more than a metal rod with a wood screw thread on the end. The threads pop into a spring-metal clip, and magic holds it together. When the magic wears out, the linkage pops off. Many mechanics glue the link into the clip with RTV sealer to prevent a repeat failure.

The front latch releases with a cable. Check that the cable isn't broken or disconnected.

Caradiodoc