Intermittent power door locks not working properly issue

EZBONDS

MEMBER
2011 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
3.5L
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
160,000 MILES

Have an intermittent issue where the power locks would lock with the key fob, but only the drivers door would unlock with the key fob. Got the same results when I used the lock/unlock button on the drivers door panel and the passengers. The only way to unlock any door (except the drivers door) was to manually flip each one from inside to unlock. Then today I tried it and all the locks work as advertised. Little unnerving with a four year old and a four month old.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,192 POSTS

Hi,

The first thing I though was related to a bad ground. However, if you look at pic 1, it indicates the ground for each door is at a different location.

So, the next thing would be power supply. The driver's door main switch ties all the others together via what is called a body control module. If the driver's lock always works, then I know it gets power which leads me to the body control module.

Before I would suggest replacing the body control module (BCM) I would perform what is called a CAN scan. CAN stands for computer area network. Basically, all of the control modules are tied together. This type of scan would help identify if the body control module is bad or not.

Here is a video that shows how it is done:

https://youtu.be/InIlnsjOVFA

That is what really needs done to confirm. The BCM is not an inexpensive part and I would not want to recommend its replacement to find out I was wrong.

Let me know if this helps or if you have other questions.

Take care,
Joe

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