Car Door Lock Stuck in Lock Position: How to Open Your Car and Fix Your Lock

Getting to your car only to find out that the key won’t budge is many people’s worst nightmare. It can be very frustrating, especially when it ruins your plans for the whole day. Fortunately, there are ways to fix it, and the first step is figuring out why exactly it got stuck in the first place. So, to help you get moving in no time, here’s how you can fix your car door lock.  

Diagnosing the problem

As mentioned, the first thing you need to do is understand why your car door lock malfunctioned. The best solution depends on the situation, as every situation is different. Therefore, here are a few possible issues and how to handle each of them.  

Broken connections

One of the reasons for your car door lock being stuck can be broken internal or external mechanism connections. This means that when you turn the key, the connection that is supposed to be made between your door lock cylinder and the car door latch simply does not happen. In short, your door lock is disabled.

To fix this problem, you have to fix those connections. Now, you might be thinking about how you can do that when you can’t even get the door to open, but have you checked every door? Is there any other way to get inside your car? Also, you would need some replacement parts, but to see what you need, you first have to get inside and disassemble the broken door. 

Rust, grime, or jamming

One of the most common problems when it comes to being locked out of your car is actually breaking your key inside the lock. In this case, you’d need to remove the key or replace the lock. Not to mention that you’d need to get a new key. Fortunately, you can always use professional key replacement service and get a new key that would work just as well as the original one – perhaps even better, considering the original key broke and got stuck.

However, other things can jam your lock as well, like rust, dirt, or some smaller parts of the door that broke and got stuck in the mechanism. You can also find some other foreign objects stuck in your lock, which is especially possible if you have kids – maybe your car was a part of their play, and they tried to unlock it with a twig or toy. 

Either way, the most obvious solution is to try to clear the keyway in some way. On the other hand, if it is clear and you still can’t unlock your door, you might have a more serious problem. First, you should try lubricating the assembly, as it can help in the case of rust or grime. Then, open the door panel and see what’s blocking the assembly. If you can’t see anything, and lubricating doesn’t work, then the keyway is not the real problem. 

Structural damage

In the worst-case scenario, there may be some structural damage that breaks the latch or keeps the lock stuck in the locked position. The latch could get bent, or it could simply disconnect from the rest of the mechanism. This can happen after a car accident, if somebody slams your car door too hard, or if somebody tries to break into your car. Even something as simple as somebody accidentally smashing their grocery cart into your door could cause structural damage. 

If this is the problem, you might need to get some professional help. Getting the door to open without damaging it further can be a challenge, so it might be best not to try it on your own. Moreover, count on having to replace some parts.

How to open the car door

Most of the above-listed solutions require you to first open your door so you can get access to the lock assembly. Hopefully, you can still open the door from the inside, so basically, you need to find a way to get inside. This includes everything from using your car remote to getting in through the roof window if by some chance you have it and you left it open. Once you succeed – if you succeed – you might be able to open the interior door panel so you can interact with the assembly, hopefully, open the door, and fix the lock.

Conclusion

To sum up, any issue with the lock can be fixed. The only difference is how easily you can fix it if you can fix it on your own, and how much it will cost you. Some solutions can be simple, while some may require you to call a professional, but nevertheless, it’s always possible. So, don’t despair, try to locate the problem, and follow the listed steps until you can use your car again. 




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