05 yota highlander. when i press the remote to lock the doors, everything will lock except the drivers door. only way to get it to lock is to close the door and use the key. is their a safety feature to cause the drivers door not to luck?
drivers door wont' lock ?
- Thread starter kenwin30
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Nope it's the actuator. It's either bad or has a bad connection/broken wire.
Autozone carries these for our Ford Windstar so they might carry yours too so you don't get hosed at a dealer.
Steve
Autozone carries these for our Ford Windstar so they might carry yours too so you don't get hosed at a dealer.
Steve
Is there a central locking system in the car? When you lock the driver's door with the key, do the other doors lock? If so, you have a central locking system. If there is a central locking system, chances are the driver's door lock actuator is OK; otherwise the rest of the doors would not lock when you lock your driver's door with the key.
I would suggest removing the driver's door panel and moisture barrier and checking the door lock linkage very well. You may have a broken plastic retainer clip on your door lock linkage or rod leading from the actuator to the door lock latch for the driver's door. It happens more often than you might think and there are probably half a dozen plastic retainer clips for the lock system in the door.
If you have a bad actuator, you may be able to buy a replacement at a parts store like Stevie said, or you may have to get one from the Toyota dealer. If you have to go with a dealer part, if it is too expensive I would look at replacing the actuator with a plain old 2-wire aftermarket actuator that you can buy at Best Buy or any car audio/alarm store. Pep Boys used to sell one for 10 bucks,I don't know if they still do. Your actuator may be an integral part of the door latch assembly, but even so, you can unplug its wire connector, mount the actuator in the door and connect it to either the door lock latch assembly or connect it to the door lock rod itself. Then connect the 2 wires from the factory door lock wire harness to the 2 wires on your new actuator. If it works backwards, just reverse the connections.
If you want, you may try taking the car to a car audio/alarm shop and see if they can replace the actuator for you. I did exactly this same thing in my girlfriend's 2003 Honda Accord about a year and a half ago and her keyless entry and electric locks/central locking system are still working fine. All I did was mount an old DEI door lock actuator I had in the door and connect it to the lock rod and the 2 factory door lock actuator wires and it has worked like a champ ever since.
I would suggest removing the driver's door panel and moisture barrier and checking the door lock linkage very well. You may have a broken plastic retainer clip on your door lock linkage or rod leading from the actuator to the door lock latch for the driver's door. It happens more often than you might think and there are probably half a dozen plastic retainer clips for the lock system in the door.
If you have a bad actuator, you may be able to buy a replacement at a parts store like Stevie said, or you may have to get one from the Toyota dealer. If you have to go with a dealer part, if it is too expensive I would look at replacing the actuator with a plain old 2-wire aftermarket actuator that you can buy at Best Buy or any car audio/alarm store. Pep Boys used to sell one for 10 bucks,I don't know if they still do. Your actuator may be an integral part of the door latch assembly, but even so, you can unplug its wire connector, mount the actuator in the door and connect it to either the door lock latch assembly or connect it to the door lock rod itself. Then connect the 2 wires from the factory door lock wire harness to the 2 wires on your new actuator. If it works backwards, just reverse the connections.
If you want, you may try taking the car to a car audio/alarm shop and see if they can replace the actuator for you. I did exactly this same thing in my girlfriend's 2003 Honda Accord about a year and a half ago and her keyless entry and electric locks/central locking system are still working fine. All I did was mount an old DEI door lock actuator I had in the door and connect it to the lock rod and the 2 factory door lock actuator wires and it has worked like a champ ever since.
Good info Jimmy.
He could also go to a scrap yard and find one... Just ask the dealer which vehicles that part fits when you are asking them for a price and then you will now which vehicles to look for at the scrap yard.
I find it common with some Ford and some Chryslers but I have rarely seen it a problem on Toyota's.
He could also go to a scrap yard and find one... Just ask the dealer which vehicles that part fits when you are asking them for a price and then you will now which vehicles to look for at the scrap yard.
I find it common with some Ford and some Chryslers but I have rarely seen it a problem on Toyota's.
You can try a new battery in the remote, but a lot of times the factory keyless entry on a Toyota is added as an accessory either at the dealer prior to the sale of the car or the dealer will sub the keyless or alarm installation out to a car audio/alarm shop before the customer takes delivery on the car. You may have a defective keyless or alarm unit. If you bought the car new, ask the dealer where the keyless was installed and they may be able to refer you back to that shop or the dealer amy have a tech in the service dept that can help. If not, you may do better by just replacing the alarm/keyless entry system. If so, Directed Electronics (Viper) is the best one to use. Take a look at www.directed.com to find a DEI dealer in your area. A good DEI shop could also troubleshoot the existing system for you first and let you know what your options are. They could also check the driver's door lock for you.
Have you ever taken a door panel off? It can be a tedious job. There's usually a bunch of clips that need to be be pried on and hidden screws and wiring harnesses that have to be disconnected. Sometimes you have to slide it to get latches to disengage. They can be a puzzle. Then when you reassemble it, they can be a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, where it doesn't seem to want to go together until you get it just right. I just did the passenger's door on my wife's van, broke a couple of clips because I pried when I should have slid, but that's life.
Originally Posted By: kenwin30
is replacing the actuator a diy job or must i carry it to the dealer?
I guess it kind of depends on how mechanically inclined you are. I have never had to replace a Highlander actuator myself so I really don't know how hard it could be. Being a Toyota, the door panel should not be hard to remove. There are probably a couple of screws behind small plastic caps in the arm rest/door pull handle, and there may be a screw in the cup behind the door latch. There may be screws at the bottom edge of the panel and around the outer edge of the panel too. If you have manual windows you will need a window crank removal tool, it costs a few bucks at any auto parts store. Be careful when using the tool that you don't lose the window crank retainer clip when it pops loose. When you get all the screws, bolts etc removed, the panel will probably pull out away from the door. It will probably have plastic "Christmas Tree" fasteners on the back of the panel. There is a special door trim panel fastener removal tool you can buy too, looks like a u-shaped fork.
Once you get the door panel and moisture barrier removed, roll the window up so it is out of the way and try to find the actuator. If it's like most modern cars the actuator is probably an integral part of the door latch assembly. If so, you can leave it in place. Operate the power locks to help you locate the actuator-you should hear or feel it clicking, even if it doesn't work. Then you can unplug it. If you install an aftermarket actuator in the door, just connect the 2 wires from the old one to the new one. If the door lock works backwards just reverse the wire connections. If you are able to replace the factory actuator, I have no idea exactly how that is done. If there is a Haynes book for your car, it should have the specific directions on door panel removal, and maybe for the latch and/or actuator too.
Sorry I don't have much more info than this. I do know how to mount and connect an aftermarket actuator, but I personally have never replaced a factory Toyota door lock actuator.
is replacing the actuator a diy job or must i carry it to the dealer?
I guess it kind of depends on how mechanically inclined you are. I have never had to replace a Highlander actuator myself so I really don't know how hard it could be. Being a Toyota, the door panel should not be hard to remove. There are probably a couple of screws behind small plastic caps in the arm rest/door pull handle, and there may be a screw in the cup behind the door latch. There may be screws at the bottom edge of the panel and around the outer edge of the panel too. If you have manual windows you will need a window crank removal tool, it costs a few bucks at any auto parts store. Be careful when using the tool that you don't lose the window crank retainer clip when it pops loose. When you get all the screws, bolts etc removed, the panel will probably pull out away from the door. It will probably have plastic "Christmas Tree" fasteners on the back of the panel. There is a special door trim panel fastener removal tool you can buy too, looks like a u-shaped fork.
Once you get the door panel and moisture barrier removed, roll the window up so it is out of the way and try to find the actuator. If it's like most modern cars the actuator is probably an integral part of the door latch assembly. If so, you can leave it in place. Operate the power locks to help you locate the actuator-you should hear or feel it clicking, even if it doesn't work. Then you can unplug it. If you install an aftermarket actuator in the door, just connect the 2 wires from the old one to the new one. If the door lock works backwards just reverse the wire connections. If you are able to replace the factory actuator, I have no idea exactly how that is done. If there is a Haynes book for your car, it should have the specific directions on door panel removal, and maybe for the latch and/or actuator too.
Sorry I don't have much more info than this. I do know how to mount and connect an aftermarket actuator, but I personally have never replaced a factory Toyota door lock actuator.
Have you scanned the ECU for any body codes (I think that's what they call them)?
When my friend's '07 GTI would not look its passenger door, scanning the ECU with the VW diagnostic tool returned a code for the passenger door lock. From that code you would be able to troubleshoot further.
When my friend's '07 GTI would not look its passenger door, scanning the ECU with the VW diagnostic tool returned a code for the passenger door lock. From that code you would be able to troubleshoot further.
I replaced the actuator on a '94 Accord. Didn't have a clue what I was doing. Figured all I needed to do was find the part and replace it. I took the door panel off, removed a moisture barrier film that was caulked on, found a hole about the size that my hand could fit into and that was where the part was. It was bolted or screwed in - I honestly can't recall how difficult it was to remove other than the tight space I had to work with.
You might want to take the panel off and take a look. If it is a pain, leave the door panel off and take it to someone. Otherwise, you might decide it's pretty easy and do it yourself. Just don't mess up the door panel and check to make sure all of your screws and hidden fasteners have been accounted for before prying on anything!
You might want to take the panel off and take a look. If it is a pain, leave the door panel off and take it to someone. Otherwise, you might decide it's pretty easy and do it yourself. Just don't mess up the door panel and check to make sure all of your screws and hidden fasteners have been accounted for before prying on anything!
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