Broken rear door lock

The door lock jamming has now happened for a third time. I did spray the moving parts. I may try one more time before replacing the actuator. It's not real hard to get in and out, but still not a 5 min deal either. I guess I was hoping I'd hear that Toyota was going to issue a recall on this item since it seems fairly common. Oh well.

 

I bet there are more people who have had this problem. Is there someway to start a thread that has a survey function? Maybe post it in the general forum instead of the maintenance forum?

BTW, My RR door seems to be OK now. Of course I check it more often too. Kinda sad that you can't just assume the locks work on a Toyota anymore.

 

Re: Update

Just fixed mine with a new part. Good as new! Pretty easy too. Saved myself $200 probably.

anyone curious for the repair PM me ill be glad to do a write up

 

Good for you SureValla! I changed my front headlight lamp with a $15 bulb. The dealer wanted big bucks to change it because the lamp is not easy to get out (why does Toyota design a common replacement item like that?). It took me a while nut with help from the good folks on the site I got it done.

 

Why would they issue a recall? Is is a safety issue or non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVS)? That's what recalls are for.

One can read more about recalls at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm.

 

So, both of my rear door locks don't work. I took it to DCH Toyota in Torrance, CA today and they wanted $1,461 to replace both locks (parts and labor) they said parts were $300 each. They also told me that warranty only covered 36,000 miles or 3 years, whichever came first. I have a 2007 Prius. This is insane. This represents about 10-15% of the total value of the car for this repair. I am very disappointed in Toyota that they don't stand behind something that should last the lifetime of the car. 3 years???? That is just stupid.

Anyhow, I found the actuators online for about $72 each on Amazon. Will see what's involved in removing door cover and do this silly repair myself.

Bad Toyota Bad.

 

I agree. Bad Toyota. That quote is way more than over the top! It's an hour job at most for this newbie and the part is mostly plastic. I was able to take it apart and lube it. That worked for a while, it failed again, but started working and has stayed working since my last post.

Have you checked eBay for new or working used actuators?

 

This happened to my driver's side front and back doors. I fixed them myself. Its fairly easy. If you need help let me know.

The problem with buying just the actuator is that you have to then put it in the lock assembly which is a clamshell assembly and nearly impossible to open without breaking.

I definitely suggest you buy the whole Assembly. about 340$ I believe.

 

Hang in there Suckfish. Try it yourself, there's a lot of very knowledgeable folks on this forum who might be able to help. I still like my Prius for what it is but the reliability kinda sucks and repairs are mucho expensive. Definitely does not live up to what I expected from Toyota. I just got lucky that I discovered my lock failed while it was sort of still under warranty.