DIY Driver Side Door replacement 2006 Prius?

It's very easy, just disconnect the door wiring and unbolt. The door wiring is hidden in the passenger footwell, on the right side.

 

The drivers side is on the drivers side foot well. Read your post wrong, thought you wanted passenger side.

 

Joseph, I have a friend who's asked me if I would replace the driver's door on her Gen 2. It looks simple, but I've been fooled before. Did you go ahead and swap out the doors on yours? If so, what was it like? Easy, nightmare or something in-between. Thanks for your time.

 

I've done this before and it's pretty easy. 2 hinges holding the door and a wiring harness.

 

JC, Appreciate your thoughts. Did you have any difficulty getting a good, tight fit? My concerns center making adjustments to be sure door will be watertight and will close just as original did. Thanks for your comments.

 

The front door was easy no adjustments, like it centers itself when you tighten the bolts. The rear doors need some tinkering

 

Many thanks! She's working on getting a door now. When it comes in, I'll give it a go. Thanks again.

 

JC, In thinking about the door swap it came to my mind, what to do about the lock?? The door she's getting does not have key for the lock. I believe a locksmith will be able to make me a replacement key. The problem is the electronic lock. Can I get the replacement door reprogrammed to work with her original key fob? Or how did you deal with this matter?

 

1. Can you transfer the lock cylinder from the original door to the replacement door, which will avoid the need to make a new mechanical key.
2. The immobilizer ECU is programmed to recognize the original key fob and this is unrelated to the door itself. The door just needs to have the little antenna module to recognize the fob's physical proximity (if the car has the Smart Entry/Smart Start system). Again, if the replacement door is missing this module, the module can be transferred from the original door.

 

Patrick, Thanks for the great advice. I think I can just swap out the mechanical lock. I honestly don't know if the door my friend acquired is a smart key door. But at least I know now what to do if it isn't. BTW, my spouse and I put 166k on our '08 and loved every minute of it. We recently replaced it with a '17 Model 3. The new Prius is even better. Thanks again for your help and assistance.

 

The mechanical lock cylinder can be swapped out, just one bolt that holds it in place.

If the replacement has a smart key system, and yours has it as well, it'll self detect when you plug in the harness. Nothing special needed

 

JC, Many thanks for your assistance. This is going to be a pretty simple task. tks again.