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Door Not Unlocking (Actuator?) Please Tell Toyota!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ajwaspooh, Jun 16, 2015.

  1. ajwaspooh

    ajwaspooh New Member

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    Our Prius driver door no longer unlocks via the key fob and after an internet search, it seems many other Prius owners have had the same problem. I wrote to Toyota and spoke with them over the phone about this issue. I feel this part wore out too soon compared to any other vehicle we have owned. I also feel it could be a safety issue as it requires me to go into the passenger side, reach all the way across to the driver side to manually unlock the door, then get out and go back around to the driver side to enter the vehicle (my concern is if I am alone this leaves me vulnerable for an assault, car-jacking, etc.).

    First, am I wrong in saying that this part should last a lot longer than 3 1/2 years?
    Second, if it does seem like a faulty part, I kindly request that others with this same issue send an email to the Toyota company. Maybe if there are enough of us they will issue a recall...

    Thanks for listening!
     
    #1 ajwaspooh, Jun 16, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed. it should last longer than 3 1/2 years, thats why they give you a 3/36 warranty. i can't say that i recall a lot of failures though. it stinks when it happens to you, i know that much.
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 16, 2015
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    What was Toyota's response?
     
    #3 JC91006, Jun 16, 2015
  4. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Use the manual key inside the fob on the driver's door until you get the repairs done.
     
    #4 RRxing, Jun 16, 2015
  5. peterjmc

    peterjmc Ping pong in Ding Dang...

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    The passenger side rear door became stuck locked in my car a number of months ago. Trying to use the lock unlock button multiple times had no success. I did end up fixing it by going to the back seat and manually locking and unlocking the door, using the rocker, and pulling the door handle. The door returned to normal lock and unlock functionality after that. It was really weird.
     
    #5 peterjmc, Jun 17, 2015
  6. Dan05979

    Dan05979 Member

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    This actuator problem happened to me on my 2001 BMW 740iL in the winter, doors would not stay shut. What a freekin nightmare. Good luck to you.
     
    #6 Dan05979, Jun 17, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    please write bmw.
     
    #7 bisco, Jun 17, 2015
  8. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Good Luck with Toyota's response.

    I'm not sure that this rises to the level of being a safety issue, since you can manually unlock the door.
    As far as Toyota's warranty, 3/36 is on the low side of industry average, but you're just unlucky enough to have a failure outside the warranty period.
    I would not take this to a dealership, but rather try an independent wrench shop.
    You might even try to watch some Youtube vids and order a replacement part from Amazon/eBay and give this repair a shot yourself.
    This seems like a $250 repair.
    Shop around.

    Good Luck!
     
    #8 ETC(SS), Jun 17, 2015
  9. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Where's the problem here? A part failed outside of warranty. Parts fail.

    Maybe if the OP has a full Toyota service history they could contact Toyota and see if some good will offering can be made.
     
    #9 GrumpyCabbie, Jun 17, 2015
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