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Driver Power Door Lock Actuator Failed at 55k Miles

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by PriusC_Commuter, Jan 30, 2015.

  1. Petridish38

    Petridish38 Junior Member

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    Hi all,

    Does anyone know if just the door motor is available for the Prius c? Like in this thread concerning the Gen II Prius.

    My driver's door lock has failed at 49,000 miles and I don't want to spend $200 - $300+ for a whole new actuator assembly if I can get away with changing the motor.
     
  2. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Do some searching on here for "actuator".
    The actuator actually is a solenoid and not a "motor" (I'm pretty sure).

    It is user replaceable IF you have some mechanical skills and a LOT of patience.
    I think the cost is about 1/3 what a dealer charges.
    But all that is covered in the old threads........or should be.
     
  3. Petridish38

    Petridish38 Junior Member

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    Thanks Sam. I did find a couple threads relating to the actuators on the Prius c, but they all seemed to pertain to the entire replacement and not a rebuild/repair. The only rebuild/repair thread I could find related to the regular Prius.

    I went ahead and ordered this replacement for about $50: Door Lock Actuator & Integrated Latch AM-42488458 at AM Autoparts

    It took me no more than 30 minutes to replace from start to finish. I have replaced many window regulators and performed major engine repair on other cars, so the time needed might increase or decrease depending on a person's skill level. Just make sure to have a torx driver set before getting started. I posted some images in case they might help someone down the road.

    The $50 part I ordered is an aftermarket part and did change how my door sounds and feels when it closes and opens. Despite this, the part works well and the feel of the door is more "cosmetic" and I am sure I will get used to it. The new part is backed by a 10-year warranty so hopefully I won't have to pay for the next replacement.
     

    Attached Files:

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  4. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    GOOD SHOW.
    Do you know what the Toyota price is for that same part ?

    Keep the paper work just incase.

    Some owners have had their other doors fail too.
     
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  5. Petridish38

    Petridish38 Junior Member

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  6. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    I thought I remembered that.
    I also remember one or two owners rebuilding the OEM ones and I thought that discussion was on here too.
     
  7. ShenmueTacos

    ShenmueTacos Junior Member

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    Interesting to see that this is becoming a common problem.

    It appears this is happening to my Prius C One at 43k. Just recently started to have problems with the driver door lock and came here to see if it was a common issue and it is. Too bad Toyota hasn't done a recall on this.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  8. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    It has BEEN a common problem for at least several years now.
    Recalls are usually restricted to safety or driveability items.

    Since it HAS been going on for so long, however, it seems that the responsible thing for Toyota to do is redesign the part so it won't fail prematurely........which it appears that they have NOT done.

    An extended warranty would be a nice gesture too but they are not required to do that.
     
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  9. iceman13

    iceman13 Member

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    The driver side lock in my 2015 C with 27,000mi was working kinda slow compared to the rest of the doors, recently it didn't lock at all and had to be done manually. Today I cycled the door lock manually more than 50 times, and not being delicate. Now it works freely and not like it's all gummed up like before. I recommend doing this before buying a replacement actuator, you have nothing to lose if it is really already broken. This happened to my girlfriends car a year ago and I did the same thing and it is still working flawlessly. Sometimes this electric motors gum up because they pack them with too much grease.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  10. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

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    Wow, great tip - thanks!
     
  11. iceman13

    iceman13 Member

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    Update: The driver's side actuator stopped working completely and then the passenger's side followed a day later. The dealership fixed both sides under warranty because my car barely has 28k mi.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  12. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

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    Oh well, it was worth a try!
     
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  13. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    This is great information. I just checked the site and they have three of the actuators. Drivers side front, drivers side rear, passenger side rear... guess which one just went out on my car...
    Hint* If you guessed passenger side front, you'd be correct.
     
  14. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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  15. trojanrabbit

    trojanrabbit New Member

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    Hmmmm. Makes me wonder if I should disable the auto lock feature. I had a bad experience with locks on a Grand Voyager, and the failure mode was such that they couldn't be locked manually, fortunately fixed under warranty but still...

    In contrast, the car I just retired (2002 Honda Accord) went 320K without any lock issues, even though the Mrs insisted on locking the car when she got out even though it would lock when I pressed the alarm button.

    Then again, I have the extended warranty, so maybe not...
     
  16. Rob.au

    Rob.au Active Member

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    Sadly my c has joined the club. The front passenger side started intermittently failing and I got Toyota to check it out in October 2016. They determined the lock was faulty and needing replacement (specifying part 69040-06150 and quoting A$160 plus labour).

    I ignored them at the time since it was working more often than not and also I was suspicious that my 12V battery was nearing end of life, which I still think it is but it doesn't appear to be the cause. Back then the lock would work fine while the car was on and only occasionally failed when it was off.

    Had the car most recently serviced in early August just before its fifth birthday and didn't bother getting them to look at it, but in the weeks since it suddenly went downhill then then stopped working entirely, at which time the driver's door lock started going and within two weeks it was completely dead, so now the actuators on both front doors have totally failed. The manual key is quite "heavy" to use so I've resorted to just touching the handle to unlock the rear doors and then reaching around from the back to unlock the driver's door.

    In Australia there is no automatic locking/unlocking connection with the gear selector and it is not an option either... if you want to operate the central locking while in the car you do it manually via the buttons on the driver's door, so that additional locking/unlocking is not a factor.

    Frustrating that this seems to be a common problem at 4-5 years.
     
  17. TheTimob

    TheTimob Member

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    I disabled the automatic lock/unlock in the vehicle settings menu when I started noticing a lot of door lock actuator threads. In theory, mine should last twice as long now! (we shall see)
     
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  18. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Or die twice as quick from lack of use, lol. :D
     
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  19. dblack101

    dblack101 New Member

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    i have a 2013 Prius V with 67,000 kilometers and 3 of my power door locks have stopped working. My Toyota dealership want $2400 to fix it. What should I don?
     
  20. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Do it yourself. It's not difficult. $45 per actuator with 10 year warranties on them.