Made a HUGE mistake, looking for help.

Hi Dan,

If it makes you feel any better, you seem to be at least the third or fourth person to report exactly the same mistake on PriusChat just in the last few months.

I don't know what explains the sudden uptick; maybe a lot of actuators are reaching end-of-life at last. It is easy to feel dumb after making such a mistake, but the fact that so many people are making it suggests that the severity of the risk of closing the door before testing doesn't seem to naturally occur to people as often as maybe it should.

Seeing that the same mistake is biting a lot of people lately, I wonder if PriusChat could do a big public service, maybe by having a big prominent sticky in each model's forum: Read this for any work on a door lock actuator.

The ideal test is to keep the door wide open and simulate closing it by pushing a bolt or rod into the latch where the body strike goes, and making sure every inside and outside door handle, knob, and feature works to lock, unlock, and unlatch it. Then it's safe to close the door.

Maybe someone should even make a 15-second video, just because some of the terminology (like 'strike') might be new to non locky people.

Anyway, back to your door: is the inside trim panel still off, or did you put that back on too? What makes you think you can unbolt the hinges with the door closed? Are they bolted through from the B pillar side? I don't really think unbolting them would be a good idea: your problem is the door's attached by the latch and strike at the other end, and you might actually bend or crease it by getting its weight unsupported by the hinges and hanging by the latch.

If you take out the back seat and/or C pillar garnish, can you see the ends of the strike bolts? Perhaps if you could dremel slots in the bolt ends, you could drive them out with a straight screwdriver.

The problem won't be solved until you can get the door trim back off (if it's on) and reach inside to one of the actuator levers on the latch itself and make it unlatch. But maybe loosening the strike would help you by letting the door swing open, so you'd have access to get the trim off.

Or find out if the trim has any removable bits (the armrest, sometimes?) leaving a big enough hole to slip an arm in? You'd still have to cut the vapor barrier, but that's cheap. Last resort, cut the trim panel itself, and buy a replacement.

-Chap

 

I've taken off the trim panel on many doors and closed them to test. If it does not open, just detach the plastic release handle, manually pull on the metal extension rod and the door opens. I'd be shocked if the Prius is set up differently.

 

Do you know how to use a Slim Jim ? If not, just about any tow company driver can open the door in short time using a Slim Jim.

 

That's a tough situation but, if you have the inner panel off, there has to be a way to get the actuator apart while its in place. You just have to figure out how to do it. It may involve mirrors (to see), universal joints (to reach screws/bolts) or some other ingenious solution. The bottom line is, you have to figure out how to release the door from its mechanism. Persistence will likely be your friend (as well as patience).

 

Forgive me if it's too obvious, but remember your actuator assembly has to have at least two movable levers sticking out: one (movable either direction) for locked/unlocked, the other (spring return) for the handle that opens the door. Make sure the one that you are pulling/pushing on is the right one.

Take the working mirror-imaged actuator out of the door on the other side and have it in front of you while fussing with the one stuck inside this door, which you can't see very well. Use the one you can see as a reference.

Don't make the same mistake reassembling the other door.

-Chap

 

Rear Hatch! Cars are getting too electronic. I prefer the old key doors and manual locks.

Yep, this is a two person job. Been there and crawled through the car with my wife ready to push the outside latch. Needs a manual pull override near the drivers seat like the cheap cars.

 

congrats, well done!

 

Persistence, patience and ingenuity. Good job!!!!