Door lock/window problem...

[toady11]

I have a 96 corolla dx, and one day... poof. The rear passenger door wouldnt unlock anymore. So now I cant get the bugger open. I tried the automatic lock and I can feel the motor inside trying to go, but the lock wont budge. I tried to manually unlock it... nothing. It's stuck like chuck. So I opted to just use the window to load things in and out of it ala dukes of hazzard, no luck. The window wont budge either. (automatic windows)

Anybody have any thoughts?

[01loadedLE]

someone on another forum is having a similar problem. I pasted their reply below, maybe it will help you...

It looks like the linkage between your tumbler and the lock mechanism has too much slop in it. Since the car is out of warranty, you might want to fix it yourself.

You will need to take the inner door panel off, then peel the plastic moisture barrier back to access the lock mechanism. Then, put the key in and turn it. You will see the linkage I'm talking about. It's a small metal wire/rod that triggers the lock. If the linkage ends are not tight, or if there is a kink in the linkage, it could cause these symptoms.

It is possible that someone tried to jimmy the door open with a metal strip, causing the rod to bend or one of the link ends to partially pop out.

[toady11]

Im not sure this applies to me... My rear doors have no key-holes on them. Only the front doors, which happen to work fine. But, when I turn my keys far enough, it sends the signal to unlock all of my doors. My rear passenger door seems to be TRYING to unlock, but is caught up on something or is not making the full effort. As well, the window (which is also only electric) doesnt work. I hit the switch from the door itself, nothing. Hit the switch from the drivers door, nothing. I try to manually pull the lock up, it wont budge.

[Limnos]

Despite not having locks on those doors, what the previous responder said probably still holds true as regards to the latch. I don't have automatic locks so I can't be specific there, but I have had problems with the lock on my '81 Corolla whereby a rusty door panel allowed water to get onto the latch mechanism and rust it solid. You can probably check the working of the door mechanism and maybe figure out what doesn't seem to be totally happy and then tweak things back into shape. It's possible that the thing just needs lubricating.

The big pain will be that in order to get to the insides of the door you need to have the door open. If it comes down to it you can use a utility knife to cut an access hatch in the panel near where the door latches to the frame. You can then pull on rods and suchlike until the door unlatches. Once you do get the door open you can remove the panel to get to the mechanism inside. The only trick is that the panel is held on with plugs so you have to gently pry them away from the door frame.

[karugs]

Why don't you get in and remove the rear seat, whatever trim you can remove off the bad door, and get your tools ready? Usually it's the inner door handle that has to be removed, arm rest, and window crank/switch. I would bet that once the rear seat is gone the door panel could be pulled inwards, just by bending it slightly. Make it a quick pull because you don't want that inner door panel to bend. Once it's off, you can now see what's wrong.

Use the rear driver door to pull out the rear seat, by the way. I would imagine you'll need all the ventilation, so open up everything. On our 1992 Corolla the inner door handle has to be pushed forward to be removed, after unscrewing it. It might be tricky removing that door handle from the rod, if those are still connected. Once the handle is gone you can now go ahead and pull it off. Removing some other interior trim (like linings, pushing the front passenger seat forward, etc) would be helpful.

Goodluck.