Opening a Car Door Stuck in Locked Position

Someone exiting the back door of my car managed to somehow get the lock caught such that the door is stuck in locked position. At least I think that’s what happened; the handles move freely, but the lock knob won’t go all the way up, whether by electronic means or by manual. Question is how to fix this.

I took off the inside handle, but pulling the cord that connects to the door latch does nothing, presumably because the stuck lock is blocking it.

The way to access the lock mechanism would be to take off the inside trim. Problem is that the fasteners which hold the inside trim in place are only accessible if the door is open. And the door can’t be open until this issue is fixed.

Make/model/year? Maybe some pics?

2000 Chevy Prizm. Nothing to see, the door looks exactly like any other Prizm (or Corolla) from 1998-2002 - some sample photos here.

They have graphite lubricant to help with stuck locks, although I have never used it with electronic locks.

But how would you access the internal lock mechanism to apply the lubricant?

[What I suspect happened is that the passenger pulled the door handle at the same time that the electronic system was unlocking the lock, and this caused the lock mechanism to get tangled up somehow.]

I think a Slim Jim will still open it in this situation.

Dennis

Ditto on the slim jim (the metal one - not the beef jerky).

Also check if the door is completely closed. I had a Toyota Corolla many decades ago which would sometimes partially latch. Pushing on the door would unlock it.

This was done through the keyhole–it was basically squirted in for the traditional automotive lock. But I have no idea how the modern electronic/manual locks work.

As suggested above make sure the door is firmly closed and try a slim jim. That is probably the best method. Push and bang on the door to get the mechanism to release. make sure the electric lock system hasn’t blown a fuse.

Since you have the interior handle off you might be able to take the door panel off backwards by popping the top lip out using a screw driver up through the hole where the handle sits. If you can pop the lip out of the top of the door then you might be able to work your way down. It’s a long shot.

here’s a video showing how to remove the arm rest to get to screws holding the panel on.

A few things I’d like clarified, namely ‘lock knob’ and ‘cord’. Lock knob sounds like the lock cylinder (where the key goes) and that’s clearly how everyone else is interpreting it, however, I’ve never seen one on a back door. Do you mean something on the inside like door handle or whatever the thing is called that the person can manually move to lock or unlock the door? In any case, if my first thought would be to make sure the child safty switch isn’t flipped on. Now, I know that’s only desinged to disengage the door handle on the inside, but I’d still check it. After that, I’d remove the inner door panel and just take a look at all the linkage. I’d me willing to get something fell off or broke.

Upon re-reading this, I see that the door can’t even be opened until you get it unlocked. My first (shade tree mechanic) thought would be to lock and unlock, both with the key and the inside part, rapidly several times to see if you can get something to catch. That in and of itself may be enough to fix the problem. However, if you get it opened that way I’d then try using a screwdriver or something to set the catch and try ‘opening the door’ a few times to see if it made a difference. Also, be prepared to go from whatever step you use to open the door to fixing it all in one day since there’s a chance that once it’s opened, it might not close again.

More thoughts:
You say that pulling the cord (I assume you mean linkage, it’s metal rod, right) doesn’t do anything because it’s locked, have you tried pulling on that while working the lock? Cars have a funny way or working when they’re jiggled, sometimes things jiggle into place for just long enough to work.

You also mentioned that you can’t get the panel off since some of the clips require the door to be open, but if you can get even some of them off, say the ones at the top, along the window, you might be able to hold it back just far enough to get something down there (like a hanger) to release the catch.

There are electronic means that I can think of, if it has electronic locks, but if hear it moving when you hit the unlock button, it’s not going to do anything. If you don’t hear anything, it may be worth exploring that option. Could be easy, could be a PITA, but ultimately, it would just require finding the wires that lock/unlock that that door and applying 12v to them. (But this is assuming the other doors work and/or all fuses and wiring are in good shape).

I agree, it sounds like a linkage issue, personally, after exausting the ‘easy’ options. Ya know, yelling at it, spitting on it, swearing at it, jiggling the moving parts while working the inner and outer door handle and lock, I’d really spend some more time trying to get the panel off, even partially. From there you might be able to at least see what’s going on, if you can see, you can probably get something down there to open the door*, if not, once it’s started, you can probably, carefully, ‘rip’ the rest of the clips out. Sucks to have to do it, but suck is life.
*Again, keep in mind that you should probably make the time between opening the door and fixing it, one day. If you can at least get the top open and see what’s going on, and it looks like you’re going to need parts, I’d strongly suggest getting them (locally, so you can buy all the parts you might need and return what you don’t need) before you jimmy the door open. Once you do get it open, replacing linkage is typically fairly straight forward, even if it includes, handles or catches.
Something to test, if you don’t already know, when the working doors are locked, are the handles free moving (I assume so) like they’re not doing anything or do they ‘stop’ like there’s something blocking them?

Also, make sure to check Google and/or youtube, lots or problems (or at least related problems) are addressed there. Remember to look at similar vintage cars of the same make, so you have a Prism, don’t just stick to Chevy Prism, but Chevy Prism, Geo Prism, Chevy Cavalier and other other compact car from that time frame and, to be honest, most cars work somewhat similar so if someone is showing you how to fix this on their 2003 Tahoe or 2008 Grand Am, it’s probably worth a look.

I’d suggest a cardboard tube, but I hear that’s physically impossible.

You might be able to get an idea what’s going on and sort out how to fix it if you can see the mechanism inside the door. A wedge can be used to get some space between the window and the door, then a thin light can be inserted for viewing.

These wedges are made just for this, anything similar should work.

This shows where to place the wedges between the glass and rubber trim. Do this on the outside, near the mechanism.

I use a Steelman Bend-A-Light. There may be other suitable brands, but I don’t know.

When you can see the parts inside, move the handles and knobs to see if you can figure it out. It may help to compare to the other side where everything works. If you don’t have a Slim Jim, or that doesn’t work, you may have to fabricate something from a coat hanger.

Thanks to several posters who suggested Slim Jims. I suspect that may be the only way to do it. However, I suspect a lot of skill is required to open it with a Slim Jim and I wouldn’t be able to do it.

There’s no keyhole. This is the back door.

Lock system works on all the other doors, and even that door knob juggles up and down a bit.

There are screws around the outskirts of the panel which are blocked by the car frame when the door is closed.

Joey P,

Thanks for your lengthy post. And sorry for what may have been imprecise wording.

By “lock knob” I meant the little thingies on the door next to the window that you pull up to manually unlock and down to manually lock. When you use the electric switch they also go up and down - in this case it goes up partially but not all the way. (So it’s not the child safety switch - also the CSS wouldn’t prevent the door from being unlocked from the front.) And the “cord” is the linkage that you refer to.

I’ve tried all the jiggling-type stuff that you refer to.

The inside handle can move freely, but it doesn’t reset all the way back unless you pull it. Meaning, that it kind of pokes out a bit, in the partially open position. I suspect this is because the cord/linkage to which it’s attached is partially pulled out of position.

Hence the suggestion to be able to see what’s in there. Slim Jims are normally used by “feeling around/fishing around” and can take a lot of experience, skill, or luck to have success with. It can make a huge difference to be able to actually see what you’re doing.

I own a slim jim and the very small handful of times I’ve tried using it, it’s been worthless, for me. I suspect it’s like handing a random person my toolbag and saying ‘here, fix my stove’. I can fix it with what’s in there, but they’ll probably just get hurt if they start jamming screwdrivers into random spots. I had no idea what I was doing with the slim jim, I was just reaching around in there and hoping for the best. I think in one case, the dog that locked the door eventually unlocked it.

You (the OP) said pulling on the linkage doesn’t do anything because you suspect it’s binding with the lock, I’d to back to working the linkage and the lock at the same time. If it’s binding, this may help unbind it. I have a pickup truck in which the lock cylinder won’t turn at all, it feels like you have the wrong key, but if you work the door handle at the same time, after about 5 or 10 seconds it eventually frees up enough to open (I really should look into that).

Also, Gary mentioned wedges, that’s basically the same as what I was saying about even trying to get the top open enough to look down in there and see what’s going on. Just enough to get some kind of idea. Can you snag something with a hanger to and pull it? Do you need to run out and get specific tool (or make something) to just rehook some linkage that fell off, maybe it’s just a matter of spraying some lubricant in the right spot. A lot of this exploratory stuff can often be done without tearing the car apart too much.

This may sound obvious, but have you tried opening it from the inside?

If it will not open from inside or out, another possible issue is that the child lock mechanism is malfunctioning for some reason. Caution: Go easy on the slim jim. Electric locks can be easily damaged by those tools.

based on the link I posted those aren’t screws. If they have plastic phillips heads then they’re push pin screws. If you can get the panel started from the top they can be sacrificed and replaced later. It would mean pushing the edge of the panel up on one end and zippering it across. This may give you enough of a space to get long needle nose in from the top. You’re goal is not to remove the panel entirely but to peel it back enough to get your hands on the mechanism.

When you engage the power locks can you hear the mechanism in the stuck door clicking or buzzing? If yes Then it’s bound up. While engaging the power door lock bang and jiggle the hell out of the door and lock mechanisms including pushing/banging on the door from the outside as if you’re closing it.

If I read this correctly you removed the inside handle which gives you a view of the mechanism with a mirror. You might be able to get a long needle nose plier in there. tie a piece of string to the handle so you don’t drop it into the door. You can also get a view of things with the wedges and a flashlight. This will allow you to see the power lock and you may be able to catch it with the slim jim.

The mechanics can answer this. If a child lock is engaged will the master power lock button open the back door?

Worst case scenario, go to a junkyard and buy a matching interior panel and just rip the old one out. But if the screws you describe are actually screw push pins then you stand a chance of popping the panel off conventionally. Don’t forget the screws in the arm rest.

Obligatory Family Guy clip (video).

The child locks I have known work on the handle, not on the lock. The lock button will still unlock the door. It can only be opened from the outside when unlocked.

They are indeed push pin thingies.

I’m pretty sure the panels don’t come straight away from the door, as they fold down over the top, and they need to be lifted up once detached. So you can’t just pull it out.

It sounds exactly like it always does. Though I suppose it’s possible that this one door is making a slightly different sound than the rest and I’m not noticing it.

I don’t think this would help. The inside handle is on the other edge of the door from the lock mechanism, and it’s a tight and curved space from there.

I would think the worst case scenario would be to pay a locksmith to open it with a Slim Jim or something like that. Maybe even fix the lock while he’s at it.