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skywarrior
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2/01/2008
21:44:14

Subject: Self locking doors
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The electric door lock on my 95 Dakota has started locking itself. It appears that when you shut the door, the plunger falls down and locks the door. Just wondering if anyone has had this problem and if so, how do you fix it. I was thinking of taking off the inside door panel but am kind of afraid to tackle it because I am not sure how to get it off. Any help would be appreciated.



Jimmy9190
Dodge Dakota
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2/01/2008
22:25:22

RE: Self locking doors
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Remove the door panel and the moisture barrier. Then take a look at the rods and connecting hardware that the door lock rod is connected to. There are 2 possible solutions I know of. One is the door lock actuator is worn out and it can't stay in the up position. If that's the case, you can replace it with an aftermarket actuator, which you can get at any good car audio/alarm shop or maybe Circuit City or a Best Buy store. You may also get the OE part from the dealer but it may cost more. You'll know if it's worn out because it will be really loose. The other solution might be the plastic guide fasteners that are snapped into the door to hold the rod in place from the actuator up to the lock button at the top of the door. They wear out too and when they break there is nothing to hold the rod in place, so it falls back down in the door. You might still be able to get the plastic guides from the dealer, or maybe figure a way to hold the rod in place with zip ties. I fixed a lock on a Chrysler that way once.

Is not hard to remove the door panels, but I don't remember the procedure for a 95. Someone here will surely know, or you can check a Haynes manual. There might be a screw in the arm rest, and maybe 2 screws down under the bottom of the arm rest cushion pad or under the pull handle, may have been a screw up in the top left or right corner of the door panel, maybe one in the inside door latch area and you may have to slide the plastic trim one way or the other to remove it from around the latch. There's probably a few screws in the very bottom edge of the panel. If you have manual windows there's a tool you can get pretty cheap at a parts store to remove its retainer clip. Remove all the screws, and trim pieces then the panel should pull straight up or straight out, not sure which but if you can get one corner loose you can peek behind it and see which way it comes off. Try lifting it straight up first.

Hope this helps.

Jimmy



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