2016 Town and Country sliding door won't unlock!

Asked by Mindy May 29, 2018 at 09:37 AM about the 2016 Chrysler Town & Country Touring-L FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Help! Out of no where Drivers side rear sliding door
won't unlock manually or with automatic buttons.
Stuck shut and locked! All other doors work and
function perfectly. Any ideas on getting it
unlocked?

95 Answers

520

Did you ever figure it out? Mine is doing the exact same thing same year and same side. It's sealed shut.

52 people found this helpful.
290

mine is doing the same thing... i removed the j3 and j11 fuses, left for about 10 minutes then replaced them. I was able to open the door once but after i shut it again, it cease to work again. I am baffled as to what the issue is and how to go about resolving

29 people found this helpful.
170

I took my Caravan to a dealership in Venice, FL. The actuator for the sliding door lock on the driver's side was replaced. The Caravan was not under the 3yr/36,000 mile warranty as it had too many miles. However, the service advisor wrote it up as a goodwill thing, and as a result, my out of pocket was $100.00 (deductible) charge. The sliding door is manual (not powered). The part seems to be $160.00(?) with sales tax included.

17 people found this helpful.
1,470

Mindy, mine is doing the same 2011. And we are not alone. As you can see several people here have the same. Did you fix yours? There should be a recall on these!

35 people found this helpful.
150

I have the same problem but on passenger side sliding door. Took to local dealer (>65K miles) and they gave me quote for $940+tax. WTH?

15 people found this helpful.
1,470

This is what I found out. I took it to the dealer and they gave me a quote of $1300. I took it to a body shop and paid $320!! Here is what the problem is- it’s an actuator. That part is maybe $100-200 and it is not that complicated to repair. IF your door was open you could probably replace it yourself. But since the door is shut and stuck that way you have to get the door panel off from the inside with the door shut. A body shop is the best person to do this. Don’t trust the dealer with this because it’s body work! The dealer will break the door panel and that is why you are paying so much for. In my case, once the body shop got the door panel off they were able to get a good grab hold of the bar that goes in to the actuator and they were able to jam that bar toward the actuator which unlocked the door. Once the door was unlocked, it opened easily because there was nothing wrong with the door opening mechanism- it was just stuck locked. Once the door was open it’s an easy fix.

64 people found this helpful.
460

Just got back from body shop with my driver side sliding door unable to unlock on open inside nor outside handles. Took off panel and discovered rod to ,lock had come loose. 30 min and $48 later I was on the road happy.

46 people found this helpful.
1,900

I just fixed my 2016 town and country today. Last weekend the drivers side door stopped opening as well. The door lock on the door would just stay in the locked position, but today I started messing with it and found out you could force that latch all the way by hand and hold it there you could get the door open. So, I thought to myself maybe the electronic switch just became stuck, so forced the latch over and held it there and with the remote hit the lock and unlock a few times. Guess what? Everything went back to working condition. I sat out there and tested it for another 15 minutes and not 1 problem. So my advise to everyone is attempt to do this before taking it to get new parts on.

190 people found this helpful.
1,210

YES!!!! THANK YOU!!!! It worked!!!!! Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!

41 people found this helpful.
290

How did you force the lock? I’m trying but afraid it will brake.

29 people found this helpful.
1,470

Once the door panel is removed you should be able to force it. I was not present for that process as I had a body shop take off the door panel. They said it was easy to grab the rod close to the accuator and force it.

12 people found this helpful.
1,210

I open my driver door and reach back with my left hand and push the lock (tab type) all the way back as hard as I can with my thumb and once I can hold it in that position I use my right hand to hit "unlock” on my key fob. It works every time. Mine only does this occasionally now but the automatic lock feature that happens when you drive for a couple minutes makes a weird noise that startles passengers, but I just find it amusing and will not get it fixed unless I have further issues.

80 people found this helpful.
410

Thank you GuruB5CDP! I did what you recommended (held the manual lock on the sliding door and then pressed lock and unlock on my key while holding the lock in place) and was able to get my door opened! A total answer to prayers before having to go and drive kindergarten carpool!

41 people found this helpful.
220

Took my 2016 caravan to my dealer about my sliding door not opening and locked .They charged my wife $130.00 diagnostic charge, handed her a quote for over $ 900.00 to repair it. I thought the quote was high and the diagnostic charge from professional was uncalled for. we did not have them repair it and will not be going back to that dealorship. Thanks to Guru i got the door opened.

22 people found this helpful.
320

Hey it's 2019 now, but this happened to mine too. Since this is the first page that popped up when I searched the issue, I wanted to leave my comments to for the next person. The driver side sliding door lock was stuck between the unlock and lock position and would not move at all. The door was stuck closed. I took it into the dealership and they had it fixed within 45 minutes. They said that the lock mechanism was just stuck and so they took it apart oiled it and put it back together. It only cost $45 for their time and no parts needed.

32 people found this helpful.
150

Having the same issue, but still not able to get it to work. I plan to contact the dealer where I purchased it and let them know how common this is and see if they're open to a courtesy repair. Where's the recall?!? Crazy...

15 people found this helpful.
680

2014 T&C drivers side door became locked and could not be unlocked manually or electronically. The inside lock switch was in a neutral position, neither in the locked or unlocked position and could not be moved either way (did not try too hard as I thought something may break.) After looking on line to get an idea of what was wrong......I too a butter knife and gently pried off the cover surrounding the door handle/lock button. Start at the bottom and gently pry off.....held on my 4 clips. I reached inside, using my phone light to see, located the rod connecting the door lock switch ( ca 1/8 diam rod) to the actuator located way at the back end of the door, and moved it back and forth while holding the lock switch....PRESTO...door unlocked!!! Easy fix and did not cost $1300 as some have said at a dealer. Now if the actuator is bad.....good luck and go read the other posts. Door works perfectly now.

33 people found this helpful.
430

It worked!!!!! I did what you recommended (held the manual lock on the sliding door and then pressed lock and unlock on my key fab while holding the lock in place) and was able to get my door opened! Thank you!!!!!

25 people found this helpful.
240

Worked for me as well, the passenger side sliding door was suddenly stuck in the locked position. I pushed it into the unlock position and held it while unlocking and locking the door from the front passenger door lock (figured I would try that vs waking the kids with the beep from the locking on the key fob. Ha!) and I could hear it engage and is currently working. Just as a reference mine is a 2016 Town and Country. Thank you!!

24 people found this helpful.
680

Glad I could help... I am not a mechanic, but grew up in Australia helping my dad in our BP Service Station helping out on car repairs during High School. Then I decided to get a PhD in Chemistry! Anyway I am not one to defeated by mechanical failures, nor pay exorbitant prices for a simple fix. Now if the real issue is a bad actuator at least you can get the door open and take of the inner panel and replace the actuator yourself and save a bundle.

15 people found this helpful.
60

AMT44-Your suggestion worked! Sure great to have that sliding door functioning properly again!!!

6 people found this helpful.
680

I did not say fixing/replacing the actuator was simple.......,you have to take the inside door panel off to begin with. You may be able to do that once the door is open but still attached to the car or you man have to removed the door first.

4 people found this helpful.
430

Let’s hope that isn’t the case but if it is, I’ll def try fixing it myself. Thx again!

3 people found this helpful.
150

Same issue here...driver's side sliding door. Holding the manual lock button back and hitting unlock in the front or on the key fob didn't work. I took the panel off -- even though I couldn't find a video or forum that described taking it off without being able to open the door. (more on that later if anyone desires...) Once the panel was off (and I would have been able to do it with just the first couple of plastic grommets released, not the entire panel, but I didn't know that at the time), I was able to push the lock "bar" back towards the rear of the van. I felt it "seat" beyond where it was, so figured that was my issue. It worked well on all of my many attempts in the garage. I drove it a short ways and it worked at my first of two stops. After leaving that stop, I heard the same noise as described by GuruB5CDP when the automatic lock engaged. At my next stop, I was not able to open the door. I crawled back and pushed the lever again (I'm keeping the door panel off for awhile), heard the noise when activating the automatic locks, but it still works...

15 people found this helpful.
370

We are having the same problem right now. I can't believe there hasn't been a recall. Of course, nobody has died, yet!!! Wait until there's a parent unable to get their child out of the car in an emergency!! Then you'll see the s#%t fly. We are documented on this site. What do you have to say, Chrysler????

24 people found this helpful.
370

I sent Chrysler an email about all of our sliding door problems. Maybe if we all send an email something will be done. Here is the contact information: Chrysler Group LLC - Corporate Office Headquarters www.corporate-office-headquarters.com/chrysler-group-llc Information, reviews and commentary for Chrysler Group LLC Offices located at 1000 Chrysler Dr., Auburn Hills, MI, 48326. You visited this page on 4/13/19

13 people found this helpful.
80

Push the door lock gently far as it can go with one hand and with the other use your key pad unlock button till it unlock. It worked for me.

8 people found this helpful.
60

It worked, I pried the cover around the door handle and reached in and released the latch. Door works again! Thanks

6 people found this helpful.
40

2008 Grand Voyager (Export RHD) drivers side sliding door closed and stuck in locked position. Using a plastic trim removal tool I was able to unclip the door panel from the inside starting from the corner diagonally opposite from the lock. Stop when you un-clip all the fasteners on the bottom of the door. If you try to go any higher you will snap the panel just under black plastic door handle molding. Using a torch I could see grey foam wrapped around something - this was the metal bar that manually actuates the door lock. Remove the foam to expose the metal rod. Using Vice Grips (locking plies?) I was able to grab hold of the rod and pull it toward the back of the car. I felt it give, after which, the lock worked freely - however I plan to replace the actuator. I was able to open the door from the outside but couldn't internally because the child lock was on. Once the door was open enough to gain access I removed the two 25 torx screws that hold the black plastic molding that is the door handle. Once open you can decide how to proceed with the actual problem.

4 people found this helpful.
60

Thank you GuruB5CDP It worked!!!!! I did what you recommended (held the manual lock on the sliding door and then pressed lock and unlock on my key fab while holding the lock in place) and was able to get my door opened! Thank you!!!!! Mine is a 2015 Town & Country.

6 people found this helpful.
110

GuruLT3CN, can you please describe how to remove the sliding door while the door is stuck in locked position? Ours is a Grand Caravan 2016, 48k miles and drivers side door just wont open. The mechanical door latch wont slide open or closed. We got the small panel off by the handle, but I can't see deep in enough to the back where the actual locking mechanism is. Am thinking we need to remove the entire door panel to access that. Can you describe how you did that please? TIA!

11 people found this helpful.
120

I have a 2016 town & country. Driver's side sliding door locked and would not unlock. I pushed the manual lever as hard as i could and key the unlock botton on the key fob and it worked. Everthing working fine now. Just like the post above said. Thank you!

12 people found this helpful.
680

You do not need to see the actuator at the rear lower end of the sliding door.. Once the door lock panel is removed, use a flashlight to look for the actuator rod that goes to the actuator from the lock mechanism. It is about 1/8: diameter. Reach in and up and grab the rod with one hand and giggle back and forth, while also working the stuck lock button back and forth. Door should unlock..no need to remove the door. Good luck>

4 people found this helpful.
680

BTW, if you have to take it to a dealer to get the door unlocked, they will probably just cut the whole door panel out, fix the problem and replace the panel with out removing the door, since the door will now be open and charge you an arm and a leg.

430

Does anyone’s sliding door also make an obnoxious sound when doors lock?

12 people found this helpful.
680

I also suggest once the door is open and door handle/lock cover is still off, you spray WD40 or similar onto the mechanism and or blow accumulated dust off first..

1 people found this helpful.
70

My 2016 Town and Country did the same thing thanks for all info I held the door lock lever and hit the lock - unlock on the remote and it opened it worked . I exercised it a dozen times it still makes that growling noise when locking but it opens and closes just fine.

7 people found this helpful.
30

My 2016 Dodge Grand Caraavan back Manual door locked at 27,526 miles but the latch sliding door was replaced under warranty. Just 15 months later, the same thing has happened again. This is a very costly repair and Ihave contacted Chrysler to see if there is any recourse. With the same problem happening to so many people, a recall sounds necessary.

3 people found this helpful.
10

TomW87 it worked! Thank you! Probably saved me a bunch of time and money. I got the door to open using your suggestion. It’s been stuck for about six weeks now. Once it was opened, I examined the track and compared it to the side that functions correctly. I found a twisted up paper straw wrapper stuck in the chain. I don’t know if that contributed to the problem or not. I had to get down at ground level and watch as the door opened and closed to spot it. May be worth looking into if anyone is still having problems.

1 people found this helpful.
30

I'm in Cleveland, Ohio and it got so HOT today that my driver side passenger door unlocked on it's OWN after 5 or 6 months. But thank you for the good info. I bookmarked this page. They were going to charge me 200 just to get the panel off. Hot but happy today. Yes it is making that weird buzzing noise bet that's ok.

3 people found this helpful.
30

I am so grateful to you all for posting this advice! My sliding door was stuck in the locked position. I held the manual lock on the door in the unlocked position and pressed the button on the fob that opens and closes the sliding door and voila! It unlocked started working again! Thank you so much!

2 people found this helpful.
10

My 2010 T&C drivers side passenger door is stuck too tried the fob and lock trick no luck. ☹ can't figure out how to get the panel off the door handle as mentioned to look in. This stinks!

1 people found this helpful.
20

My lock is stuck in the neutral position. I took off the panel around the door handle and tried pushing / pulling the rod with pliers while hitting the locking and unlocking with key fob to no avail. This is drivers side door. Passenger door makes a wierd grinding noise when locking/unlocking but still works ok. Am I going to have to replace both accuators? Not looking forward to the cost.

2 people found this helpful.
680

Dont use the key fob......reach in and up to jiggle the actuator rod back and forth (I doubt you need to use pliers to do that!) and use your other hand to move the lock button back and forth at the same time (or have someone else move the lock button). The door should unlock. It may take some gently persuasion. Re any grinding noise, check that the track at the door bottom is clear of obstacles

680

To get the door lock/handle panel off, use a flat small blade ( I used a butter knife LOL) and gently pry off the surround piece. Held on by three press in clips, should come off with little effort.

3 people found this helpful.
20

Couldn’t get my lock to budge from the neutral position. Took it to the mechanic. Needed new actuators on both doors and a new lock switch because it was frozen in the old actuator. $1500

50

2013 Town and Country have had the door shut and locked without able to unlock manually or with remote. 1. Said a little prayer (never hurts) 2. Took J3 and J11 fuse off for aprox. 5 minutes 3. Manually moved the lock back and forth inside the sliding door while my wife locked and unlocked with the remote (maybe you can do this on the door if your remote dont work?) 3. Had my wife pull the latch on the door to open while I tried the same on the inside 4. Unlocked. Not sure what worked but I did read the entire thread to see what worked for other folks and did a combination of those things along with a prayer. God bless....

5 people found this helpful.
10

Took my 2016 Town & Country to auto body shop, driver’s side door wouldn’t open. It was the actuator. $200 for part. $450 for labor. $650, ouch. Next time I’ll wait to both sliding doors won’t open.

1 people found this helpful.
30

2016 Town and Country. Just happened to me. By chance the following worked. Held in the interior open door button (on pillar) while repeatedly clicking the remote open button. It worked. Overjoyed.

2 people found this helpful.
10

If it does turn out to be the actuator it is a kind of easy fix I searched for YouTube video and found one and followed it was able to change my actuator because originally my actuator was bad then I replaced it and everything was working but now my passenger sliding door wants to stay in the lock position and I've done what everyone suggested and it works like one or two times and then goes back into being locked so for the time being I unplugged my door from the actuator and I'm just going to have to manually open and close it and lock it because the actuator is still functioning so I'm not exactly sure what my exact issue is I have a 2007 Town and Country

1 people found this helpful.
40

I had this problem 2 weeks after the passenger side slider went bad. It got me thinking. The passenger side had a stripped gear in the actuator. Something had to bind it to cause it to strip. Then my driver side door got stuck locked. I'm thinking that the lock mechanism at the back of the door is getting dirty or corroded and causing the extra friction causing these issues. I would suggest oiling the mechanism every few months with some white lithium grease to prevent a reoccurance.

1 people found this helpful.
25

can someone please describe how to take the trim panel off of the inside of the door I have taken the panel off that sits around the door handle and that worked a couple of times

680

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q222p6J0H6g Watch this video, should be the same as yours But before you do that, make sure to spray lube to door locking mechanism and see if that solves your locked door problem. You can also make the door manual by disconnecting the power cord to the lock mechanism ---if that is acceptable

4 people found this helpful.
10

Contacted Chrysler help line and they only suggested that I go to the dealership and pay what ever they are charging ($180) to do a diagnosis! I cannot unlock the door at all, it is inoperable and I have to go around the outside of the vehicle to be able to help my child get out. Seems ridiculous to me!

1 people found this helpful.
680

try this.....and read all the previous answers. Remove the small panel around the lock, door interior. Use a flat blade ( butter knife!??) to gently pry off, starting at the bottom, held on my three push-in tabs. Use a flashlight to peer up inside mechanism. You should see 1/8 in diam rod, going from the lock to the rear of the door. Wiggle the rod back and forth while using other hand to move the lock button back forth as well . Door should unlock. Also try using the remote control button on the key fob as you move rod back and forth, While the panel is off, give the lock mechanism a good spray with WD-40 or something similar. If no luck, the actuator inside lower back of the door is probably jammed in which case it needs to be replace.....Dealers will charge a fortune ($1000+??) so try a small local mechanic, if you know one. Good luck.

3 people found this helpful.
20

Thank you so much!!!! For over a year my driver's side passenger door was stuck in this position. This trick worked. 2011 Chrysler Town and Country. My son no longer has to go all the way to the other side to exit the vehicle.

2 people found this helpful.
20

Good demo on replacing actuator - http://davewirth.blogspot.com/2014/09/3-common- problems-chrysler-town-country.html

2 people found this helpful.
10

I had to remove the full door panel to fix this. Once I did so I could wiggle the rod near the back of the door to free it up. Getting the door panel off when the door is closed isn't easy. I used a small L-shaped pry bar (the largest one in a Menards SKU 2371961 set) to wiggle in at the upper rear side of the door, then pulled the panel away from the door enough to pop the fastener. I walked the bar down the rear edge of the panel, pulling as I went, then pulled loose the bottom rear corner. After that I was able to get my hand behind the edge of the panel and pull the rest loose working around the door. There are some youtube videos that show the location of the fasteners, one screw that needs to be removed, removing the upper black corner panel, etc but they all show popping loose the panel with the door open using a pry bar straight in at the edge.

1 people found this helpful.
10

Thank you for your help! I held the black manual lock and pressed the key fob lock and unlock and my door opened... previously frozen locked...thank you

1 people found this helpful.
10

I just had the same problem with my left slider, the lock totally seem stuck in the lock postion. As mentioned above in a thread, i pulled the cover off around the LOCK LEVER And DOOR handle, , cliped off easily,, and low and behold, whatever was holding the lock in lock position released, back to normal ops. Will leave off for couple days to make sure. Thanks! 2100 T and C

1 people found this helpful.
10

I have 2013 Town and Country, driver side rear door closed and locking button in the middle. The passenger side only opens when I push button, this is terrible... Anyone got an electronic solution to get door open?

10

Hi GuruLT3CN, how did you get the panel off with the door closed? My problem, locking button is stuck in the middle position!!

1 people found this helpful.
680

you dont need to get the panel off...go back and read the previous posts to get door unlocked

1 people found this helpful.

AMT44 You are the man. Worked like a charm to get the door open. Hold the lock in the open position and use the rear door handle to open. Thanks man.

20

It worked for us! We took the whole door apart and bought an actuator! Once we noticed we couldn’t get our door open, since it was stuck in the locked position, we started to consider a body shop... after reading this thread, we have the bar a try! Well it worked! This is insane, fix your stuff Chrysler!

2 people found this helpful.
40

THANK YOU GuruLYB3Jabout. I have a 2015 Chrysler Town & Country and the passenger sliding door was stuck. Your advice worked. I was able to pull the tab forward to unlock position. I pushed it forward and held it there while I clicked the unlock and lock on key fob. I finally heard the click on the door and I was able to open the door. So far it is functioning properly. THANK YOU to everyone on here!

Its the rod..... Take off door panel and push rod back till it clicked... Today is June 15 2020 it took me about 45 minutes

I held it in the unlock position on 2016 and turned car on and hit lock unlock on the door several times and it unlocked. Thanks very much!

10

We have a 2016 T&C and had BOTH sliding doors get stuck. We tried the trick above and now both seem to be functioning correctly except now they both make a weird loud noise when automatically locking. Anyone know why the noise might be happening? Or a solution to fix it? I can live with it for now, but it is quite obnoxious.

1 people found this helpful.
140

Same with my 2016 Grand Caravan. Locked left sliding door. Got the whole door panel off, not easily. Then went and read this entire thread. Pushed real hard toward the back with the rod and kept hitting the lock and unlock on the key fob and finally heard the click from the actuator. it Opened. Now I'm afraid the close it, but will have to. Thanks to all who posted here.

2 people found this helpful.
40

Hey FB111: mine has had this issue now for 2 months. I just cleaned the door locks on both sides of the door and put some wd40 on them. It has been working. Makes some weird noise when door closes and when the van automatically locks, but it's still working. I had to clean it a few times and add more wd40. You might have to force open a few times for it to work. Hope this helps. My vehicle: 2015 Chrysler Town & Country

2 people found this helpful.
10

Holding the lock manually and clicking unlock/lock buttons on remote worked to open my 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. Thank you so very much! You saved us some $. I appreciate this!

1 people found this helpful.
140

Thank you DLOSANGELES. I did the WD-40 and it worked for about a week. Today, it locked again. Just have to push back on the rod and use the fob. Think I'll put the interior panel on and just leave the little panel off. I can reach in there and push the rod back and use the fob.

1 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 2016 T&C with 80,000mi when the driver side sliding door would not unlock or open. This is the first thread that had a solution that worked by just pushing the rod in while hitting the unlock button on the fob. I thought I tried everything, even kicking the door thinking it's mechanically stuck. WD40 is not a lubricant! It will clean, remove rust, look it up. These things usually have a grease for lubricant that will not soften in the summer heat and run off like an oil. Oil will stay longer but eventually runoff after time. Try WD40 to clean, if you have a lubricant in a spray can, us that after the WD40 cleaning, it might last longer. After getting the lock to work, it started to make a short plastic gear stripping sound only when locking, like a loud buzzer that will take you by surprise. I saw a class action against Chysler in the works on one of the sites about this issue but I can't find it, that was 2 months ago. This issue is for sure a safety hazard if you can't get out after an accident. Save your receipts if it goes through, it might show up again.

1 people found this helpful.
40

Here is an article about a possible lawsuit: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit- settlements/consumer-products/auto-news/are-the- chrysler-town-and-country-door-locks- defective/#comment-1285921

1 people found this helpful.
40

Here is another possible class action lawsuit for this issue: https://www.consumerclasslawyersblog.com/town- country-and-grand-caravan-owners-cannot-open-or- lock-doors-due-to-defect/

1 people found this helpful.

My 2016 Town and Country suddenly started making a chattering noise when it was unlocked. YouTube videos suggested it was the door actuator. I ordered a door actuator from a local Chrysler for $176.46 including tax. I then had a local repair shop install it for $134.51 including tax. Total repair cost $307.97. No more chattering. I have to say when I picked up the van I had problems with the door staying shut. It would pop out after closing it electrically. The door would stay shut if closed manually. The mechanic looked at it, reset it, etc but it would not stay closed. I needed to use the van and said I would come back later in the week. He said that would be good. He also said sometimes these things fix themselves after some time of being used. I said Okay.....(yeah, right). I drove the van several miles and stopped and started it a few times while not using the door. When I got home I tried to open the door. It unlocked and opened completely with no chatter. It closed normally and stayed shut. It has been working fine for a week now.

20

https://www.nhtsa.gov/about-nhtsa/contact-us This is dangerous and should be recalled. I reported the incident I had. The link above provides the opportunity.

2 people found this helpful.
10

You can remove door panel with door shut may not seem like you can but you can just have a little extra Force I just got through doing one myself remove the door panel in there's a big black plastic the motor is bolted to remove all the 10 mm bolts the locking mechanism is bad where you lock and unlock the vehicle there's a metal rod that goes to the locking mechanism that locking mechanism is the one that's bad you can get it at O'Reilly's or AutoZone

1 people found this helpful.
10

You can remove door panel with door shut may not seem like you can but you can just have a little extra Force I just got through doing one myself remove the door panel in there's a big black plastic the motor is bolted to remove all the 10 mm bolts the locking mechanism is bad where you lock and unlock the vehicle there's a metal rod that goes to the locking mechanism that locking mechanism is the one that's bad you can get it at O'Reilly's or AutoZone it's underneath the plastic right where I'm pointing

Held stuck lock towards unlock position while I hit the unlock button on key fab a couple of times. Unlocked and opened but wouldn't stay open until I let it close and opened it again. Problem solved!

10

I have a 2016 Dodge Caravan with 62,000 miles.My sliding driver side door won't unlock or open. I encourage everyone with this problem to file a complaint. If the NHTSA is not aware of everyone's issue - they will not realize how serious the problem is. It takes 10 minutes to fill out the complaint online https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/?

1 people found this helpful.

Holding the door lock rod and hitting the unlock button at the same time fixed mine. Thanks

20

Removed the small panel around the door lock and handle with a flat mini screw driver for glasses and pulled the thick "upper" long hard steel wire toward me while flicking the lock button to open ( not the plastic coated one that runs straight across ) and now works fine. Took less than a minute to fix.

2 people found this helpful.

I have a 2016 Town and Country that we purchased new, the sliding door malfunctioned back in 2017, of course it happens on a weekend when we are getting ready to go somewhere, it locked up and my husband after tinkering with the lock and buttons etc. was able to get it to release, finally one day it locked up again and it would not release with any amount of tinkering. It was still under new-vehicle warranty, so I took it to a nearby Chrysler dealer and they fixed it under warranty. Time flies by and in mid to late 2021 I have my grandkids with me, youngest ask Grandma, what does this do on the door, I am driving and tell her not to touch anything because the door has started to act up again, but the button on the doorpost does still be able to control the door, we just never mess with the manual lock on the inside of the door. Well later that day, the door will not open. It is literally dead in the water eventually, no sounds at all. Manual doorlock of course will not budge physically either. Well months pass, we made due with the right side door, then it starts to make sounds and not always open, it straightens up and only makes the weird sounds sometimes so for now we make due. On December 15, 2021, we received a letter from the manufacturer, FCA, that now our vehicle vin # qualifies for warranty for repairs on our sliding doors have been extended from 3 years/36,000 miles to 15/150,000 miles. Their records show that we own one of the vehicles affected by this warranty extension. So we waited til the holiday stuff was all over and scheduled our van for yesterday, February 7th, they tried to bill us right off under our purchased extended warranty, instead of the company's extended warranty letter. When they called to let us know that they were done with it, they told me that my bill would be $200, I told them that I would bring FCA's, the manufacturer's letter with me. In the meantime, when we went to pick it up, the goof in service said that our left door that was dead in the water and would not open at all was not under that manufacturer's extended warranty and would still owe the purchased extended warranty deductible of $200. Well, I was not impressed, I left my van at the dealership and am now contacting the manufacturer to get this straightened out. The fat lady has not sung yet and at this time, I DO NOT plan on paying no deductible for the repair of a van door that had the same identical problem earlier while under warranty. So people contact FCA US LLC Customer Center, P. O. Box 21-8004, Auburn Hill, MI 48321-8004 Customer Care according to my letter is available 24 hrs. a day/7days per week at (800) 247-9753 - Chrysler or (800) 423-6343 - Dodge O yes, also a sidenote - If you have already incurred repairs out-of-pocket because your vehicle was no longer under 3 year/36,000 miles warranty, before receiving notice from FCA we are still able to apply for reimbursement for these repairs to the sliding doors.

2014 Dodge Caravan Omg. It worked. I took it to a mechanic today and they couldn’t get the door open. Wanted me to leave a few days or bring back Monday. I took it home and tried your suggestion since we had taken the door panel off. After a few tries of pulling the rod and using the remote it unlocked. I was afraid to shut the door. I shut it and locked it and unlocked and opened it. I want to thank everyone. I was so happy I called my husband. I have watched ever YouTube and blog on this issue. One happy grandma that takes after her mechanical dad.

30

Check dealer for extended warranty recall. They did both my doors for free.

1 people found this helpful.

stephen From your paperwork for those repairs, what part #'s did they list as being replaced?

30

Same issue. Both passengers' door stuck in the lock position. I took a flat head screwdriver and removed the small panel around the door handle that you pull to open the door. It's held on by 4 small clips near the corners. I freed the two clips near the rear of the panel first very easily by sliding the screwdriver between the small panel and the larger one that covers the entire door. Repeated for the two clips on the right. Once that small panel was removed I pushed the lock itself all the way forward, the lever you push when the door is completely together that locks and unlocks the door. With this panel removed the lever goes just a bit farther forward. I hit the unlock button on the driver side door while holding the passenger side door locking lever all the way forward and presto. It actually freed up the rear passenger side too without doing anything to it. Hope this helps.

1 people found this helpful.
10

Oh my GOD! This fixed mine! I have a 2013 Town & Country and our driver side door has been stuck in the locked position for over five years. We just lived with it that way since the other one still worked fine and I read the dealer wanted over $1K to fix it. I stumbled across this forum looking for something else and I was like, hey, mine has that problem too. The holding the lock and locking & unlocking with the fob did not work for me. BUT, I pried the door handle cover off with a butter knife (comes off easy). Then I was able to reach inside the door and push the locking bar back to unlock the door manually (I was shocked when it actually unlocked). I couldn't believe it when the door opened like a miracle. Then to my amazement, the door continued to work properly now, locking and unlocking and opening and closing. This is truly an amazing post thanks to all for sharing your stories and hopefully my reopening this thread helps someone else. Thanks!

1 people found this helpful.

Our 2016 T&C with 80K miles had the drivers side door stick tight, nothing could move it. Acted like the actuator was dead. So, I pulled forward (hard) on the door lock with my left hand fingers while clicking the remote opener with my right, and after a few tries it popped open. Nice! I then removed the door lock cover with a dull kitchen knife, which wasn't difficult as it had only 4 clips to hold it in place. I then reached inside to the small silver rod and worked it back and forth until it felt more 'free' (see the pic). Finally I spray lubricated the linkage and rod connection (also did the same on the passenger door even thought it wasn't stuck), and now it's all working just fine again. The actuator wasn't the problem, but the linkage was. Took about 45 minutes to repair. Wife is happy again. While Chrysler has a program available to fix the actuators without charge, my issue and maybe yours was a stuck linkage, which they won't pay to fix. So, do it yourself, save a bunch, and bring peace to the family.

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