'91 Ls400 Door Problem

[jsmith55]

I have a '91 LS400 and the driver's side door is stuck in the lock position. I have tried many different things to try to get it open but cannot get the door open to get to the lcok to replace it. If anyone has any ideas how to open the door anyway possible without ripping the door panel open that would be great.

[leximus]

Try your lock/unlock electronic button with the window down and reach for the outside door hande and lift while the manual lock (near the internal door handle) goes towards the back of the car. It gets tricky and is extremely fast so you have to get it at the right time. If that doesn't work, try pushing the manual lock button (not the electronic lock/unlock) near the internal door handle back while holding in position as almost as hard as you can and try opening the door standardly. This, too, gets tricky and is extremely fast so you have to get it at the right time.

I've had the same problem all winter when it's cold out (under 32 degrees F) and these procedures helped each and every time.

Let me know if this helps!

[Bagolex]

let me know if the above works. I am having the same problem. Just started 3 days ago. All the other doors work fine so now i'm entering from the passenger side. My problem is not cold related.

[jsmith55]

I tried that and it did not work. This is not a temp. related problem because I live in Arizona where its 110 degrees right now. Any other ideas?

[Bagolex]

I'm happy to report that I got this fixed and at a much lower cost than I had feared.

There is a guy here in Toronto that is very knowledgable when it comes to lexus. The name of his shop is "T-LEX" . He was the only mechanic that knew immediately what the issue was and even described how to fix it without having to rip off the panel and replace the lock like lexus was suggesting. He told me right away that this was a broken spring in the locking mechanism and when all was said and done this is exactly what it was.

He was able to pick the lock (with window in down position) by positioning a wire in excatly the correct location.

With the door open it was another 45 mins to take off the lock and replace the spring. Taking off the lock required some precision and care because of the plastic moulded parts.

Apparently this happens often and with no warning and unless you are really familiar with the locking mechanism it's difficult to open.

Anyway, 140 dollars later no need to enter from the drivers side and it sure beats the dealer estimate of $1000.

[hunter91945]

The DRIVER door lock actuator on my 1998 GS 400 has failed. Does anyone know if the REAR door lock actuator is identical.?

If it is, swapping actuators will be a cheap solution to my problem. mm919@charter.net Thanks.