03 Lexus Is300 Driver Door Won't Lock

[Jennifer]

I saw this question in a different post but mine is a little different.

The other night when I locked my car I noticed that the flashers did not go off and I did not hear one beep. I thought that was odd and I pressed unlock. When I did this I heard the doors unlock, two beeps and the lights flashed.

Okay....so my car unlocks but will not lock. When I pressed Lock I would hear the door lock so I assumed it was something with the remote programming.

Today I pressed Unlock and my drivers door would not open. I had to get my husband to unlock my door from the inside. Well, I sat in my car shut the doors and used the remote to see if it would lock the doors. I did not hear a beep or see lights but I watched as the locks moved to the lock position....all but one. The drivers door. It looks like it is hung.

My question is if an actuator is bad how do I take off the door panel and find out. I honestly do not want to go to the Lexus Dealership as they have messed up my car before and when I have tried to tell them something was not right they chose to ignore it (until my warranty expired of course).

I am basically trying to figure out why my car does not beep or flash lights when I press Lock (I am guessing because the drivers door is not locking) and how to remove the door panel to check the actuator.

Has anyone had this problem before?

Any comments are appreciated.

[bartkat]

Before going any deeper, make sure you have a fresh battery in your remote. It could be giving a weak or erratic signal.

[smooth1]

okay, I hear ya about the dealer messing stuff up and charging you an arm and leg for it. So, I turn it around on them.

When something goes wrong that I just can't figure out I take it to them and have them diagnose the problem and then just fix it myself. Of course they are not allways right, but in this case, it might be a good idea. See, in the IS 300, you can have the dealer change the intitial function of the lock/unlock feature. For example, I had them change when I hit unlock once, it unlocks the driver and passenger front doors, if I hit it again then the rear doors unlock also. You can have it where all the doors unlock on the first time, or driver door, and driver side rear door combo. And they will change it at will whenever you want. So I would take it in have them under the guise of "change" and let them tell you what's wrong.

In order to take the door panel off I would use a PLASTIC 1" putty knife. Slide the tip under the plastic piece with the door lock and window controls. That whole piece just lifts out of there. You will need to disconnect all the controls. In the main handle slot ( where you put your hand to pull the door closed) look straight down, theres a screw that will need to come out. Then there is one plastic pop tight on the edge of the door that will need to be popped out. Now from the bottom of the door panel, you have to lift it straight up and out . Be careful how far you go, ther are still wires connected to the speaker. Disconnect those and the door panel is off.

[Jennifer]

okay, I hear ya about the dealer messing stuff up and charging you an arm and leg for it. So, I turn it around on them.

When something goes wrong that I just can't figure out I take it to them and have them diagnose the problem and then just fix it myself. Of course they are not allways right, but in this case, it might be a good idea. See, in the IS 300, you can have the dealer change the intitial function of the lock/unlock feature. For example, I had them change when I hit unlock once, it unlocks the driver and passenger front doors, if I hit it again then the rear doors unlock also. You can have it where all the doors unlock on the first time, or driver door, and driver side rear door combo. And they will change it at will whenever you want. So I would take it in have them under the guise of "change" and let them tell you what's wrong.

In order to take the door panel off I would use a PLASTIC 1" putty knife. Slide the tip under the plastic piece with the door lock and window controls. That whole piece just lifts out of there. You will need to disconnect all the controls. In the main handle slot ( where you put your hand to pull the door closed) look straight down, theres a screw that will need to come out. Then there is one plastic pop tight on the edge of the door that will need to be popped out. Now from the bottom of the door panel, you have to lift it straight up and out . Be careful how far you go, ther are still wires connected to the speaker. Disconnect those and the door panel is off.

Thanks for the tips on getting the door panel off. I am going to Montgomery tomorrow to have them fix my O2 sensor. I researched it and found the TSB for my car and it was listed. So while I am there I am going to get them to check out the door issue too. They said they would look at it with no charge since I was already in for a known issue. I'll post back with their findings.