Car door won’t Open from Inside or Outside – Your Guide to Victory

Cars break. Be it a Tesla or a traditional GMC truck. All sorts of machines break. However, we get used to this. 

But there’s a catch-

Timing matters. Moreover, the type of problem matters. 

Think of it like this. You’re on an emergency and you’ve reached your destination in a hurry. But for some reason, your car door won’t open from the inside or outside. Ultimately, you end up getting out of the car through the back doors. 

Here’s the thing-

Situations like this are super common. Around 300 people every month search for the solution to this problem on google. But clear instructions for solving it aren’t quite abundant. 

No worries, we’re here for the backup. Here we’ve listed probable causes for this problem and solutions for each problem. 

So, let’s drive right through the details-

Deadlock might be Activated

Although this falls under the obvious checking process, still we are covering this. 

Here’s the thing-

Some cars have an additional deadlock feature in the car. Just by a specific push in the remote, this feature gets activated. And once it gets activated, your car door won’t open. 

Solution

Find out which button on the remote activates the deadlock in your car. The unlocking process might be different according to car models. 

Car Door Handle Issue

Sometimes, the problem can be nothing but a door handle issue. 

If your car door won’t open from the inside, see the inside door handle. If the car door won’t open from the outside, then lookup for any outside handle issue. This is your first legit answer to why the car door won’t open.

If the handles have no issues, then the problem might be in deeper territories. 

Solution

Replace the handles if there’s an issue with those. 

Door Connection Issue

Doors may seem simple, but these are not simple at all. However, car doors are not that complex too. 

At first, check if the door opens from any side. If the car door won’t open from either side, then you might have a door connection issue. 

Now, check for problems in 2 specific locations-

• Door Lock cylinder 
• Interior locking switch

In addition to that, look for all the internal and external connections. If you’re lucky then you’ll find the issue in any of these parts. If luck is not on your side, then you won’t find any issues. 

If the latter is the case, then move on to the next issue.

Solution

If you can pinpoint the problem, then look for solutions to that specific problem. You might need to open the door completely. See if you need to change any of the parts. Moreover, see if the troubleshooting process can be a DIY project.

Basically, determine if you alone can do it. Don’t think of being all pro while solving this issue. You might end up on the worse side. Call professionals if you need them. 

Blockage from Rust and Dirt Build Up

It doesn’t take much time to clean the car door parts once in a while. But many prefer not to do so. As a result, you get a jammed car door.

You might wonder that how can a door part catch rust. Well, not all car parts are made of stainless steel. Your door lock assembly might catch up with rust and dirt. Eventually making the door latch to jam.

Sometimes, the rust build-up weakens door latch materials and ends up breaking the latch spring. Not only that, but the door hinge might also become a victim of this. The flat hold open detent tension spring of the hinge might get broken. In this case, the door won’t open all the way. 

Sometimes the whole lock assembly gets all jammed up because of this. In that case, your car door won’t unlock with the key or remote.

Solution 

At first, check, if the latch spring or any of the related parts are broken. If everything seems intact, then bring in some oil. 

To be more specific, your regular WD-40 would be perfect for this issue. 

But don’t go all-in with the lube instantly. There’s a specific process for this solution. At first, you must clean up all the dirt. Or the lube mixed up with the dirt won’t be pretty.

Start with the keyway. At first, clean up any blockage in there and then apply the Wd-40. Continue this process until you finish up cleaning the whole lock assembly. 

Broken Lock

A clear symptom of this issue would be the car key not working on the door!

Just like any other lock, car locks break. But car locks have different parts. There might be a possibility that one of those parts broke and not the whole thing. 

Solution

It’s actually super easy to install a new car door lock. But for that, you have to get inside the car. Order up a new lock and start accessing the old lock.

However, it’s completely okay if you don’t want to install the new lock by yourself. At this point, you have to call a locksmith. If you can still get into your car, then drive to a garage (If you want to).

Otherwise, you may try it! There are some short video tutorials available on this topic. It’s better to see the whole process rather than reading and applying.

Damaged Door

If your door has passed through all the previous issues, then it’s rewind time. Did you have any accidents recently? Sometimes a car door won’t open after an accident.

This happens because the core shape of the car door gets all damaged. So, while opening or closing the door, some parts might be blocking the movement. 

Solution

In this case, a garage visit is the best option for you. 

FAQs

Conclusion

This is a common issue that car owners face. There are three main reasons why this happens, and we’ve provided information on how to fix each of them below. If your door won’t open from the outside or inside, don’t worry – you may just need some assistance with fixing it!

Below, our team has outlined what could be causing your doors not to work properly and how to get out safely if they’re stuck inside. We look forward to hearing from you!