Rear driver's side door will not open at all!

[Johnnyvolvo]

Hello,
I have a 2003 Pt Cruiser that the Driver's side rear door will not open at all,from the inside or the outside!I can hear the lock mechanitism working but the the knob doesn't move.I worked all day on it with a slim jim kit from Snap On that had every tool needed to unlock doors but something is stuck tight and won't bulge!At this point the only thing i can think of to do is to order another inside door panel and try to cut thru the existing door panel to get to the locking mechanitism.Is this my only option?I have been googling this problem for hours and have yet to find anything like this.If anyone has any suggestions on how to get this door open i would be willing to give it a try.I am a mechanically inclined person so i am not afraid to give anything a shot!Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Johnny

[PTmodrod]

Well you shouldn't have to cut through the interior panel, you can just remove it and it will be in good shape. Then you have all the room you need to work inside the door itself. If something is stuck, you should be able to see the problem. If you can't, you may need to buy new inner workings for that door.

[Johnnyvolvo]

Thanks for the reply.How would i go about removing the panel if the door won't open?Doesn't it have to be open to get to the screws that holds the panel on?

Johnny

[Johnnyvolvo]

I guess no one else has had a problem like this with their Cruiser?

[CREWZIN]

I'm on several PT Forums and have seen or heard almost everything but your's is the first one I've read about the rear door that won't open. Maybe it's the rear safety switch for kids that's somehow stopping you from opening it. When that's engaged you are supposed to be able to open the door from the outside but not from the inside ...keep kids safe.

But it's probably a loose or broken connection somewhere inside the door. Try a auto glass place as they have all kinds of tools and the expert knowledge to work on doors. Maybe they can come up with something to open the door.

[greeen]

Here!!!! My rear pssngr side door won't open from inside and there's no child lock on...I checked. It seemed to happen all of a sudden but no one normally sits back there so I don't know how long this has been like it is. My sister tried to get out of the car and couldn't! I thought she was just being a weakling lol..but nope. I'm gonna look around some more but I have no clue what's going on.

I have to go to Chrysler to get a knob for my balance/rear-front control because it broke off but I guess I'll ask about that as well. I hope it's not super expensive If I find anything out I'll let you all know.

[sipel]

I have an '02 and I have the same problem... except NEITHER of my rear doors will open! I've never heard of this happening before... They literally worked a few days ago and now do not work at all. Nothing catches, one door won't even lock or unlock.

Any luck on finding out how to solve this problem? Or the cost to have someone else do it?

[greeen]

I never found the time to get it looked at..and I tend to forget because I don't really drive anyone else around in my car. I think I'll be stopping by a place this weekend...I'm gonna try to..I didn't think an auto glass place would know..but worth a try! There's a Chrylser maybe 20 minutes away but downtown LA area kinda sucks on the weekend so I never go.

[Candyman]

Hey Greeen,

Where bouts are you located at? I am actually over in Hemet, but am good friends with most of the Orange County PT Cruisers, and can probably find someone who can either figure it out, or at the very least steer you in the right direction! Let me know, or PM me, and I will see what we can do!

Take it easy!

Candyman

[BLUEH20]

Possible solution-lock mechanism rod connectors

1. Unscrew and remove door lock pin.

2. Remove screw in door handle cup - this hold door panel to door frame to prevent damage due to leverage.

3. force or apply pressure to the upper portion of the plastic door panel above the apparent door insert. at about 2 inches below the door handle. This will distort the door panel at the top allowing the top of panel to pop out of the channel it rest in.

4. With the top of the panel out of the chanel ou now have access to the door panel upholstry pins. You will need a 90 degree pickle tool/appropriate upholstry tool to pop out the door panel pins. The firstshould be about even with the top of the apparent insert level.

5. You can now access the area of the lock mechanism and lock actuactor control rods--it is the connectors of the rods to the mechanism that are most likely snapped off. Rather common failure on many different vehicles.

If you do not want to attempt--please take vehicle to a good independent auto glass shop--they can do this in a matter of minutes for a small (?) fee.