Hello There,

I just purchased a 2003 lexus Gx470 off my wholesale lot at my Carmax store and I keep falling in love with this vehicle every days. The car came with like one dent in the driver passenger side door, a cracked windshield, and the typical cracked dash. It only has 175k on it and drives smoothly.

The big problem I am having to work with atm is the locking mechanism. The front passenger door does not lock what so ever, the rear passenger door kind of works, the driver and passenger driver doors barely work (meaning I can lock them both with my key inserted in the door but not in any other way). However the worst part is that the rear trunk door won’t open at all. I have tried to use the button on the door to unlock it and the broken key fob. Nothing works so far. i tried going in several website somwhere its being worked on, but my special case has yet to find an answer. Please Help.

 

So you can lock/unlock with the key in the door, but the power locks lack the strength to actuate them? Are they difficult to lock/unlock with the key in the door, or do they feel as you would expect?

Do they lock/unlock smoothly when you actuate by hand from inside the vehicle (not via electronic switch, just by hand), or are they rough/stiff?

Really strange you'd be having this issue with multiple doors, makes me wonder if you've got a bad ground somewhere making the whole power locks system weak?

 

So to get into more detail, the driver side door does not lock with the key fob. Only with the actual key being inserted and turned. The driver back door also only locks when the key is inserted into the driver door and turned. The passenger front door does not lock whatsoever. I believe the passenger back door works alright. The rear door doesn’t open at all. There is no key hold in the back and there is no other way that I know to open the back door without maybe taking off the panel from inside and then trying to unlock it. I looked around the internet hoping to find this issue but even on this forum it was not quite understandable. To take it to a Lexus shop will cost me 2k and and to take it to a known mechanic will cost me just under 2k.

 

If the latch on the cargo door is inoperative, removing the inside panels is the only way to gain access. Start at the top center by the 3rd brake light, then work your way down. There are screws/clips for the pull-handle and the safety-triangle strap to remove too.

I agree with Ian - there's something odd going on with the front doors. How much rust does it have? Could the interior of the door be corroded, affecting the power locks? The ground for these is inside the vehicle, not on the door itself.

Since the driver's door is sort-of working, I would start with the rear driver's door as it's less-risky in case something goes wrong.

Replace the 25A door lock fuse in case it's bad (cheap fix if it works)
Take the door card off and move the lock cables - does it take excessive force to move them?
Take a look at the wiring - is it torn up, like from a rodent or amateur repairs?

Remove the lock assembly from the rear door. The wiring should be:
Pin 9 - WHT/BLK - ground
Pin 6 - WHT - Lock status switch (tells the BCU if its locked)
Pin 1 - BLU/BLK - Unlock
Pin 4 - BLU/RED - Lock

You ought to see 12V on connector pins 1 & 4 when an assistant pushes the lock & unlock button on the driver's door.
You should be able to apply 12V to assembly pins 1 & 4, plus a ground to pin 9, and see the actuator move.

If you need to replace the assembly, the driver's side rear is P/N 69060-60091 (the other doors have different P/Ns) and costs between $200-300 at the dealer.

Chip H.

 

I decided to start with the cargo door. I took off the panel while insider and messed with the part that opening handle however nothing happen. Its almost as if the door handle is not connected to the lock/ actuator? I can upload a video or photos.

 

That sounds like it's broke, for sure.
Look at the plastic clips that hold the rods in place. They can get brittle with age.
Otherwise, keep taking it apart.

Chip H.

 

Sorry for taking so long to respond. I had a video of the mechanism but it won't upload. The actuator is not responding anything...

 

What were the results when you checked the pins?

Chip H.

 

So what ended up needing to be done was taking off the back panel, and the blue plastic cover to get to the actuator. Then pulling it off. We bought a new actuator and installed it and everything now works! The electrical signal was being received in the old actuator however there was a piece that was broken and needed to be replaced. We could not find the piece so instead we bought a new component all together. A $1000 job by Lexus including a $400 Actuator all for the total price of $134.