Driver Door Not Locking
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 34
Likes: 9
From: Illinois
I'm going to have to go the same route. Tough pill to swallow. I was going to deal with it but now the car is deciding when it wants to respond to the key. I was locked out on Saturday morning and I just went out to my car at work real quick and I am locked out again. Extremely frustrating and frankly a bit ridiculous that these things fail so often.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,021
Likes: 496
From: Knoxville, TN
I'm going to have to go the same route. Tough pill to swallow. I was going to deal with it but now the car is deciding when it wants to respond to the key. I was locked out on Saturday morning and I just went out to my car at work real quick and I am locked out again. Extremely frustrating and frankly a bit ridiculous that these things fail so often.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 34
Likes: 9
From: Illinois
So I may have lucked out. A coworker of mine knows the owner of a local junkyard. They have an '03 LS430 UL in the yard with the driver door intact. Confirmed with the dealer that the assembly is compatible with 01-06 model years. Guy is delivering me the entire door for $100! No guarantee that it is still functional but for $100 I am going to roll the dice. I'll let you all know how this turns out.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 29
Likes: 3
From: TX
I hate to be a downer, but you already have a used part installed in your door 😉 Unless you just like doing this job multiple times I’d recommend at least disassembling and inspecting the actuator that comes out of that spare door and replacing the small electric motor that lives inside it. That motor is the real weak link.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 17,021
Likes: 496
From: Knoxville, TN
So I may have lucked out. A coworker of mine knows the owner of a local junkyard. They have an '03 LS430 UL in the yard with the driver door intact. Confirmed with the dealer that the assembly is compatible with 01-06 model years. Guy is delivering me the entire door for $100! No guarantee that it is still functional but for $100 I am going to roll the dice. I'll let you all know how this turns out.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 34
Likes: 9
From: Illinois
This is true. I actually went that route already and replaced the motor. Both the soft close mechanism and the door lock functions when the car is running. It is just no longer responding to the key when the ignition is off which lead me (and the dealer) to conclude it was likely an electrical issue with the actuator. Definitely going to poke around with the old one once its out and see if there was something I missed.
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,146
Likes: 70
From: Illinois
So I may have lucked out. A coworker of mine knows the owner of a local junkyard. They have an '03 LS430 UL in the yard with the driver door intact. Confirmed with the dealer that the assembly is compatible with 01-06 model years. Guy is delivering me the entire door for $100! No guarantee that it is still functional but for $100 I am going to roll the dice. I'll let you all know how this turns out.
Last edited by Tom57; Nov 13, 2019 at 11:30 AM.
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Driver
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 95
Likes: 41
From: Ohio
Easy Close units typically fail in 1 of 3 ways.
#1 - The Lock/Unlock feature fails. The door can still be used, the easy close assist feature still works but now you have to reach in and manually move the lock/unlock indicator on the inside of the door. A nuisance but livable.
Fix A: Replacing 12v motor inside actuator housing ~$5
Fix B: Purchase new motor unit ~$400-$500
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#2 - The Easy close assist feature fails. The door can still be used and will function like a standard non-easy close actuator.
Fix: Purchase new motor unit ~$600
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#3 - The Door will not latch shut. The latch will not hold itself closed. The vehicle is not fit to drive on public roads.
Fix A: Try to re-attach broken frame system. Personally I have never found a reliable and effective method to do this.
Fix B: Purchase new latch system ~$130 on Amazon/Ebay
Front Left - 69320-50030
Front Right - 69310-50090
Rear Right - 69330-50051
Rear Left - 69340-50051
Regards,
Actuators Plus
#1 - The Lock/Unlock feature fails. The door can still be used, the easy close assist feature still works but now you have to reach in and manually move the lock/unlock indicator on the inside of the door. A nuisance but livable.
Fix A: Replacing 12v motor inside actuator housing ~$5
Fix B: Purchase new motor unit ~$400-$500
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#2 - The Easy close assist feature fails. The door can still be used and will function like a standard non-easy close actuator.
Fix: Purchase new motor unit ~$600
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#3 - The Door will not latch shut. The latch will not hold itself closed. The vehicle is not fit to drive on public roads.
Fix A: Try to re-attach broken frame system. Personally I have never found a reliable and effective method to do this.
Fix B: Purchase new latch system ~$130 on Amazon/Ebay
Front Left - 69320-50030
Front Right - 69310-50090
Rear Right - 69330-50051
Rear Left - 69340-50051
Regards,
Actuators Plus
Driver
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 64
Likes: 31
From: GA
Hey everyone...after the cold temps set in, I noticed my driver door lock acting up. Sometimes my remote will unlock/lock it....sometimes it WON'T. When I get in the car, and use the door lock/unlock button.... it does not work but sometimes I can SEE it trying.
If I use the exterior door handle push button to lock it, it usually works (locks) on the 2nd push.
Any advice before I spend money on it?
If I use the exterior door handle push button to lock it, it usually works (locks) on the 2nd push.
Any advice before I spend money on it?
Driver
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 95
Likes: 41
From: Ohio
Hey everyone...after the cold temps set in, I noticed my driver door lock acting up. Sometimes my remote will unlock/lock it....sometimes it WON'T. When I get in the car, and use the door lock/unlock button.... it does not work but sometimes I can SEE it trying.
If I use the exterior door handle push button to lock it, it usually works (locks) on the 2nd push.
Any advice before I spend money on it?
If I use the exterior door handle push button to lock it, it usually works (locks) on the 2nd push.
Any advice before I spend money on it?
Driver
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 64
Likes: 31
From: GA
From an overall standpoint, these units fail as their internal motors get weaker and weaker until they do not have the torque to actuate between lock and unlock. When these units are right on the cusp of failure any drop or increase of voltage can be the difference in being able to successfully actuate or being too weak but still showing a "twitch" attempting to move. A cold day/morning can strain the battery enough that it just doesn't have the voltage to actuate the lock.
Driver
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 95
Likes: 41
From: Ohio
Rookie
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 35
Likes: 2
From: California
Sadly, lately I am spending a lot. Shocks, y pipe for the exhaust system, new Lexus OEM driver side actuator in 2017, anothe one now, rebuilding power amp, replacing passenger side mirror, on an island without a Lexus dealer and with a Toyota dealer who won’t play nice if you bring your own parts.
Rookie
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 35
Likes: 2
From: California
Easy Close units typically fail in 1 of 3 ways.
#1 - The Lock/Unlock feature fails. The door can still be used, the easy close assist feature still works but now you have to reach in and manually move the lock/unlock indicator on the inside of the door. A nuisance but livable.
Fix A: Replacing 12v motor inside actuator housing ~$5
Fix B: Purchase new motor unit ~$400-$500
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#2 - The Easy close assist feature fails. The door can still be used and will function like a standard non-easy close actuator.
Fix: Purchase new motor unit ~$600
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#3 - The Door will not latch shut. The latch will not hold itself closed. The vehicle is not fit to drive on public roads.
Fix A: Try to re-attach broken frame system. Personally I have never found a reliable and effective method to do this.
Fix B: Purchase new latch system ~$130 on Amazon/Ebay
Front Left - 69320-50030
Front Right - 69310-50090
Rear Right - 69330-50051
Rear Left - 69340-50051
Regards,
Actuators Plus
#1 - The Lock/Unlock feature fails. The door can still be used, the easy close assist feature still works but now you have to reach in and manually move the lock/unlock indicator on the inside of the door. A nuisance but livable.
Fix A: Replacing 12v motor inside actuator housing ~$5
Fix B: Purchase new motor unit ~$400-$500
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#2 - The Easy close assist feature fails. The door can still be used and will function like a standard non-easy close actuator.
Fix: Purchase new motor unit ~$600
Front Left - 69120-50030
Front Right - 69110-50030
#3 - The Door will not latch shut. The latch will not hold itself closed. The vehicle is not fit to drive on public roads.
Fix A: Try to re-attach broken frame system. Personally I have never found a reliable and effective method to do this.
Fix B: Purchase new latch system ~$130 on Amazon/Ebay
Front Left - 69320-50030
Front Right - 69310-50090
Rear Right - 69330-50051
Rear Left - 69340-50051
Regards,
Actuators Plus