Hello all you Subie nuts. I have a '97 Legacy Outback Wagon. The right rear door is stuck shut and will not open. It would appear that the lock mechanism has gone haywire and will not unlock. I cannot remove the door panel with the door shut and I cannot seem to snag any release mechanisms when reaching through the space with the window rolled down. Looking at the lock rod it does not move when the lever is moved and I cannot move it with a piece of coat hanger. The lock lever on the door is springy and feels stuck. The inner door release feels like it is also bound, but does move through the full stroke when moved. The outer door handle feels disconnected or loose like they feel when the doors are locked. Any help would be appreciated.

Hello all you Subie nuts. I have a '97 Legacy Outback Wagon. The right rear door is stuck shut and will not open. It would appear that the lock mechanism has gone haywire and will not unlock. I cannot remove the door panel with the door shut and I cannot seem to snag any release mechanisms when reaching through the space with the window rolled down. Looking at the lock rod it does not move when the lever is moved and I cannot move it with a piece of coat hanger. The lock lever on the door is springy and feels stuck. The inner door release feels like it is also bound, but does move through the full stroke when moved. The outer door handle feels disconnected or loose like they feel when the doors are locked. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Even if the childproof lock mechanism on the side of the door (near the latch) was mistakenly flipped "on", the door should still open from the outside. The inside door trim panel will have to be removed to access the linkage and see what's broken or disconnected. It will be necessary to remove the rear seat bottom cushion (it's secured to the floor with two 10mm or 12mm bolts that are hidden by little carpet "flaps"), then remove the door armrest and lock knob trim pocket from the panel, before trying to pry the panel loose from the door. Any way you look at it, this is going to be a clumsy procedure because the panel is obviously meant to be removed with the door open.....

As an alternative, you may want to try to remove the outer belt seal (the black metal and rubber trim strip at the base of the window on the outside of the door) because that will allow you enough room to get a coat hanger into the door and possibly snag the latch linkage to get the door open. Note that the belt seal is easily bent when trying to remove it, but they're still readily available from Subaru

Another approach......... take the car to an AAA or similar lockout specialist and have them open the door. Then remove the panel and get to the bottom of the problem.

double check that it isn't closed on the seat belt. I once had a door that was against something and I couldn't open it until I used a lot of 'hip force' against it to make it complete the 'latch sequence'. Then I opened it OK.

 

I dunno

 

Carl

this might help if you have to dig around with a slim jim..it's for my 99 OBW, probably the same

Another approach......... take the car to an AAA or similar lockout specialist and have them open the door. Then remove the panel and get to the bottom of the problem.

 

Excellent idea, that or a slim jim. Otherwise break the door panel and get another from a salvage yard after you fix the door.

You have two options, and neither one is pretty. You can only use a slim jim if everything is working right, and from your description it sounds like its not One way is go in through the sheet metal, the other through the door panel.

Another suggestion is to take it to a body shop. They are used to working with doors that are jamed, and may have a trick or suggestion.

 

nipper

Thanks for the ideas everyone, I have been busy and not on line the last day or two. I'll let you know what finally works even if that means the cutting torch. It figures that the stuck side is not the side a dog chewed the armrest up on. Oh well.

Well, I got the door panel off. It was actually easy. I just popped it loose at the top and pulled it down far enough to reach the rods that work the lock mechanism. Here is what I found. The actuator rod for the exterior handle had fallen off the upper pivot and jammed the power lock mechanism. This meant that the exterior handle was disconnected and the door was permanently locked. I removed the rod and found that the little plastic bushing with the rod retainer had broken, causing the rod to fall off in the first place. I should be able to have it fixed when the $2.00 bushing arrives. At least I can now open it from the inside until I get the part. Thank you all for your I ideas and help!

where did you order the part? I have 2 doors on my car that are doing the exact same thing.... first it was the back seat so we left it, but now its the drivers seat... Can't ignore that.... thanks 

 

Well, I got the door panel off. It was actually easy. I just popped it loose at the top and pulled it down far enough to reach the rods that work the lock mechanism. Here is what I found. The actuator rod for the exterior handle had fallen off the upper pivot and jammed the power lock mechanism. This meant that the exterior handle was disconnected and the door was permanently locked. I removed the rod and found that the little plastic bushing with the rod retainer had broken, causing the rod to fall off in the first place. I should be able to have it fixed when the $2.00 bushing arrives. At least I can now open it from the inside until I get the part. Thank you all for your I ideas and help!

Also, do you have any pics of the inside of the door, for the lock mechanism?  how did you know how to do that...?

 

thanks

Since this thread is from 2006, you very likely may not get a reply.  You should be able to get the parts needed from a dealer near you (likely will have to order them) or a salvage yard.  If you go to a yard, it is nice to figure out how things come apart and then fit together (without the fear of breaking something on your car...free practice).  If you get parts from a dealer, you will have to be extra careful not to break anything.

 

You can look up part names/numbers at opposedforces.com.  If you go to the dealer, it is helpful to have the part number.  Otherwise, you can find various dealers that will sell parts online (although shipping can get a bit spendy).  If you have a dealer close to you and can get there it is cheaper.