ML rear door won't lock...
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 690
Likes: 33
From: Bay area - California
2000 ML320 2006 SLK 350
ML rear door won't lock...
My rear door just started refusing to lock. It jitters everytime the autolock switch is depressed to lock the doors...everytime the car crosses the 9mph speed, all locks flick and one lock on the rear door keeps jittering...
Anyone experienced this? What is the probable cause for this??
Anyone experienced this? What is the probable cause for this??
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 1
From: Bloomington, IN
1997 Toyota Tacoma 4x4
Re: ML rear door won't lock...
Originally posted by mihir_d
My rear door just started refusing to lock. It jitters everytime the autolock switch is depressed to lock the doors...everytime the car crosses the 9mph speed, all locks flick and one lock on the rear door keeps jittering...
Anyone experienced this? What is the probable cause for this??
My rear door just started refusing to lock. It jitters everytime the autolock switch is depressed to lock the doors...everytime the car crosses the 9mph speed, all locks flick and one lock on the rear door keeps jittering...
Anyone experienced this? What is the probable cause for this??
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 690
Likes: 33
From: Bay area - California
2000 ML320 2006 SLK 350
Got if fixed today....$358 out of the pocket...
There is more to this though..
At 30K miles they had to do the same with my passenger side rear door lock.
Now I am at 73K and the driver side rear door lock did the same thing...looking at the mileage, I didn't feel like complaining or getting it done under good will...
but...here's an interesting story that unearthed from this incident..
I had been noticing some sort of sticky glue coming out once in a while on my glass window of the door that had been fixed previously at 30K miles...coincidently this time when I dropped it for the second door, I happened to mention them about that...
They gave me the scoop on it...
They apparently have to tear the sound damping material in the door to get to the lock actuator...when they are done, they glue the torn sound damping material back in place...this glue in extreme heat melts and if you happen to roll the window down...it sticks to the glass pane...
They promised me 2 things.
1. For this second door, they will replace the sound damping material with a new one instead of glueing it...at no extra charge..(no labor/no parts for it)
2. At a later point of time, they will also re-do the first door and put new sound damping material in it to fix the glue problem...again at no charge..
I was sort of happy with their proposal...inspite of being relieved of $358 this time...
Will the front door lock actuators do the same too????
At 30K miles they had to do the same with my passenger side rear door lock.
Now I am at 73K and the driver side rear door lock did the same thing...looking at the mileage, I didn't feel like complaining or getting it done under good will...
but...here's an interesting story that unearthed from this incident..
I had been noticing some sort of sticky glue coming out once in a while on my glass window of the door that had been fixed previously at 30K miles...coincidently this time when I dropped it for the second door, I happened to mention them about that...
They gave me the scoop on it...
They apparently have to tear the sound damping material in the door to get to the lock actuator...when they are done, they glue the torn sound damping material back in place...this glue in extreme heat melts and if you happen to roll the window down...it sticks to the glass pane...
They promised me 2 things.
1. For this second door, they will replace the sound damping material with a new one instead of glueing it...at no extra charge..(no labor/no parts for it)
2. At a later point of time, they will also re-do the first door and put new sound damping material in it to fix the glue problem...again at no charge..
I was sort of happy with their proposal...inspite of being relieved of $358 this time...
Will the front door lock actuators do the same too????
Last edited by mihir_d; May 11, 2004 at 05:53 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 1
From: Bloomington, IN
1997 Toyota Tacoma 4x4
The front door actuators go bad too, just like the rears. The sticky residue explanation isn't entirely accurate. The sound dampening isn't disturbed by replacing the actuators, it fails entirely on it's own. What happens is the strips of material get old and start to peel away from the door shell, eventually contacting the glass and leaving smears. They get replaced with strips that are magnetic as well as adhesive, thus eliminating the chances of the adhesive wearing out. All four doors have these insulating strips as well as the sunroof, so if you get smears when you close the windows or sunroof, that's where they came from.
