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04 G500 Rear Driver door stuck closed - no handle works!
New to me 2004 G500 rear driver door won't open
Push button on outside had been sticky (prior owner didnt have kids so didnt use door often) door was working ok the last week but button a little stiff
Now button goes all way in but wont open door
Lever inside pulls all the way out but doesn't open the door (yes i forced it pretty much all the way)
lock pin on top of door card does not extend all the way UP when car is unlocked
cannot pull pin up any further by hand
tried unscrewing/screwing pin but no change in function
I would venture to guess that if the door lock solenoid wasn't providing enough force to push the lock rod up, then it could happen again. Usually you can just pull the lock pin up though to unlock the door. Also pulling the handle should unlock the door, but your latch mechanism may need cleaning or regreasing.
Also, since you said that the exterior door button was sticking, you should open that up and clean it, and replace the o-ring as they will all eventually fail.
I posted about the exterior door button and the interior handle before, but haven't taken apart the latch mechanism.
Interior door handle cable holder failure - this happens to all original door handles. The new ones have an updated design that is supposed to be stronger, at the cost of $120/each. I made a 3D printed design to fix this.
Door button sticking issue - o-ring breaks apart and starts to jam the button. Local hardware stores should have replacements in the correct size. I got mine at a local True-Value.
I would venture to guess that if the door lock solenoid wasn't providing enough force to push the lock rod up, then it could happen again. Usually you can just pull the lock pin up though to unlock the door. Also pulling the handle should unlock the door, but your latch mechanism may need cleaning or regreasing.
Also, since you said that the exterior door button was sticking, you should open that up and clean it, and replace the o-ring as they will all eventually fail.
I posted about the exterior door button and the interior handle before, but haven't taken apart the latch mechanism.
Interior door handle cable holder failure - this happens to all original door handles. The new ones have an updated design that is supposed to be stronger, at the cost of $120/each. I made a 3D printed design to fix this.
Door button sticking issue - o-ring breaks apart and starts to jam the button. Local hardware stores should have replacements in the correct size. I got mine at a local True-Value.
dude, you are a he G God, thank you. I am two weeks into ownership and soaking up the info - I got your PM on stereo thank you - will be replying soon! I’ll digest all this info and get moving on it
Hah. yea grab some popcorn if you want to read through the whole thread. A lot of half-organized information but tried to give a realistic ownership experience of the G, including all of those who like to tackle DIY projects and upgrades.
Feel free to contact me whenever, either through PM or email.
Many thanks for all the info. My 2003 G500 rear door is still stuck closed...about a year now. The outside door handle push button is stuck pushed in and the inside door lever will not move either...I don't want to force it. The inside lock button only comes up halfway when pressing the key fob lock/unlock button just as shown as the video in this thread....exactly the same.
My problem is that the door still won't open and it has been about a year now. So just looking for ideas as to how to actually get that door open first so I can then access the inner door to fix the issue...? Reading the threads I think I understand why this issue is occurring. i.e. o rings etc. I have sprayed lubricants of all kinds into the lock and around the push button over the months to no avail.
On your inside door handle, does it pull open at all? Does it feel like something is about to bend/break? Or is it fully loose and just flops around?
Can you pull up the lock pin to the fully unlocked position at the same time as hitting the unlock button?
If you remove the screw on the back of the inner door handle, you can use a pry tool and pop the entire handle assembly out of the door panel from the front side, where you can access the cable directly. This will only be useful if your door handle inner cable holder is broken, preventing you from opening the door.
There really isn't much you can do without getting the door open.
The outside button, lubrication is really all you can do until you can disassemble and clean the whole thing.
On the inside the handle does not pull open...correct it feels like it something would break if I pulled hard on it.
I cannot pull the lock pin up to the fully unlocked position while hitting the unlock button. It only goes halfway up and then fully down again when hit lock. I have tried this with the window open and repeatedly hitting the button over the last few months to no avail.
The screw you mean....is that the Philips one that can barely be seen from the outside through the gap between body and door...? Going to have to use some sort of uv extension to access that screw. The angle is pretty tight. I do know from all my other Mercedes cars that that screw and the one accessed from inside the door allows the handle to be removed...but the screw on the inside too will have to be accessed to the handle can be slide backwards and out..?.
Do you know/have you tried removing the inside door panel with the door closed...? I am to remove the backseat to see if I can get it off so I can access the door mechanism. Don't know what else to do..!!
I was talking about the screw behind the inside door handle. If you remove the rubber plug, you can access a large phillips screw to remove the inside door handle. Remove the screw and use a pry bar on the front edge. Then you have access to the cable - although if your door handle feels very stiff and feels like something will break if you pull harder, then it may not be any use.
I don't think the door panel can be removed without opening the door. I'll take a closer look tomorrow when I have a few minutes during the day, but the pop clips are difficult to 'pop' even with a large pry bar and the door open.
Many thanks Shiann for your all your interest with my problem. I removed the back seat on the left side today and will try tomorrow to see if I can remove the door panel. It will be tight...but it is worth a try.
Otherwise I will have to cut a hole in the panel to access the door locking mechanisms and then have to find a used panel to replace it.
I checked also yesterday and the door panel is really in there tight.
Once you remove all the screws (3 total), you can technically break all the remaining door clips as they are all replacable. Most likely - as long as you don't damage the encapsulated features in the door holding the clips in.
All the clips pull away from the door starting with the sides and bottom - the top edge by the window has a ledge that sits into the metal frame that lifts up, and I think there is one clip there. Of course also remove the door lock pin.
Thanks to all for info. I finally managed to get the inside door panel off with the door closed and didn’t break anything !! I first removed the rear left seat so I had room to work. Once the seat was out the way I disconnected the interior door handle and removed to 2 big screws securing the panel. I was then able to get my hand in the opening and started to push the panel out and one by one the clips popped with help of plastic pry tool as I worked my round.
I was then able to push the door lock striker plate back out which pushed the door button back out and the lock released.
Looks like the screw on inside of door push button had worked itself out and was contacting striker plate.
I would venture to guess that if the door lock solenoid wasn't providing enough force to push the lock rod up, then it could happen again. Usually you can just pull the lock pin up though to unlock the door. Also pulling the handle should unlock the door, but your latch mechanism may need cleaning or regreasing.
Also, since you said that the exterior door button was sticking, you should open that up and clean it, and replace the o-ring as they will all eventually fail.
I posted about the exterior door button and the interior handle before, but haven't taken apart the latch mechanism.
Interior door handle cable holder failure - this happens to all original door handles. The new ones have an updated design that is supposed to be stronger, at the cost of $120/each. I made a 3D printed design to fix this.
Door button sticking issue - o-ring breaks apart and starts to jam the button. Local hardware stores should have replacements in the correct size. I got mine at a local True-Value.
I own a 2003 G55 AMG. I live in CNY, but the vehicle came from California back in 2023. Winters here are harsh, but all and all, the doors were working just fine. Until last week, where one of the rear doors wouldn’t open from inside.
At first I thought it had to do with child lock, but I’m not sure these vehicles have that? The Owner’s manual doesn’t mention it at all.
A couple of days later, as I intended to attempt to identify the issue, the door worked perfectly! So I figured I was all set. WRONG!
Last Saturday, as my kids were in the rear, neither of them could open either door from the inside. The outside buttons worked, and the lock mechanisms seem to also work ok; they lock and unlock just fine.
I started researching online, to see if these had some sort of electronic child lock, but I couldn’t definitively determine that.
After reading this thread, I’m thinking it’s very likely I’m going to have to pry in there and figure out what the issue is.
It was the door handle push button ‘O’ ring. The O ring disintegrated into 3 pieces in the lock and essentially prevented the push button from moving fully in to disengage the striker plate and open the door and of coarse was jammed in and would not pop out.
I managed to remove the door panel from the inside but had to take the left side rear seat bottom first.
After that I was able move the plastic liner aside and push the lock mechanism and unlock the door.
New o rings fixed the issue. I changed the o rings in the other 3 doors and the rear door. No problems since.
It was the door handle push button ‘O’ ring. The O ring disintegrated into 3 pieces in the lock and essentially prevented the push button from moving fully in to disengage the striker plate and open the door and of coarse was jammed in and would not pop out.
I managed to remove the door panel from the inside but had to take the left side rear seat bottom first.
After that I was able move the plastic liner aside and push the lock mechanism and unlock the door.
New o rings fixed the issue. I changed the o rings in the other 3 doors and the rear door. No problems since.
Hope this helps
Thank you, that’s very useful!
In my case, the rear doors open without issues from the outside; I have nevertheless noticed the push button can sometimes get a little stuck.
What started happening is that, all of a sudden, the rear doors wouldn’t open from the inside. It started with one door, but the next day worked just fine. Then both doors, and I haven’t figured out why. I initially thought that the car had some sort of electronic child lock, because that’s exactly what it seems like: child lock!
But the doors don’t have any levers, where child lock would usually be, and the manual mentions nothing!
I checked also yesterday and the door panel is really in there tight.
Once you remove all the screws (3 total), you can technically break all the remaining door clips as they are all replacable. Most likely - as long as you don't damage the encapsulated features in the door holding the clips in.
All the clips pull away from the door starting with the sides and bottom - the top edge by the window has a ledge that sits into the metal frame that lifts up, and I think there is one clip there. Of course also remove the door lock pin.
All I can offer is that in my case that push button seal had broken in 3 pieces and one piece lodged itself behind the push button enough to just push the striker plate in but not enough to unlock the door and another piece lodged on the side not allowing the button to pop out again. So it was stuck in and striker plate not pushed in enough to unlock door. That also rendered the inside handle lever to jam not allowing the door to open from inside either.
Maybe there is piece of seal jammed behind the button that is messing with that striker plate movement.
Suggest to take apart the door handle once you have panel off and see if that seal is messing things up ??
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