Some will be surprised, but a very large number of motorists are faced with a situation where they cannot get into the car because the lock is jammed, there are some problems with the mechanism and other troubles.
It is also paradoxical that such situations arise at the most inopportune moment, when a person is in a hurry and is in a hurry, he urgently needs to go on business. But the fact is that the car is locked. The keys could be left in the cabin, in the luggage compartment, or lost altogether. There is not always a real opportunity to get to spare keys, since they may be lying in the nightstand at home, while the motorist is in another city.
The challenge is to still open the door of your vehicle without a key. There are quite a few ways to solve this problem. But it is also important to know about the causes of troubles and ways to prevent them.
Problems, solutions
The reasons for car blocking are conventionally divided into two groups - electronics and mechanical faults leading to blocking.
Alarm fault
A signal is sent from the device's key fob to the central locking, and the car is automatically locked. The key fob may not work if the battery is low. The car remains on alarm. To eliminate the malfunction, the key fob battery is replaced.
The system malfunctions, the signal is not transmitted to the receiving device, and the car is not blocked. The problem has two common causes:
- Malfunction of the car alarm system.
- The appearance of interference on the device frequency.
Security systems and radio stations operating on the same radio frequency create malfunctions in the operation of car alarms.
In both cases, the owner will have to open the car with the key and unlock it. The operating instructions indicate methods that allow you to disarm the car without using the key fob.
Mechanical problems
Dust, dirt, and various debris get into the lock cylinder, which can cause the mechanism to jam. Parts break, causing the locking device to malfunction. The car door cannot be opened from the inside. Another reason for a mechanical lock malfunction is unsuccessful attempts to break into the car by intruders. When breaking in, the door with the keyhole jams. The driver gets into the car, opening others. You can get into the car through the trunk.
In case of mechanical breakdowns of locking devices, repair or replacement of the mechanism is necessary. Working with imported cars is difficult because it requires professional skills. Therefore, it is better to contact specialists to determine why the front door of a foreign car does not open from the inside. For prevention, it is recommended to clean the locks, remove dirt, lubricate the locking mechanism, and periodically use the key to open it.
Measures to prevent blocking
Finally, it’s worth considering a few useful tips that will help you avoid such situations and prevent the locks in your car from jamming or accidentally locking.
- Keep a spare key with you. You can only make a key without a chip, which will always be at your fingertips. At the same time, let a full-fledged spare set be at home in a safe place. Although such a key will not always allow you to start the car due to the lack of a chip, you will only be able to open the doors.
- Prefer garage storage. It is better to keep the car in a warm and protected place. This will allow you to avoid situations with vandals, car thieves, hooligans and simply the negative consequences of cold weather, snow and rain. This way you will know for sure that if necessary you will be able to gain access to the car.
- Make sure that the rubber bands do not wear out. Quite often, freezing and blocking occurs due to worn out rubber bands.
- Keep a spare key fob at home. Moreover, choose a storage place that you will not forget about. This is an opportunity to get into the car, albeit with a certain delay for the trip home or sending a relative to get the keys.
- Maintain the required battery charge level. A pressing problem in modern cars with central locking is their dependence on electricity. If the voltage in the on-board network disappears, getting into the car sometimes becomes very problematic.
- If you have to get out of the car while the engine is running, train yourself not to slam the door. It is enough to simply cover it a little, or close it only until the first click.
- Periodically check the condition of locks and switches on doors that indicate open doors. Extra lubrication never hurts. It is especially important to take care of lock maintenance before the winter period of operation. Snow, low temperature, high humidity, sand and various reagents from the road can cause the larvae to become deformed and the lock to freeze and break. Periodic blowing with compressed air and treatment with high-quality lubricant will keep the locks in working condition.
It is almost impossible to fully insure against the occurrence of such unpleasant situations. But there is a real way to minimize such a scenario. To do this, just follow a few simple recommendations and monitor the condition of the door locks on your vehicle.
Some people are sometimes even interested in playing a burglar. But there is nothing pleasant or good in this. A jammed lock indicates an inappropriate attitude towards your car. The driver does not monitor the condition of the car, which is why he now has to pay for his own mistakes.
Lock jamming can sometimes be circumvented using various methods that cause minimal damage to the mechanisms. But sometimes you have to take extreme measures, bending the metal of the doors, breaking the glass or breaking out the lock itself. And this entails serious financial expenses for restoration.
It is much better to prevent such situations than to then waste time, nerves and money trying to open cars, calling technicians and sitting in a car service center until your car is repaired and you can continue to use it again. The choice is yours.
Why won't the back door open?
There are situations when the front doors open, but the rear doors cannot be opened from the inside. This means that they are blocked by a special blocking device. Car manufacturers install protection to prevent sudden opening. You need to turn the lever on the end surface, then the system will unlock.
When the security is unlocked, but the rear door does not open, this indicates a mechanical failure of the locking device. The owner will have to open the upholstery, determine the source of the malfunction, and make repairs. It is better to entrust this work to car service professionals.
The key was left in the inside of a closed car - how to open it
The first way out of the situation is to use a spare key. If it is kept at the driver’s home, you can call family members, ask them to bring it, or go yourself by calling a taxi.
Calling a car locksmith is the second way out of this situation.
For domestically produced cars, you need to try to press the lock button through the gap formed by pulling it up. For these actions, a rope loop draped through the slot over the button is suitable.
If a small child is left inside a running car, help will be delayed; action must be taken immediately. It is necessary to try to break out the lock cylinder of the door or trunk using improvised objects. The last remaining method is to break out the glass at the back door.
The doors are frozen, what should I do?
In winter, you won’t be able to open a frozen door using force alone. The situation arises in two cases:
- During the thaw, moisture got on the seals, and the frost formed an ice crust.
- After washing, the owner of the car did not dry the rubber sealing elements of the body.
Using an ordinary hairdryer, the motorist will solve the problem. It is not recommended to heat surfaces with boiling water, as the enamel will fade and the car windows may crack.
By lightly tapping the perimeter of the sealing element, the frozen ice crust is destroyed. Antifreeze liquid will help if you pour it in a gentle stream. When you manage to open one of the doors, you need to start the engine and turn on the heater. The car interior will warm up and the ice on the frozen seals will melt.
If all the doors freeze, you will have to act decisively, using physical force. You need to pull the part sharply and firmly. It is better to choose not the driver’s one, but the one that is used less. Mechanical impact may damage the handle and sealing elements.
An emergency situation does not exclude entry into the car through the trunk, which is easier to open with a strong jerk.
Let's sum it up
In every situation, it is worth maintaining a pragmatic, cool mindset. Even if a problem with your car ruins all your plans, you are late for a meeting or cannot get to work on time, think about your priorities. Perhaps you should leave the car alone and go about your business. And after solving all the problems, you can return and calmly deal with the current situation. It is always worth approaching a problem from a financial point of view. Try the cheapest and free methods before calling a professional or breaking glass.
Situations when access to a car is blocked arise regularly. These are not just problems that are difficult to deal with. This is a real disaster, which often interferes with plans, causing a storm of emotions and anger towards the car. But it’s worth understanding that in most situations, problems with cars occur if you overlooked something. It is better to prevent all possible problems in advance than to then urgently and expensively correct their consequences. Have you ever had situations with blocked access to your car?
How to prevent sudden blocking and jamming of doors
Let's look at a few rules on how to avoid sudden car locking.
- You should always be careful not to leave the car with the key in the ignition. This precaution will prevent sudden blocking or an attempt to steal the car by an attacker. Things in the car will remain safe.
- If you need to leave the car with the engine running, while warming up and cleaning the body, it is enough to leave the window slightly open.
- It is better to disable the automatic blocking function provided by many car alarm manufacturers. You can lock the car with a special button on the control panel or door.
- A duplicate key hidden in a secret place on the car body will help in an emergency. Such a place could be the inner surface of the rear wing, the bottom of the car, etc.
- Periodically it is necessary to carry out preventive maintenance of car locking devices. Treat door hinges and lock cylinders with special silicone grease. If the alarm malfunctions, you must promptly contact a car service center.
- In winter, treat seals with frost-resistant grease. After washing the car, thoroughly wipe the sealing elements and remove any remaining moisture. Use warm air to dry lock cylinders and rubber seals.
- Replace the batteries of the alarm key fob promptly.
Knowledge of simple rules, driver attentiveness, and caution will prevent situations where the car suddenly becomes blocked.
The key in the car lock does not turn
If the key in the car lock does not turn, there may be a problem with the lock cylinder. In a car, a cylinder is called a cylinder with a set of spring-loaded elements that are recessed with a key in a certain original combination. A mismatch of just one element is enough for the cylinder to stop turning. The larva also breaks if used incorrectly. For example, if you once try to use something other than a key to open a door.
When a car door cannot be opened with a key in winter, the lock cylinder is most likely frozen. Usually this problem occurs after washing. Water can flow into the lock and freeze, thereby blocking the larva.
There are two options to resolve this problem:
Failed Hacking Attempt
Amateur thieves who decide to steal a car and fail to deal with the lock leave behind a lot of problems for the motorist. The first step when the driver's door does not open is to inspect the lock structure. When using only the key fob to open the doors, you can block them to avoid a repetition of the unpleasant incident in the future. The locks can be fixed; there is no need to change them - this will add additional costs. What else could lead to a depressing situation?
Device
The weakest point of the Priora locking system is the microswitch. The electrical package itself, used on the model in question, is a rather complex device. It is his responsibility to receive the owner’s command to unlock or lock the door. Having received a certain signal, it activates certain electrical networks that supply the drive. In this case, the electrical package can perceive orders in two ways at once:
In the first case, having sensed the order to close, the immobilizer turns off the alarm and energizes the electric drive of the lock, closing or, conversely, opening the contact groups of the microswitch.
Then the latter, all the time the lock is locked, monitors whether an order has been received to open the doors.
Why is everything arranged this way? Everything is simple, because the command in this situation can be received not only from the key fob, but also from the switch if the car owner used the key. This allows the immobilizer, when the security alarm is activated, after detecting a raised blocker, to immediately begin to act according to the alarm protocol.
So, the biggest problem of the Priora is water getting inside the door. As a result, the contact groups of the microswitch quickly oxidize and become overgrown with verdigris, similar to moss. The volume of the working surface increases significantly and the contacts stick together. In addition, the oxides have fairly good conductivity. As a result, the passing tension is perceived as an order to unlock or lock the doors.
It is possible to get rid of such a malfunction only after replacing the blocker, or the microswitch itself.
Other most common problems and ways to eliminate them are described below.
4th method. Use a loop of rope or fishing line
How to open a door if the lock is jammed? You can open the door lock using a rope loop. This device is suitable for cars whose internal door closing button protrudes slightly upward. It is also worth saying that there are also cases when you have to slightly bend the corner of the car door using certain tools.
In the middle of the thin rope you need to tie a loop the size of the inner lock button. Let's also say that in rare cases it is possible to insert a rope and later make a loop. Instead of rope, you can take fishing line, as it is much thinner than rope and can easily fit through a narrow door gap. It is worth taking the cord by the opposite ends with your hands and pulling it. We put a string through the upper corner of the door and make movements to the right and left. We pull both ends of the cord up and the lock button opens the lock. You should be extremely careful when performing this method.
About mechanical problems
A case where the driver's door closes and does not open, although you can safely exit through the passenger seats, indicates the appearance of mechanical defects within the structure. Common “illnesses” include broken rods and broken cables synchronizing the handles. It is impossible to do without dismantling the panel from the inner surface of the door system and without the experience of a locksmith.
7th method. Breaking glass or breaking a lock
This method is the most radical. If you still don’t know how to open a jammed car door lock, or none of the methods work, then there are only two options left - break the lock or break the glass. Both methods are not pleasant.
If you decide to break the lock, then drive a thin metal screwdriver into it and turn it. In this case, the lock will immediately break. If you have a drill and electricity, this can be done much more accurately. Just drill out the lock key. But this method will require replacing each cylinder, or you will have different keys.
When breaking glass, it is worth finding out which glass in the car is the cheapest. Before breaking glass, you should be thoroughly prepared. Minimize the scattering of glass after you break it. To do this, it is recommended to glue the glass with tape. You should not tape the place where the blow is aimed. It is best to break glass with a heavy hammer.
Autopsy with inside
As a rule, the above methods are effective for any vehicle, but different situations happen in life. Therefore, in the first case, you already know what to do if the car door does not open from the inside and outside. To avoid such situations, lubricate the door locks in a timely manner, inspect the fastening mechanisms, replace the hinges, it is strictly forbidden to hang on the doors, and do not deform the body through overload or mechanical damage. Remember that slight misalignment can cause door locks to jam.
Car battery is dead
Many people ask the question: why doesn’t the car unlock with the key fob alarm? Of course, it is impossible to give a definite answer, but in fact there can be many reasons. An equally common problem is a dead battery. If you find yourself in such a situation, then get as close as possible to your iron friend and press the button one more time. Very often, carrying out such a manipulation helps to open the car, but there is a very small chance that you will be able to drive it away. After all, the battery is completely discharged.
Recommendations
It is worth understanding that not every method may be suitable for certain car models. For example, most modern cars are equipped with special metal or plastic covers that protect the lock mechanism from hooks and rulers. Also, certain models have smooth internal buttons that taper towards the top. When deciding to bend the top of the door, you should be very careful, as this can damage the paint or greatly deform the door. So the question of how to open a door if the lock is jammed should be approached very carefully and thoughtfully.
Another tactic
If a person is far from a service station, and there is no opportunity to invite a specialist, it is recommended to try such manipulations.
- If there are problems with the front doors, you will need to remove the door hinges and unscrew the lock fasteners. A square screwdriver enters the “battle” with a jammed lock. It will help to unscrew the two hinges of the rear door, located behind the front door in one row. The measure helps to get to the lock fastening. The two bolts are disconnected and the locking mechanism wall is removed. All that remains is to pull back the door structure.
- For interior work you will need the same tool. You can remove the door trim, handles, remove the electrical wiring for now and lift the glass. This way provides access to the lock. Again, a wire with a loop at the end will come in handy. You need to get to the “heart” of the device and pull the hook. It is better to use a flashlight to carry out the procedure efficiently.
