Today, my client called me saying, “My Hyundai door won’t open no matter how I try.” I know it is a frustrating situation that you will not be happy with if it is your car, right?
In this guide, I am going to discuss all the reasons why your Hyundai door won’t open one or more doors from the inside or outside, and how to fix them easily.
Contents
My Hyundai Door Won’t Open
When dealing with a Hyundai door that won’t open, it’s essential to understand the door mechanisms involved. This will help you diagnose the problem and potentially find a solution.
First things first, the door latch mechanism is what secures your vehicle’s doors and prevents them from opening undesirably. It consists of several components, such as the door handle, lock cylinder, latch assembly, and cables.
When you pull the door handle, it triggers the latch assembly through the connecting cables, releasing the door and allowing it to open.
In most cases, a Hyundai door that won’t open can be traced back to a malfunction in these components. It could be caused by a stretched cable, a broken door handle, or a faulty latch assembly.
Before you begin the process of solving this problem, you need to check out the number of doors that are having the same problems in your car.
This will help you in making the right decision without going back to the issue in a few days again.
Second, you need to examine if the problem with your Hyundai car door is from the inside or from the outside. However, sometimes the issue is a combination of both inside and outside.
After finding out the door (or doors) with the problem, that will determine how to approach the issue as shown later in this guide.
For now, let’s look at some of the reasons why this happens.
Reasons Why Your Hyundai Door Won’t Open
There are several reasons why your Hyundai car door won’t open, which include:
1. Disconnection between the rod and the latch mechanism
Your Hyundai car door won’t open because of a disconnection between the rod responsible and the handle latch.
This type of disconnection will prevent the door from opening either from the inside or from outside of your car.
2. Dirt and rust issues
Rust and dirt have more severe impacts on your Hyundai doors than you can imagine.
If the latch and unlocking mechanism is affected by rust or dirt, it can cause your Hyundai doors to stop working properly.
3. Mechanical Faults
If your Hyundai is an old car, there is a possibility of the problem affecting the doors as a result they have been overused for a long time.
A Hyundai with thousands of miles will have higher chances of developing mechanical faults than a brand new Hyundai.
4. Actuator problem
The equator holding the cable of your Hyundai if it has one is a factor in your doors not opening if they are faulty or have no lubricants.
5. Accident
Accidents can cause damage to your Hyundai door, making it difficult or impossible to open. In such cases, the door frame, latch, or handle could be bent or deformed, preventing the door from opening as it should.
6. Key Fob Malfunctions
Another reason for your Hyundai door not opening might be a malfunctioning key fob.
If you notice that the door doesn’t unlock when you press the unlock button on the key fob, the issue may be related to the fob’s battery or internal circuitry
7. Water inside the interior panel
Have you ever driven your Hyundai under heavy rainfall, or in a water logged situation? If you do, your car door is going to develop issues in the long run if you or a mechanic do not take it care of.
How to Fix Hyundai Door that Won’t Open
Now that you know the causes of why your Hyundai is not opening, let us look at the ways you can fix it easily.
You can fix your Hyundai door issues using two different methods.
1. Try Manually Unlocking the Door
Sometimes, a simple manual unlocking can do the trick.
- First, enter your car through a working door.
- Next, try pulling the door handle from the inside and outside of the non-opening door.
If this doesn’t work, you may need to remove the interior door panel and check the locking mechanism for any issues or broken parts.
2. Use the Spare Key
Another method to consider is using your spare key to unlock the door.
There is a possibility that your main key’s remote unlocking feature has issue or the battery is drained.
Use the spare key to manually unlock the door in question.
If the door still doesn’t open, the problem is most likely with the door’s latch or locking mechanism.
3. Fix the Door Latch Mechanism
There’s a standard method you can use to fix Hyundai door that won’t open, if you can have access to the inside of the Hyundai, follow these steps.
Step one:
If the problem is affecting one or two doors and you have access to your Hyundai through another door, very good.
Now, enter the car and go to the door where the problem is.
Step two:
Bend down your car seat if it is in the front. Push the button that will lower your Hyundai seat if the problem has to do with the front doors.
This is to give you free access to do the work without hindrance at all.
Step three:
Remove the panel between the rear door and passenger door that holds the seat belt. Removing this panel will give you access to areas that you need to unscrew on the front door that is locked.
The panel in between the two doors that hold your seat belt has no screw attached to it.
You can remove it by using your hand to pull it off with a little pressure.
Step four:
Press down the door button that allows you to unlock the car from the inside.
This will help you in your attempt to remove the panel of that particular door.
Step five:
Take the door panel off the side with the problem off.
Every Hyundai has a door panel design for it. Take that panel off with your hand. If it is a little difficult, then you can use a screwdriver to pull it off.
Step six:
Find the seal with a screwdriver.
If your type of Hyundai has the seal and if not, just skip to the next step.
Unfix the screws inside the panel.
Step seven:
Trip off the snaps holding the Hyundai site door seal.
However, this needs more effort because it is a little difficult.
Step eight:
Remove the door handle plate from the inside.
You need to take off the handle plate or bar that you are using to open the door from the inside. They attached it to the door with the problem. You can put it back after you finish all the steps.
Step nine:
Get the door panel off.
The door of your Hyundai has a big panel that covers the entire door.
You can use a screwdriver to remove it if your Hyundai has a screw or you can use your hand to pull it out if it has no screw attached to it.
Step ten:
draw back the plastic sheet covering insulation to have access.
In almost every Hyundai there is a covering after the panel.
These coverings are of different types, you can remove the covering very easily. It has no difficulty at all.
Step eleven:
Find the rod that connects from the hook on the door and also from the door latch mechanism.
This is very easy because it involves no extra effort at all.
Step twelve:
If you find that the rod separate from the other connecting joint is the problem, join it back properly.
However, if it extends as a result of long usage of the Hyundai, bend the rod back to create shortness of the rod.
This will help connect the two ends and solve the problem of your Hyundai not opening.
Bend the road well and fix it back.
You can also put grease to all the joints in order to help.
Step thirteen:
If the issue is not the rod disconnecting from the latch mechanism, then check the cable snap connection to the actuator.
Check the actuator holds the Hyundai door to see if the cable that is connecting the two joints is in the right place.
If you find the cable abnormal, or cut off, then you can either put it back in the right position or replace it with a good one.
If there is a disconnection, put it back into the groove.
Step fourteen:
Try to use it multiple times after you succeed in opening the door.
This will ensure the reliability of what you did.
Step fifteen:
Put WD4 or any brand of lubricating oil to the actuator mechanism, handle and the cables.
This will help in making the actuator move very easily and to prevent the possibility of clogging in the future.
Step sixteen:
Put everything back together.
Now that the door is working through the steps you follow above, you need to put back all the things that you removed initially back into their respective places.
Equipment you will need to open the door of your Hyundai:
- A plier.
- WD4.
- Screwdriver.
- A picker.
You may also need a torch and small mirror.
Here’s a video showing the process to fix your Hyundai car that won’t open:
4. Call for Professional Help
If manual unlocking and using a spare key both fail, it’s time to call for professional help from a qualified mechanic or your local Hyundai dealership.
It’s best to consult a professional to ensure the issue gets resolved accurately and efficiently.
How to Maintain Your Hyundai’s Doors
To maintain your Hyundai’s doors and prevent issues like this in the future, do the following:
1. Regular Cleaning and Lubrication
A vital part of keeping your Hyundai’s doors in good condition is regular cleaning and lubrication.
By doing this, you can prevent dirt and debris from building up within the door mechanisms, which can cause them to malfunction.
Start by cleaning the door hinges, locks, and handles with a soft cloth and mild detergent.
Next, apply a quality lubricant on the hinges and locks to ensure smooth operation.
e sure to use a grease or silicone-based lubricant, as these are less likely to attract dirt.
Do this every few months or as needed, depending on the climate and driving conditions in your area.
2. Ensuring Proper Door Alignment
Proper door alignment is crucial for the smooth operation of your Hyundai’s doors. Misaligned doors can cause premature wear and even lead to doors being unable to open properly.
To check door alignment, observe if the doors are sitting evenly on the frame and if they close smoothly without any resistance.
If you notice any issues with the alignment, it’s best to consult a professional mechanic or a Hyundai dealer who can properly assess and fix the problem. They have the tools and expertise required to realign the doors accurately.
By following these simple steps to maintain your Hyundai’s doors, you can keep them operating smoothly and avoid potential issues related to doors not opening properly.
Conclusion
When your Hyundai door won’t open, you don’t need to panic or rush out to pay hundreds of dollars to a mechanic.
You can do it yourself only if you can follow the following steps or tutorials shown in this guide.
If you are unable to fix it on your own, go ahead and get a professional to help you fix the issue.