Lock stuck/jammed in unlocked position? Close the door!

[autojack]

TL;DR: The door will not lock unless the door is closed.

I feel like a dope now, so I might as well share this in a clearly-marked topic for future generations, since I didn't find this tip the first time I looked I removed my driver's side door card recently to fix a stuck window. After I had everything apart, I noticed that the door lock suddenly wasn't working. I don't even know why I tried it - maybe just wanted to see how it worked and find the points that might need grease. So I spent several hours on and off looking at the mechanism with a mirror and flashlight, trying to figure out what was stuck. I thought a nut or something must have gotten jammed in it when I took the door card off, but I couldn't see anything. I made the mistake of pressing the central power locking button, and that instantly snapped the power lock actuator as it tried to move the jammed mechanism. Finally I did some more digging on the forum (for the second time) and came across a passing comment: the door will not manually lock if it is open! That's to keep you from locking your keys in the car. You're ****** kidding me... I went back to the garage, got in the car, shut the door... and it locked perfectly. Raaaa. So now I need a new operating rod for the power lock. Glad it's not too expensive. Hope this helps someone out in the future. All hail the Pelican forums!

[911obgyn]

Took me a bit to figure that out, glad for me it wasnt hours😒

[Ryan_Cunningham]

Thank you for posting this, after 30 minutes of troubleshooting my “problem” I went to the bird and because of you, found out it wasn’t one!

[RDM]

Keeps you from locking the keys in the car. The door has to be closed to lock, so you must use the key to lock it so the key can not be locked inside the car. The Germans are relentless.

[Edrobitaille]

Recently had the car painted now the doors will not lock. Driver side key does nothing. Checked the key lock micro switch it is ok. When I use the key on the passenger side the locks retract then pop back up. Any one have any sugestions?