So I went through a touchless car wash a couple days ago just for a quick rinse off because its too cold to do a full out wash in the driveway and maybe about an hour after the wash I noticed the passenger side door wasn't unlocking when I hit the button on the key fob. I got inside and tried to unlock with the buttons on the doors and no luck. The driver side still unlocks fine with all the buttons but now I can only open the passenger side by reaching over and doing it manually. Its pretty annoying.

My father thought it might just be frozen and stuck (it was around 20 degrees that night) and I agreed with him after I rolled my passenger window down and up and it stuck a little bit at first like it was frozen a little. Well that theory has been disproved because it would have melted by now. Its been 50 the last couple days. Could it just be shorted or do I have bigger problems? When I hit the unlock button there is still a little clicking coming from the passenger side so I don't know what's going on.



tl;dr my electric passenger side door lock isnt working. What could be wrong with it?

 

I agree with your dad.

The lock actuator was frozen. Now that it's not - could be one of two problems.

- Moisture in the connector - door panel off, unplug, clean, and reassemble with silicone di-electric grease

- Actuator is now broken due to forcing it repeatedly when it was frozen. Door panel off, remove actuator, test with good 12v source.

 

How hard is it to get the door panel off?

(going to look for a diy now...)

 

^easy peasy to get the door panel off.

See this thread: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/front-door-pannel-removal-148655/#post2513326

Also, after more thinking, it could've broken the plastic connector between the actuator and the rod to the lock. Not a pain to fix, and an auto parts store should have something really similar.

Good luck.

 

Is the actuator visible in this picture? Also the connectors I would need to check for moisture?


(from lurch519's diy on auto up down windows)

 

On looking at my service manual, the latch / actuator could be a bit of a bitch to get at...

The actuator is attached to the latch at the back of the door:


1. Remove the following parts:
a. inner garnish; b. door trim; c. front door glass d. front door speaker; e. front door unit

2. Detach the cables from the inner handle and the door lock ****.
3. Detach rods from the key cylinder and front outer handle.
4. Remove the screws, then remove the front door latch and lock actuator.

 

Holy ****...

 

I know - I feel bad about the 'easy peasy' part, above...

I'd bet that there is an easier way, though...

With the window up, and the door panel off (and plastic inner panel), perhaps you could at least enough space to see if the actuator is moving or have someone with small hands...

 

Yeah I won't know until I get in there and look. Thanks for your help. Goin home on tuesday and I'll actually have a garage to work in.

 

yes you def need to check all your connectors there is a good chance you have moisture in there check your fuses also....

 

One reason not to get a car wash in winter.

 

+1 yet another reason to hate the touchless car wash

 

Well I'm pretty excited my pass. side lock magically started working again today. Crisis averted

 

Scrap it and part it out I guess!

 

Woot, good to see it's randomly working. I bet it was just some standing water that has now dried up.

 

Yeah I was dreading the $150 just to fix a motor in the door. Ouch.

 

Wa?

 

^ I love 'magic' repairs!

Just stay away from the hot water on a cold day...

Also, if you are driving / parking / driving / parking all day, it's better to leave the car out in the cold than going back and forth into heated parking (for the same reason of freezing).

 

this happened to me in my mini cooper s
but just take it to the dealer and they should fix it for free.

 

Thanks for the tips earlier anyway Silver, I did end up taking apart my door but couldn't see any moisture or notice anything out of place. The relay near the glove box was working fine too... it was very strange. Somewhere in between that relay and the actuator something was wrong.

 

Guys,

This same thing is happening to my driver side door. The weird part is, it works fine the first time i use it in the day. It also works after an extended period of immobility. The additional problem is, it does not lock nor unlock when it doesnt want to work. I also get that clicking sound when i press the button on the fob. Do you have any idea how to fix this?

Thanks,
Sreeram.

 

hm... i think i'm having the same problem, only that i am not hearing the clicking noise... passenger door's fine, just that the driver's door is not locking or unlcoking with the button or remote

 

my sig has the service manual.

 

anybody know the part number? i tried looking for it, but nothing shows up in http://www.mazda-parts.com/partscat.html or mazdamatrix

 

Dammit, I'm having a similar issue, but it doesn't even get to freezing at night time!

For me, I can only lock/unlock one side at a time. It is really scaring me because I realized I am leaving either my passenger or driver's door unlocked at nearly any given time! SO frustrating...