Car Door Won’t Shut or Latch?
It’s not uncommon for doors to not close on modern cars. In this article, we’ll explain how this happens and how to fix the problem. In addition to the locking issue, we’ll also discuss some other reasons why your car door might not close.
How a car door lock mechanism works
Door lock design has been developed over decades. Modern locking mechanisms hold the door securely against the adjacent door jamb while driving or in an accident, but still allow the door to be opened if a crash occurs. This is accomplished by using a jaw latch or rotary toe latch.
When the car door closes, one of these types of deadbolts securely locks into a headed locking pin or U-shaped locking bar in the door jamb. We’ll simply use the term jaw latch here, regardless of whether your car is equipped with a jaw latch or a rotary toe latch.
When you pull the door lever or handle to open your car door, the locking mechanism releases the jaw latch, allowing the door to open. The jaw is then held in the unlocked position by the locking mechanism. When the door closes, the jaw hits the striker and is pushed back into the locked position.
WARNING #1
If your car door won’t close and lock properly, repeated attempts to close the door can damage the locking mechanism. This can make a relatively inexpensive corrective measure much more expensive.
WARNING #2
It may be tempting to drive your car home or to the repair shop with the door still closed with one hand. Never take this risk.
You may feel safe because you have your seat belt on, but you may lose your grip on the door. If you jump out, you may hit a passing car and cause a serious accident.