SOLVED! Rear passenger door won’t latch closed

[KEEBZ489]

05 TB , left rear passenger door will not close. It just pops back open. I replaced the actuator a year or two back when the dome light wasn’t going on and DIC kept saying door open, worked fine since then. I figured it went out again and just installed a new actuator , same issue.

Can the latch itself go bad ? I had to drive around with a ratchet strap through the windows the past few days till I could take it apart.

 

[Mooseman]

Is the latch itself closed?

 

[KEEBZ489]

Latch won’t stay closed.

 

[KEEBZ489]

Even when I had it out and tried to lock it by pushing the latch with a screwdriver

 

[Blckshdw]

So when you "close" it with the screwdriver, you're also able to open it back up with the screwdriver?

 

[KEEBZ489]

No, it will not lock at all. It just springs back open.

 

[Blckshdw]

Yep, if it was disconnected from everything, and still popping open on its own, it's bad. Time to replace it.

 

[KEEBZ489]

The whole latch or just the actuator again ?

 

[Blckshdw]

The whole latch or just the actuator again ?

If you put in a brand new actuator, and the problem didn't change, I think that mostly rules out the actuator being the problem. Since you had it disconnected from the rods in the door, that makes me think there's an issue with the latch itself.

Maybe try removing the actuator from the latch, then see if it lets you "close" the latch with a screwdriver and if it stays closed or pops back open. If it pops open still, definitely a latch problem. If it stayed closed without the actuator in place, then maybe the teeth on the actuator were off? It's been a decade since I replaced mine, so I've forgotten much of what happened when I messed with my good vs bad one at that time.

 

[KEEBZ489]

New latch did it. I’ve honestly never see a latch go bad on ANY vehicle

 

[christo829]

Had it happen with the rear door latch on my girlfriend's Mini, and while researching it, looked like it wasn't uncommon. Annoying to deal with since hers failed *shut*. Had to do all sorts of calisthenics to get it open in order to replace it.

Glad you solved it!