I've read a handful of threads here on AZ about the door lock actuators being somewhat of a "known problem" on the 1st gen RDX, but I wanted to put this out there before buying $100 in actuators...

I first noticed that my front passenger door wasn't locking/unlocking with the key or the driver's lock/unlock switch. I figured it had to be the actuator that went out. The problem turned out to be (and still is) intermittent. The weird thing is, the tailgate lock goes out whenever the front passenger door lock goes out. Are the two somehow related in the wiring? For a few days now every time I hit "unlock" and the passenger door works, I go and check the tailgate...sure enough, it opens too. When the passenger door doesn't unlock, I check the tailgate and sure enough, it's not unlocked either.

I figured 100% cannot be a coincidence between the two. That's got me wondering if it's something "upstream" of the two actuators. Maybe a switch or relay? I haven't been able to find anything on the two being related on the interwebs.

Any ideas?

 

Update:

Just did some more testing outside and now I'm convinced that the two (front passenger door lock and tailgate lock) are somehow related.

I pressed UNLOCK on my key fob twice to unlock all doors and tailgate. All doors except front passenger and tailgate unlocked. I manually unlocked the front passenger door and without pressing/switching anything else, walked around back and viola, tailgate is unlocked and opens with the pressure switch.

I did this 2 more times to verify.

Once I realized that manually unlocking the front passenger door would also unlock the tailgate, I tested the same theory with locking. With all doors and tailgate unlocked, I manually locked the front passenger door. Walked around back, and the tailgate is still unlocked and opens with the pressure switch.

By the way, is the RDX supposed to have a fuse puller in any of its' fuse boxes? My '00 Accord had one and it was a life (and fingertip) saver. I can't pull my power lock fuse for a sanity check.

 

Doesn't sound like a fuse issue since most fuse issues are "all or nothing". Not sure where it is, but gently using a set of needlenose pliers > fuse puller any day IMO.

 

Some points that I have found out are;

Driver door lock must be in the open position for the tail gate pressure switch to work i.e. open. Also true in order to lock tail gate.

Left Rear Passenger door lock must also be in the open position for the tail gate pressure lock to work i.e. open. This does not need to be open in order to lock the tail gate though.


I know this because neither of my left side door actuators work automatically!

 

edman -- Yea, I really didn't think it was a fuse since my other 3 doors work. And occasionally the door in question works. I just wanted to pull it and cross it off the list...or see if it maybe wasn't broken, just loose?

wspy -- That's so weird. Since I've had the car (2010), I've never been able to unlock/open the tailgate with just the driver's door unlocked. I like having the driver's door priority unlock (click once == driver's door only, click twice == all doors) because I thought it would reduce the strain on the other actuators...boy was I wrong. So how do you get into your tailgate? Manually unlocking the driver and rear left doors?

Side note: I loved that the RDX doesn't have a keyhole on the front passenger door, until now.

 

That's correct, I have to manually open driver door, reach in and unlock the rear passenger door, then push the unlock switch to open the trunk. I then reach in again and lock the rear passenger door (or i'll forget to do it later).


I have bought new driver and r passenger door actuators but get too lazy to change em out myself when I think about doing it ..lol

 

Are our RDX lock actuators not removable from the actual door lock mechanism? I watched the TSX lock actuator change video posted here, and then went to look for the actuator for the RDX. All the diagrams I can find, show the entire lock assembly (the part that grabs the hook on the door jamb when you close the door).

wspy, is this the part that you bought?

 

Yeah, its the whole thing as you mentioned.

Part # 72650-STK-AO3/AO4

 

This is a very common problem with the door actuators of the RDX 1st gen. When the drivers side door actuator goes bad, the tailgate does not open.
The actuator problems always start intermittent. Eventually the actuator fails completely.
I have replaced 6 actuators so far!... All 4 doors while on warranty, and now the 2 back doors again!....