I have a 2000 TL which recently developed a problem with the rear driver's side door lock. The door can not be opened, due to it's lock staying on. The other three doors all function properly, individually or by the driver's control switch. My guess is that the solenoid for that door is staying energized, not allowing me to over-ride it manually. Is there anyway to be able to open this door without pulling off the interior trim panel ? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated !

 

So you can't manually force it down? Even if it was energized all the time, it's not very strong. In fact, it's quite weak in pushing power.

If it is jammed, then you just need to take off the interior trim and relube everything. Make sure nothing is stuck.

If you don't want to take off the trim, you could spray some WD-40 down the opening. Waste of time though.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was able to pull that door's lock knob post back up, allowing the door to open. The lock post needed extra help from a pair of channel-lock pliers in order to pull it up. I tied it again and the same thing happened. It appears as though the rear lock mechanisms have a longer distance than the fronts to engage the actual door handle lock. Your advice to take off the interior door panel seems to be the most logical thing to do from here. Any tips on removing the panel ?

 

I had the same problem with my rear driver side lock. Only in my case it was stuck in the open position and wouldn't lock. What I did was remove the door panel, and removed the whole door lock/hinge/actuator assembly.(not sure of the proper term.) I then traced the arm that connects to the lock knob, to its point of origin on the assembly. After removal of the assembly, I soaked the pivot point for the lock in Thrush penetrant/lubricant and with a little bit of help from a pair of vice grips I was able to use the vice grips and some force to loosen up the pivot point and get the lock to function agin properly. I then soaked every moving part of the assembly in silicone grease/spray and reassembled. Works like brand new again, and costed me $0 to fix.