Acura Legend Door Won't Open Fix

Problem: Acura Legend door won't open by any method. The lock mechanism is stuck and can't be serviced because the door panel cannot be removed (hold in by the stuck door).

Cause: Various including a bad actuator, broken cables or linkages, blocked mechanism, etc.

Dealer Solution: Unknown but may include brute force (destruction) of the door panel to gain access to the lock mechanism. Other solutions may include removing the bumper and fender to gain access to the door hinge pins.

DIY Solution: Using an understanding of how the door lock mechanism functions a simple lever trip should do the trick.

Disclaimer: Use these directions only as a guide and at your own risk. You're responsible for any damage you do to the vehicle so BE CAREFUL. Your vehicle may in fact have slightly different methods so use common sense if the directions don't match what you see. The demo vehicle being shown is a 1993 Acura Legend Coupe.

Click on the thumbnail images to see full size versions

Step 1: Understand how the lock mechanism works. Here are two photos, one of the lock mechanism with the linkage assembly attached and one without. Note the top photo is is of the same type as the one below but has a black housing rather than white.

There are three methods of unlocking the mechanism. One is using the key in the outer door. This activates the unlock through a metal linkage. A second method is the pull/push manual plunger that protrudes through the inner door panel. This is also connected by a metal linkage. The third method is direct electrical unlocking by the actuator. Regardless of the method chosen they all accomplish the same thing. They align a small metal arm which then allows the inner or outer door handle (through a cable or linkage, respectively) to push into a short rod. This rod connects to the actual latch mechanism which is what keeps the door shut.

So, regardless of what method is used to unlock the mechanism (key, door plunger, electrical) or open the door (inner or outer handle) all we're really trying to accomplish is to get that lever to move. It will move regardless of the lock/unlock position of the mechanism or if a handle is pulled or not. Which brings us to the good news. Everything else can go wrong but as long as the mechanism is not broken we can (with patience, luck and a little knowledge) we can get the door open.

Now, where is this magic lever? You can see it circled in green.

The pink arrow represents the direction the rod needs to move to release the latch mechanism. As you can see by the photo the travel needed to release the latch is not much. The trick is getting to the lever with the door closed. Although you can't remove the entire door panel you can remove the top of it to give you some room to work. Begin by rolling the window down completely. Then remove the three door panel screw you do have access to.

There are two screws located behind a flat plastic panel that is also behind the inner door handle. Pry the cover off by inserting a small flat blade (eyeglass type) screwdriver into the notch at the top of the cover. Then rotate the cover down and towards you and put the small panel to the side. Remove the two Phillips screws. For the lower screw you will have to pull the door handle out in order to remove it.

The final screw is under another small, round plastic cover that sits horizontally near the bottom of the arm rest. It is visible from the top. Pry out this cover and remove the single Phillips screw.

I apologize for not having pictures of these next steps but I will try and describe it as best I can. At this point the door lock plunger is going to hinder you from further removal. You need to remove it. Simply unscrewing it will not help because the bottom of the plunger is larger than the top and therefore will not pass through the hole in the door panel. You need to actually pop off the panel that surrounds the plunger. This is the panel that also includes the "security" LED. Normally this panel is held in by two screws and a plastic latch. However you cannot remove the two screws from the top so you're going to have to actually pull the screws through the door panel. This is easier than it sounds as that part of the door panel is fairly flexible. You do need to use care not to break the plastic latch. The latch is on the LED side of the panel and the two screws sit on either side of the lock plunger.

Pry carefully around the lock plunger until you feel the heads of the two screws pass through the panel. Once that part is free you can unscrew the plastic lock plunger which will free it from the metal linkage below. The panel will still be attached to the door panel by the "security" LED wiring but you should be able to maneuver it enough to remove the lock plunger from the bottom of the panel. Do not worry about removing the panel itself. All you're trying to accomplish is removal of the lock plunger. Before completely removing the lock plunger, push down on it to "lock the door". This will move a linkage arm out of the way and make opening the latch easier.

Now you can pull up on the top of the door panel and push it away from the door. The top of the door is flexible enough to clear the top of the door and give enough room to work. Get out your flashlight and take a look at what you have to work with. There isn't a lot of room and it appears there are many things in the way including the window's rear channel and the lock mechanism's linkages. But with the right tool you should be able to make it work. This requires patience and luck so make sure to proceed with the right frame of mind. This is not how things were designed to work but it sure beats the alternative methods. If you get too frustrated take a break and come back to it.

To reach the lever you will need a thin tool due to the limited work area. The tool needs to be both flexible enough to slip around obstructions but stiff enough to retain its shape to do the job. I used a thin, flat metal rod that's used for pushing/pulling wiring. There are more flexible rods that are designed for this purpose but I think they would be too flexible for this job. A wire coat hanger may work, and it allows customization of the end that pushes the rod. But it may be too flexible and any slight bend that already exists in the wire will be a weak point where the wire will try to bend again. I tried a metal yard stick but it was too wide. This is how the actuator sits when it is mounted in the door.

You can see you will need to come in from the outer door side of the mechanism. The tool needs to slip under the linkages and onto the rod. It must also not slip off the rod so an ideal contact point on the tool is probably a forked end. This will keep it from slipping off either side of the rod while still being able to pass over the rod. Here is the tool I used. Ideally the closed loop would be open on the bottom creating a "fork" to settle on top of the trip arm.

Here is a photo of the side of the lock mechanism with the linkage assembly attached. This is the side you will be accessing from the top of the door.

In the following photos you can see how the tool must approach the trip lever. It cannot slip in directly because the outer door handle linkage will obstruct it. This is seen in the first photo. You must work around that linkage point.

The second photo shows why we wanted the mechanism to be "locked". In the unlocked position the lever arm gets in between the outer door handle linkage and the latch trip lever.

Here is the tool in position on the trip arm. Again, the ideal tool end is a fork so it cannot slip off. Once it is in place the tool is pushed down. If successful the latch should release and the door can now swing open freely.

Once the door is free you can remove the door panel and service the lock (see the tutorial linked below for removal instructions). I recommend testing the lock thoroughly before putting the door panel back on. Remember to remove and properly replace the two screws on the "security"/door plunger plate on the door panel. Also put the plunger back on the linkage. The plunger is adjustable so it's best to error on the side of too tall (sticks out too much through the door panel).

If you have any questions, tips or alternative methods please contact me by clicking here. Good luck!