A few weeks/months ago the front door lock actuator went “bad” in my ‘14 Camry. It wouldn’t consistently lock the driver side door, and I say consistently because for some reason, on some days locking the car works just fine. Took it to Toyota and they want something like $1200 for the repair.
I looked up this repair on YouTube and think i could see it through, but as a layman I’m not sure of course.
I’m hoping somebody has an ace up their sleeve and knows a simple trick to fix it lol. If not I’ll end up taking it in, just wanted to get some trained opinions. Thank you
If you’re fairly certain it’s an actuator, and you’re brave, then go ahead and try. Worse case scenario is you get so far and then you have to take it in anyway.
I’ve done actuators before, they’re tricky. It’s not hard it’s that there’s not a lot of space to work with and you may need to remove other parts in there to get to the actuator.
The other aspect is the wiring. That’s a repair that’s not for the faint of heart. Tedious and time consuming even if it’s straightforward. I did a drivers door wiring harness and it took around six hours and it wasn’t perfect. An older vehicle an one of the back windows won’t work now, but the drivers windows/locks work and she was cool with it.
There’s ways to check the wiring that aren’t invasive but require a little know how to determine if it’s a wiring issue or an actuator issue.
How much does it bother you ?? Does the car have a lot of life left ?? Those are factors I’d consider.
Mobile mechanics are an option too and can save a few bucks.