Power door locks malfunctioning
 

‘02 SR5 Sport Edition

My power door locks just quit working. Never had any issues with them whatsoever. If I push the driver’s door switch the drivers door is the only lock that will lock/unlock normally. The other 3 door locks are do not function. I can cycle the switch and the drivers door lock will repeatedly lock/unlock normally every time but the other 3 doors are dead. Occasionally 1 or 2 of them will randomly lock or unlock one but that’s it. Otherwise they do not move. The passenger does make the unlock/lock noise but the lock itself doesn’t move, or will just slightly twitch.

I tried using the passenger door switch and it does the same thing, only the drivers door lock works. Likewise, key fob also only lock/unlocks the drivers door. And I have to manually lock the 3 passenger doors first then hit the lock on the key fob for the horn to acknowledge the input.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has had the same issue before. I’m assuming the switch on the drivers door panel is going bad. Not sure what else it would be. I will add that for the last 6 months or so the drivers door windows will make a loud noise when opening/closing it, but it is very sporadic and only happens occasionally. The windows still works fine, it just makes a noise sometimes. I assumed it was just the window motor going bad but maybe it is also related to the switch itself going out?

Only other thing I can think of is that 2 weeks ago I had my windows tinted and maybe they got excessive water in the door panel and it got into the switch?

Thanks

saddly this gets addressed often. I have had this problem. have you tried the search bars..you might find tons of helpful info

Probably broken wires in the flexible boot running from the body into the drivers door. All of the lock wiring runs through there, and broken or frayed wires in there causing problems is a pretty normal thing.

Yeah, I tried searching before making a thread. But almost everything I found was related to the ignition key not unlocking the door, or the door locks just being completely dead altogether.

Thanks. I’ll try to check that out this evening after work.

I'm not a diagnostic expert but logic would tell you no way 3 out of 4 doors would have wire failures all at the same time. Neither would the actuators of 3 out of 4 doors all fail at the same time.

You mentioned the most logical explanation already and that's the master switch in the driver door.

There's a guy in Washington state that parts out 4runners and his prices are fair. Maybe he has one he could sell you so you're not forced to buy a new one.

The name of the guy is Josh Young and the name of his business is PNW 4Runner Connection. Message him on Facebook and tell him what you need. He usually can get back to you very quickly, usually within one day. PNW 4Runner Connection - ?? Tell Josh Timmy the Toolman referred you.

For the window tinting, do they actually remove the glass from the doors? How would they get water inside the doors? That's not making sense to me. Were they working outside on a rainy day?

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s the master switch. The drivers door lock functions normally via the drivers door, passenger door and key fob. The other 3 all act like the motors are dying when a switch is pushed.

Because they spray the windows down with a solution to clean them, and again when they apply the film. Then they squeegee out the excess water. Water could’ve ran down the door panel and into the switch. But it’s also a 20 year old vehicle so it probably just failed due to age.

Update..

Replaced the drivers door switch and it did not fix the issue.

I’m not sure what else would cause the 3 passenger door locks to work intermittently. They will work once or twice, then only make the noise like they’re lock/unlocking but do not move. The lock tabs just barely twitch. Drivers door lock functions normally.

Maybe I should’ve also replaced the front passenger door lock switch?

Im guessing 2 of the 3 just slowly failed and he didnt notice. then the 3rd one got his attention.

Do you normally unlock and use the back doors often?

if you wait a day will they work once then stop working?

If so its prob your acuators. Ive had a few fail. some of mine would work once or twice then stoop working so I never noticed since i would not get into the back as much and the once to unlock was normally enough but I didnt notice i didnt lock again.

I use the back doors, as well as the rear hatch, almost daily.

I guess it could just be the actuators but it’s not something I’ve overlooked because I lock it using the key fob and it chirps. Right when this issue started it no longer chirps if I hit the button and all the doors don’t lock. I just find it odd all 3 actuators would fail at the same time.

Are there any aftermarket actuators that are decent? Don’t care to use 20+ year old salvage yard OEM types not pay the premium for new OEM if there’sa decent aftermarket option.

Add:

Better yet, can the motor itself be replaced without replacing the entire actuator? I’ve done that on other vehicles and it worked great.

I had to replace my main fuse block thing over a year ago. The yellow plastic fuse holder that sits under the left side of the dash. It solved my lock issues.

Technically I think you could just replace the little motherboard, or circuit board whatever you want to call it, that's inside of it but I just replaced the whole thing since it was hard to get to anyway

Did you have any other symptoms besides the door locks that led you to replacing that?