MikeinCincy
New member
'15 TEP 30k on the clock with a bad front passenger actuator. Had the same problem on my '06 SR5. Can't believe they're still working through these issues.
lock actuator fails for 6th time
- Thread starter maudas
- Start date
Dinkiwoman
New member
Same problem with a 2014 tundra
My problem began when I was still under warranty. The front driver and passenger locks would take turns not working. They told me that they replaced the "master lock". It fixed the problem for a year or so and now every single one of my locks takes turns not working. I've made the argument that the problem began under warranty and thus is not something I should have to pay for. I've dealt with the dealership where I have it serviced (Toyota Marin) and Toyota customer care. I managed to talk them down from $1700 to $500. I'm not paying a dime to Toyota for this!! I was told they believe the problem is related to silicon based cleaners/air fresheners. I don't use either but regardless I think this should be a recall. I have reported it to https://www.nhtsa.gov/. You can call or do it online. I'm hoping if enough people report this they will be forced to recall their faulty actuators!
My problem began when I was still under warranty. The front driver and passenger locks would take turns not working. They told me that they replaced the "master lock". It fixed the problem for a year or so and now every single one of my locks takes turns not working. I've made the argument that the problem began under warranty and thus is not something I should have to pay for. I've dealt with the dealership where I have it serviced (Toyota Marin) and Toyota customer care. I managed to talk them down from $1700 to $500. I'm not paying a dime to Toyota for this!! I was told they believe the problem is related to silicon based cleaners/air fresheners. I don't use either but regardless I think this should be a recall. I have reported it to https://www.nhtsa.gov/. You can call or do it online. I'm hoping if enough people report this they will be forced to recall their faulty actuators!
they repaired the problem for you and as they stated it was the master lock . so what is a master lock ? this locks all the doors or controls all the door actuators or ??? some other dealer B/S talk ?
I have had the lock actuators not work . what I found was on another vehicle a relay in the wireless control unit did not energize when it got hot in the vehicle. I relocated this device and it appears to have helped.
if both locking actuators work but not all the time I would find where these get the control to lock/unlock the doors. see if the voltage is switching . if like my problem it maybe a electronic circuit failing and this type part can be expensive . but $1500 if that is the component. on my vehicle if I could find one it was $120 ..
scrap yard might work ..
I have had the lock actuators not work . what I found was on another vehicle a relay in the wireless control unit did not energize when it got hot in the vehicle. I relocated this device and it appears to have helped.
if both locking actuators work but not all the time I would find where these get the control to lock/unlock the doors. see if the voltage is switching . if like my problem it maybe a electronic circuit failing and this type part can be expensive . but $1500 if that is the component. on my vehicle if I could find one it was $120 ..
scrap yard might work ..
MikeinCincy
New member
Had mine checked out last week and service manager said it was a bad "circuit" in the door lock actuator. He ordered the part and I'm due to have it replaced (under warranty, since I'm still < 3 yr/36k) this Wednesday. Fully anticipating the other 3 to go bad right when I pass the bumper to bumper warranty. Sigh.
sunnygirl123
New member
We have a 2012 5th gen and our driver's side actuator just stopped working. Got quoted $700 by the dealer. My husband is going to try changing the motor first. Anyone with links to the appropriate motor? Thank you!
There's some talk about how to replace the motors and which motor to buy in this thread. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/181469-drivers-door-lock-stuck.html and some more discussion here http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/202938-door-lock-actuator-went-hell.html
///AIRDAM
New member
i havent read all 5 pages to see any more bickering or whining from the OP after the first two pages of sob story and nobody with an actual answer, i figured i would at least chime in.
i have had two go out on our 2012 limited. one acted weird, started only unlocking sometimes, then one day it went out completely. i did a little research, opened the door panel and took it apart to see if it was something wrong with the motor or resistance of the motor and it was all good. worked in my hand and plugged it back up and wouldnt work, i read more online and saw that i wasnt alone, so i ordered one of the $45 replacements off ebay. its not awfully hard to change out if you are slightly mechanically inclined. pop the door panel off, pull the plastic back a bit, un-do the screws that hold the actuator door lock assembly in, and the one bolt that holds the window track on, and the door lock unplugs and slips right out. after the door lock came in i installed it and went about my business. then a few months later another door started acting up but it decided to fix itself so i havent had to pull that one off. currently its been working almost a year since it had a week of acting up. the passenger front door i replaced over a year ago is still working fine.
the door lock worked in my hand, but not when it was installed in the door. i re-greased the track and cables to make sure there was no un-necesssary load on the screw motor itself. i guess the motor may burn a wire inside and wont carry the load of powering the screw actuator when under load. the motor worked fine and measured ok when i put the meter on it, i didnt see anything wrong but it still wouldnt work when installed.
the door lock in our cars is the same as in the corolla and camry and lexus. you have the actuator that accepts a key is different than the other doors. left and right need to be ordered seperate. they sell them on ebay. and it takes a total of about 30 mins at max to swap one out with normal tools. if a dealer is charging you $800 you are getting a MASSIVE screwing.
here you go. this is a link to ebay seller. when i got mine it was in fact a toyota Aisin actuator 100% identical to my OEM i pulled out. i read in the sellers listings they are re-furbs he replaces the actual motor. Here they are $45
Toyota 4Runner OEM Front Right Door Lock Actuator 2010-2015 *Lifetime Warranty* | eBay
i have had two go out on our 2012 limited. one acted weird, started only unlocking sometimes, then one day it went out completely. i did a little research, opened the door panel and took it apart to see if it was something wrong with the motor or resistance of the motor and it was all good. worked in my hand and plugged it back up and wouldnt work, i read more online and saw that i wasnt alone, so i ordered one of the $45 replacements off ebay. its not awfully hard to change out if you are slightly mechanically inclined. pop the door panel off, pull the plastic back a bit, un-do the screws that hold the actuator door lock assembly in, and the one bolt that holds the window track on, and the door lock unplugs and slips right out. after the door lock came in i installed it and went about my business. then a few months later another door started acting up but it decided to fix itself so i havent had to pull that one off. currently its been working almost a year since it had a week of acting up. the passenger front door i replaced over a year ago is still working fine.
the door lock worked in my hand, but not when it was installed in the door. i re-greased the track and cables to make sure there was no un-necesssary load on the screw motor itself. i guess the motor may burn a wire inside and wont carry the load of powering the screw actuator when under load. the motor worked fine and measured ok when i put the meter on it, i didnt see anything wrong but it still wouldnt work when installed.
the door lock in our cars is the same as in the corolla and camry and lexus. you have the actuator that accepts a key is different than the other doors. left and right need to be ordered seperate. they sell them on ebay. and it takes a total of about 30 mins at max to swap one out with normal tools. if a dealer is charging you $800 you are getting a MASSIVE screwing.
here you go. this is a link to ebay seller. when i got mine it was in fact a toyota Aisin actuator 100% identical to my OEM i pulled out. i read in the sellers listings they are re-furbs he replaces the actual motor. Here they are $45
Toyota 4Runner OEM Front Right Door Lock Actuator 2010-2015 *Lifetime Warranty* | eBay
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adalbertolopez
New member
So I've been seeing these threads, had the driver's side actuator go out on my 2015 Trail Premium and had it replaced at a shop, I bought the replacement off Amazon.
Just last week on Friday I had the front right side door's actuator go out too, ordered the part from Amazon, took it to the shop to be replaced...just got a call it was ready but they said that I needed to take the 4Runner to the dealership to get programmed for it to work, does this sound right?
Update:
Well it, in fact, sounded off. I called a Toyota dealer to verify and they said it was plug & play. Picked it up from that shop and the guys insisted on me taking it to the dealer to be "programmed". Took it to another shop to look at it and after 45min. it was fixed. The guys at the other shop had overlooked two cables that basically made the locking switch spinning dance every time I locked it or took it out of Park.
Just last week on Friday I had the front right side door's actuator go out too, ordered the part from Amazon, took it to the shop to be replaced...just got a call it was ready but they said that I needed to take the 4Runner to the dealership to get programmed for it to work, does this sound right?
Update:
Well it, in fact, sounded off. I called a Toyota dealer to verify and they said it was plug & play. Picked it up from that shop and the guys insisted on me taking it to the dealer to be "programmed". Took it to another shop to look at it and after 45min. it was fixed. The guys at the other shop had overlooked two cables that basically made the locking switch spinning dance every time I locked it or took it out of Park.
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PsychoPimpKiller
New member
I just bought my 2012 Limited about 2 weeks ago and I don't have a warranty. the dealership wants about $1100 total but they will pay for labor, so parts are $695. The general manager is willing to work with me to get the parts cheaper but I won't hear back from him until Friday. I'm debating on buying ones that I've seen on ebay for about $30-$40 and replacing them myself. Has anyone else had any luck with the cheaper ones on ebay?
If you are talking about the ones like was posted 2 above you, I am sure they are fine. All they do is replace the actuator motor, a $6.50 part on Ebay and resell them.
If you have any mechanical ability, and with a name like yours I am sure you must, just replace the motor.
Pretty sure I am on number 3 waiting for number 4 to stop working completely. In fact maybe just order the 4 pack now!
PsychoPimpKiller
New member
Thank you. Yes, I do have some mechanical ability. I'm not the greatest but I can figure how to do stuff.
EddieV4runnin
New member
Bunch of babies Man up :lalala: Just Kidding damn Toyota I'm saving my pennies for some actuators in the near future.
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SteveGaLexus
New member
2011 Lexus ES350 Door Lock Actuator Failed Very Early
I put a ton of miles on my car. Knock on wood my Lexus ES350 has been perfect. Everything except the door lock actuator motors. Mine started failing around 2 1/2 years old on the drivers door and then I noticed the rear passenger door started. I attempted to ask my service adviser for help but I was well out of warranty. I think the motor is not designed to deal with the constant lock and unlock when you move from park to drive in the car. (I know you can alter this configuration but this is how mine was configured from the factory) Mine failed one by one and in short time. Currently all four are completely dead and have been for a few years. I simply use the manual key to unlock the door. I feel the motors were defective from the start and I'm holding out on a replacement from Toyota/Lexus. I figured a class action lawsuit would start up similar to what has happened with the Honda CRV actuators. I refuse to pay out all that money to have them repaired only to fail again in a few short years. This is our 3rd Lexus and this is the only one I've had any trouble with at all. It's a shame they don't just make this right or at least meet us out of warranty folks halfway and do the job at a reasonable cost and simply cover their expenses. That would be fair. What's funny is I have a 2002 Mustang GT convertible that is 9 years older than my Lexus and the door lock actuators work perfectly fine. All cars receive the exact same drive way washing treatment so that's a terrible excuse. Or the one about Armour All, give me a break! Poor service advisers...
I put a ton of miles on my car. Knock on wood my Lexus ES350 has been perfect. Everything except the door lock actuator motors. Mine started failing around 2 1/2 years old on the drivers door and then I noticed the rear passenger door started. I attempted to ask my service adviser for help but I was well out of warranty. I think the motor is not designed to deal with the constant lock and unlock when you move from park to drive in the car. (I know you can alter this configuration but this is how mine was configured from the factory) Mine failed one by one and in short time. Currently all four are completely dead and have been for a few years. I simply use the manual key to unlock the door. I feel the motors were defective from the start and I'm holding out on a replacement from Toyota/Lexus. I figured a class action lawsuit would start up similar to what has happened with the Honda CRV actuators. I refuse to pay out all that money to have them repaired only to fail again in a few short years. This is our 3rd Lexus and this is the only one I've had any trouble with at all. It's a shame they don't just make this right or at least meet us out of warranty folks halfway and do the job at a reasonable cost and simply cover their expenses. That would be fair. What's funny is I have a 2002 Mustang GT convertible that is 9 years older than my Lexus and the door lock actuators work perfectly fine. All cars receive the exact same drive way washing treatment so that's a terrible excuse. Or the one about Armour All, give me a break! Poor service advisers...
Donkey
New member
Lock actuator number five has failed, this time it is the dorman brand I purchased via amazon. I’ve asked for a replacement under the lifetime warranty. It lasted nearly exactly the same amount of time as the original, 37000 miles. More of an annoyance than anything else, but it would be nice to know why this keeps occurring. Every actuator has failed at least once. I’ve taken the bad ones apart and found no fault with the motors. I have good grounds. Who knows...
Man between this and the needle bearing thread that just popped back up Im kinda wishing I had bought the extended warranty
Not sure if it is good form to quote oneself, but note my post from 2016. Taking the truck in next week for the airbag recall replacement. Will also ask them about the again non-operational rear door actuators, as well as the sporadically operating driver's side door actuator. This is getting as ridiculous as GM's notoriously inexplicable electrical gremlins! This is getting real old. I am certainly handy enough to replace future sets as others have, but Toyota's inability or unwillingness to identify a root cause and ultimately a solution is BS! Rant over...out here...
I know this is an old thread, but since I'm new user, I can't post my own thread yet! I was seriously looking at purchasing a 2013 4Runner SR5, but both front door lock actuators are dead. The Toyota dealership claims it will cost around $600 per door lock actuator to replace them. However, the Toyota dealership seemed fairly confident that the actuator part quality has improved to where this repair may be the permanent fix.
Does anyone have any experience with Toyota dealerships doing the repair and if their actuator parts quality in 2018 has actually improved? Safely assuming that no actuators have ever been replaced in this 4Runner, it's also safe to assume that I could be staring down $3,000 in actuator repairs ($600 x 5 actuators) in the future if I buy this vehicle (with the potential for repeat actuator failures every 30,000 miles or so). I really like this 4Runner, but I don't like those odds!
Does anyone have any experience with Toyota dealerships doing the repair and if their actuator parts quality in 2018 has actually improved? Safely assuming that no actuators have ever been replaced in this 4Runner, it's also safe to assume that I could be staring down $3,000 in actuator repairs ($600 x 5 actuators) in the future if I buy this vehicle (with the potential for repeat actuator failures every 30,000 miles or so). I really like this 4Runner, but I don't like those odds!
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DougR
Member
OP has replaced door actuators on a 2011 Trail multiple times. I have the same year and model and I've had no issues with the door actuators in 95,000 miles. Brakes and a leaking rear shock absorber are the only repairs needed so far. OP didn't follow up with information about a permanent fix. I send him a PM.
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PsychoPimpKiller
New member
I have a 2012 Limited and both of my front ones were dead when I bought it last April. I bought 2 new ones off of Ebay for about $30 each. Took me about an hour and a half (1.5 hours) total to do both doors and haven't any issues ever since except we forgot to hook up the manual unlock (for the key) on the driver door. Way better than the $700 the dealership wanted.
