2005 Grand Caravan, doors won't lock/unlock

[Mateo1041]

Year of vehicle: 2005
Make of vehicle: Dodge
Model of vehicle: Grand Caravan SXT
Mileage/Kilometers: 130,000 miles

Hi all,

We have a van with automatic locks, doors, and trunk. These are controlled either via the minivan itself or through a key fab (it's a key w/ buttons on) of which we have two. In short, our automatic locks no longer work and sometimes even give us grief when attempting to pull up/down manually. We've been using the minivan since late 2007 with no prior incident.

A few weeks ago we noticed the driver sliding door wouldn't open with our key fab (it's a key w/ buttons on). We tried unlocking manually and couldn't even get the lock to come up. It seemed like the door was slightly open and jammed. Oddly enough, later that day, the problem somehow solved itself.

Fast forward to a few days ago and the problem seems to have gotten worse. While the driver sliding door was ok, the passenger sliding door no longer unlocked (either automatically or manually by pulling the lock knob up). We ended up forcing the lock up with a pliers and now the door seems to open ok, although the lock knob has some friction to it. We also noticed we could no longer automatically lock/unlock the vehicle via either the key fab or front switches (not the knobs). The van makes the usual locking sound, but the locks never go down or actually lock. Aside from the two prior incidents, the lock knobs have seemed ok.

Any ideas? Is something somehow jammed that is affecting everything else? Would it be an electrical issue that only affects automatic locking/unlocking? We've tried both key fabs and they yield consistent results.

Thanks,
- Matt

[Joe W]

At first glance this would appear to be a mechanical issue, such as the linkage between the lock and the actuator that requires cleaning and lubrication, but I must question why the locks on multiple doors are displaying the same condition. When you try the key fob is the engine running or is it upon initial entry when the battery is supplying all power?

[Mateo1041]

Originally Posted by Joe W

At first glance this would appear to be a mechanical issue, such as the linkage between the lock and the actuator that requires cleaning and lubrication, but I must question why the locks on multiple doors are displaying the same condition. When you try the key fob is the engine running or is it upon initial entry when the battery is supplying all power?

It occurred at all times with both key fobs and even when using the lock switch while inside the car. I recently brought it in to have some fluids changed and they took a look at this issue also. They ended up resetting the computer or locks and now they work fine again. But now the temp/compass display doesn't work. I'll need to visit them again I guess.

[tracywilliam46]

Hi Guys I've also encounter that the same problem...now i'm lucky that i also found someone who has problem the same as mine.....

Hope that i could learn some tips from you guys.
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