hi all!!

hoping someone on here can help me out.

the driver's door on my 2008 2-door wrangler will not respond to the key remote. when i hit the lock button on the remote, the horn honks and i can hear the doors locking. the passenger door and the gate lock but when i try the driver's door, it opens and the horn starts honking until i hit the unlock button on the remote.

when i sit inside the jeep and use the remote to lock/unlock the doors, i can see and hear the mechanisms working in all doors except the driver's door. the manual lock/unlock plastic button on the driver's door does not respond to the remote. physically, i can push it to either position so i know its not stuck. what is also odd, i can hear the mechanisms moving inside the driver's door when locking/unlocking with remote.

when i drive the jeep and reach the speed where doors automatically lock, i see and hear the passenger door lock button engage and that door and the gate cannot be opened from the outside, however, the driver's door sounds like its locking but the lock button doesn't move and the door can be opened from the outside.

i am using the key to manually lock and unlock the driver's door and the remote for the other doors.

does anyone know what might be causing this to happen? the actuator? some harness or wiring? btw, i have not installed or removed anything on the jeep since this issue started.

also, any idea what it might cost to fix this issue? jeep is out of warranty and local dealer will no doubt charge me an arm and a leg to repair. suggestions??????? i'm a chick with some tools but not sure if i'll end up with bigger repair bill if i attempt to fix this myself lol

thanks!

letty

 

Same thing happened to me. It turned out to be a bad door handle. I was under warranty so I can't quote how much it was to fix.

 

Check the connector first....the one you would take apart when doors are taken off. Make sure it is pushed together tight.



If that does not do it then sounds like the power door lock actuator is dead.

You will have to replace the latch assembly. Expect to spend $75 - $100 for the part.

To access this you would need to take off the door panel. This is held on with a few screws and clips.

 

OH9JK,

thanks for the info and pix!! i will take a look at the connector today then go from there.

hopefully it will be that easy

letty

 

This exact same thing happened to mine. They had to replace the door lock actuator located inside of the driver's side door. Mine failed right before 36K miles and was covered under warranty. So not sure about how much it costs.

 

I have the same issue with my front passenger door. I think mine is the actuator because the lock switch on the door functions properly.

 

Before you spend any $$ replacing parts, pay close attention to the connector cable that you unclip to remove the doors. My 09 did this two summers ago, turned out it was just a loose connection between a wire and the harness connector on the Jeep side. I re-attached the wire to the harness and was good to go!