Door not closing properly, dealer can't/won't fix it

[danielmiller01]

Last spring, my rear passenger door for unknown reasons started closing funny. It felt like something was in the door blocking it from closing right. You have to slam it to get it closed, sort of an embarassment, it's like closing an old Buick car door. Took it to the dealer under warranty, they ordered some parts. Came back later when they had the parts, turns out they just replaced the locking mechanism which had nothing to do with it. Took it back again, they just slopped a bunch of grease all over it, still not fixed. After 3 visits, you would think they would get it right. I am wondering what would be the next best step. Should I complain to whomever is in charge of their service department? Should I just take it to another dealer? The problem is getting worse. Two weeks ago, the door ajar light came on while driving because of the door. It never closes or opens right, it really feels like there something jamming it or out of place, and the local dealer has acted stupid over it. Slamming the door cannot be good for it either. Any suggestions?

[lostxD]

im no mechanic, but sounds like problems w/ the hinges





lol maybe not

[its_ikon]

try a different dealer. you can also slowly close the door and figure out where it hangs up at and inspect everything about the movement of the door. if you do the work first to figure it out, than it makes it easier for you in the long run. of course, you can say the dealer should do it but if you take the time figure it out its less guess work and fewer trips to the dealer.

[VIP_CAMO]

go to another dealer ...could be aligned wrong thus not closing ...

[MadMike550]

it sounds to me like it could just need some simple adjusting...

I'd check the alignment of the door latch..

[MadMike550]

http://www.myjdmphoenix.com/images/0...adjustment.pdf


try adjusting your strikers???

[danielmiller01]

Thanks for the ideas and the links to the manual. I agree, it must be an alignment problem with the hinges causing it, it doesn't seem to be the latch.

I've tried examining what I could, don't see anything wrong. I'm going to ask a friend who has does body work to assist me with this problem.

I love my boxcar and it hurts to have that door messed up!

Thanks again, will update when I know something.

[jetblast]

Any door/window not closing properly is a safety issue. If you don't feel like having to adjust the door yourself, you can request a meeting with the Scion district service rep. Scion is your dealer's largest customer. The striker just probably needs to be adjusted, but this is not your job. This is especially important if children might be in the back seat.

Bad dealers give the rest of the pack a bad name. 5 years after leaving the dealer I used to work for...I still had people asking for me by name, cause I treated them like humans.

[danielmiller01]

Finally found the problem. I was right, the door is about a millimeter or two higher on the latch side than it should be. I cannot believe myself and especially the dealer didn't see it. I ran my fingers along and felt the difference and compared it. The rest of the doors are perfectly flush with the rest of the body, except that door.

Took it back to the dealer, they said they need to keep it at least one day and send it to the body shop for repair. Since I need my car, and it seems like a simple procedure to correct, I'm going to just fix it myself.

Cannot believe this, three dealer visits and none of them checked what I told them I thought it was in the first place. And my bad for not thinking of checking the alignment compared to the rest of the body.

I'll post the final outcome when it happens. I hate it when there is no closure on a topic.

[JDMJim]

how does the striker get misaligned? I mean, the thing has giant bolts holding it all together. my first thought was the piece that stops the door from opening too far was jammed up. I've seen that countless times from stuff being in the way i the door. Why not take off the panel just to check. it's not that hard to do

[shortbus_8]

Originally Posted by MadMike550

it sounds to me like it could just need some simple adjusting...

I'd check the alignment of the door latch..

X2