[Parlay Slow]

I have a 2003 RAV that had the busted driver's door lock actuator issue. I fixed it with an actuator motor I purchased on eBay to drop into the OEM assembly and all was well for about 2 weeks. Since then, the lock mechanism has developed a bit of a stutter when unlocking. It does work other than the annoying sound.

Here's a video:

Any ideas on the cause? I'd really prefer to not have to take everything apart again unless I have an idea of what's wrong.

 

[Parlay Slow]

Ended up buying a whole new (dorman) actuator assembly for $45. This fixed it. For anyone considering just replacing the motor, you may want to take my experience as a reason to consider just replacing the entire actuator.

 

[Parlay Slow]

Help! After working fine for about 20 min, now the door won't open at all. The lock won't open all the way, and I cannot open the door from the inside or outside. Do I need to get a coat hanger down there to try to pull up on the 'yellow' lock bar?

 

[Parlay Slow]

On further inspection it looks like the rod came loose of the pink clip. The question is.. how to get in there to pull up on that rod with the door closed?

 

[Parlay Slow]

I resolved this. The rod did come loose, but it was a symptom and not the cause. I didn't have everything hooked up properly on the actuator itself. This made it impossible for the mechanism to unlock fully.

By the way.. it IS possible to get the door cover off with the door closed..