power door locks not working?

It sounds like the main switch is out or the fuse #16 under the hood is blown these guides will help us fix it with the fuse locations in the diagrams below.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

Check out the diagrams (Below). Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem.

I'm unable to turn the key in the driver side to open the door, can you tell me how I can fix this.

F.Y.I
car is not equipped with remote keyless entry, but has power locks.

Hi rxn6057,

If the key cannot be turned, either there is foreign material inside the key cylinder or the tumblers are damaged. You need a locksmith to repair. Another option is to replace the key cylinder and that would mena another set of key for the door, unless you get the locksmith to programme the new key cylinder to the old key.

2003 Honda Civic

I do not know what happened, but my key won't fit into the driver's side key slot anymore. Maybe something has gotten inside the key slot.

I tried shooting compressed air to clean out the slot, but that didn't work. I tried WD40, and that didn't work either.

The door can still be unlocked through the keyless remote.

What can I do to fix this?

I there,

I would say that one of the key pins has collapsed, you will need to take the barrel out and have it replaced, they can set up the new barrel to suit the old key.

Mark (mhpautos)

my front drivers side door outside lock will function properly for a period of time and then it will stop allowing the key to fit properly and unlock the car. I'm sick of having to climb in through the passenger door and am too far away from my dealership to have them fix it again.
the key fits about 3/4 of the way in and then won't fit further but slides in to the passenger door and the trunk perfectly.
what are my options and how much do they cost?

Hi there,

thank you for the donation,

I would start with a powdered graphite lubricant, don't use a spray lube as this can collect dust and cause further problems with the lock, squirt a small amount of graphite onto the key and carefully work it into the lock, this often works wonders with tight and sticky lock tumblers, start here.

mark (mhpautos)

I have a 2003 2 dr Honda Civic. I cannot insert the key into the door lock on the driver side. The key just gets stuck half way through the lock. It works fine on the passerger side. The car does not have a remote key entry system.

Hi Hondacivic2003,

Something could have got into the key cylinder or the tumblers are stuck.

You can look into key cylinder with the aid of a torchlight and pushing the slot cover to find out.

If anyting is lodged, use a fine stiff wire with a sharp pointed hooked end and try to dig out whaever that has gone in.

If no foreign materials are found, try spraying some rust remover and if possible used compressd air to blow it clean. Try again buy shaking the key as you insert it to release the tumblers. You should get the key cylinder repaired by the locksmith.

My 03 civic has the same problem. started with the drivers side than progressed to the passenger side. We have had to resort to keeping it unlocked lately. We had to get new tires and forgot to tell them to keep it unlocked, now we cant get in, even with a slim jim.....help, we tried silicone lube, wd40, rust cleaner, graphite dust, but nothing worked. What to do??

Hi 03civicuser,

Which is cheaper,

1. To break and replace a door glass or
2. Get a locksmith to get the doors opened and the locks repaired?

I can't think of any other options.

Hi.
I also have a 2003 Honda Civic with the same problem (and so do 3 of my friends). When I realized that it was no coincidence, I called Honda Corporate to see if there was a recall. They said that they need a certain number of occurences first (such as yourselves) but to go to a dealer and have it professionally "diagnosed". I spoke to a friend of mine that works for Honda and he said that once a car is dignosed with a quality issue, they will create a 'service bulletin' and possibly repair the car for free.
I did some digging online (love the internet) and found that there is already one of these that exists for this same problem (03-068 to be exact. You can look it up). So with this information, I went to my local dealership in hopes of a positive outcome, but to no avail.
According to the service bulletin, a car under warranty with this issue will be reapired with apparently no problem. But, even if a car is out of warranty "any repair performed may be eligible for goodwill consideration by the District Parts and Service Manager". Well it seems as though I do not qualify for this because the car is "so old" and has "too many" miles on it. Yes, the car does have over 80K miles on it, but that does not mean that I use the lock cylinder more frequently. Personally, I do not see the correlation. If anything, all it means is that I have a longer commute. I drive 120 miles every day, but I only unlock my car twice (once in the morning and once to go home ... same as everyone else, if not less). But according to Honda, it is just a coincidence that my door lock, a part that they already acknowledged as being a quality issue, has the same issue but is totally unrelated.
Actually, now I don't even lock my car at all because I am tired of climbing over my passenger seat to unlock it.
Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know that this TSB is out there and you might be able to get it fixed for free. If they won't then you just have everyone you know with the same make and model make a big enough stink to Honda that they end up recalling it.
Keep me posted on your progress!
Good Luck!!

Hi jet62877,

Thank you for the input, much appreciated.

the driver door won't unlock/lock with the keyless entry. if you use the key or try to open the lock manually from inside, it won't unlock/lock unless the handle is opened basically all the way (both inside and outside). if the door is closed, you can lock/unlock it manually from inside without using the handle but there is more resistance than usual. if you use the keyless, you can see the lock move very slightly as if something is stopping it. Anybody have any guesses?

What you will most likely find is that you will have to replace the lock actuator for that door.

that's kind of what i was thinking. thanks, i'll let you know...

Electrical problem
2003 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic
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I have a 2003 Honda Civic EX my car has recently had an issue with the power door locks. When I try to lock or unlock the doors with either the keyless entry or the power door lock switch on the door, the driver's side lock seems to have trouble locking or unlocking. It almost appears as though the small lever on the inside of the door is unable to move all the way up or down. It moves only a little - and sometimes it locks and sometimes it does not. The passenger side door still locks and unlocks fine. Additionally, the driver's side door may be locked or unlocked by the key without a problem. Does anyone know what may be wrong?

Hi yongtao,

The door lock actuator is weak. Check if the linkages are well lubricated.

thank you so much.

I have been having difficulty unlocking the door on the driver's side of my 2003 Honda Civic for the past several months now. My brother, who owns a 2005 Honda Civic, has the same problem. It has gotten to the point where I need to enter the vehicle through the passenger side door, unlock the driver's side door, and then go around and enter through the driver's side. I called Honda and they were not very helpful. They told me there has been no campaign requesting a replacement of the door lock. I don't believe them. What have you guys done?

I wouldn't say it's particularly common on honda's. I've seen it on numerous other vehicles though. everything from a BMW to a pontiac.

I have a 2003 Honda civic lx. I had to get the driver's side lock replaced last year. The key would go half way in and that was it. I took it in and they said a piece was broke in there and they had to order a new piece for me. Now it works fine. But i had to for a while enter through the passenger door also.

Electrical problem
2003 Honda Civic 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic
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i have an 03 civic that just started acting up. the driver's side door won't unlock. i have power locks, and when the driver's door is locked, it locks all of the other doors. unfortunately, for some reason, that door is refusing to unlock. when the key is turned, it would appear that it doesn't turn all of the way, the mechanism does not raise, and when the interior switch is engaged to unlock the door, you hear it attempt to unlock the doors, then automatically relocks the door, thus locking all of the doors. is it a servo issue, or is something in the door busted? i took the panel off, but the handle mechanism and locking mechanism both go behind a panel in the door that i cannot remove.

Hi shaunfather,

The lock has a lock/unlock switch and it is over travelling in one direction because a stopper rubber has dropped off.

You can open up the motor housing and try replacing the stopper or replace the lock motor assy.

I’m having the same problem on my 2003 Honda Civic I tried to lock it and the lock pops right back up, and I can’t open my driver door unless I roll my window down. I also can’t seem to get my passenger side to lock either. I tried to use my key to lock it but it won’t fit, not sure where to go or what the problem is.

Sorry for the delay. This was an old post so it gets buried in our que.

More than likely when you go to lock the door and the lock pops back up then that actuator is shorted.

Here is the info that we need to complete the testing that I am attaching below:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

Please see below on how to check for a shorted actuator.

Please let me know what questions you have and we can work through this. Thanks