Signs that Your Car's Door Lock Actuator is Having Problems
Today, technological advancement in vehicles has made electric door locks quite popular. Gone are the days when you had to use a traditional key to enter your car. Essentially, all electric door locks on cars rely on a mechanical actuator which is tasked with locking and unlocking the doors at the press of a button. Each door has its actuator such that one damaged actuator does not affect the operation of the other doors. Thankfully, you can diagnose bad actuators in good time and take corrective measures before they become a big nuisance. Here are some of the signs you need to look out for:
Erratic Responses from the Door Locks
Erratic behaviour refers abnormal behaviour in the door lock setup. In most cases, the door will often lock and unlock themselves rapidly even when you have not pressed the control keys on the remote control. This is caused by bad wiring and short-circuiting, which activates the actuators and causes them to lock or unlock the doors without your command. To add on that, the locks may function at intervals and refuse to open or close despite you pressing the remote control. Fixing the wiring issues should be enough to resolve erratic door lock actuators.
Unusual Noise from the Inner Parts of the Door
Noisy doors are another indication of a bad door lock actuator. Today, most car manufacturers use motors and gears that whir slightly when you lock or unlock the door. Such whirring sounds are normal, but they should be loud and alarming. Louder pronounced whirring and clicks show that the actuator is struggling to perform its work and the noises will get worse as time goes by.
The Door Locks Do Not Work
Are your door locks dead? Well, that is a clear indication of a failing actuator. Dead door locks mean that you do not get any response when pressing the remote control to close or open the doors. The actuator fails to initiate the power lock feature and forces you to use a traditional key override to enter the car. However, you should note that some cars do not have the traditional key access method and failed power door locks mean no entry at all. You must fix the actuator before you can use the car again.
Actuators are an important component of power door lock systems. If you detect any of the symptoms discussed here, try and fix it ASAP. For more information, contact a local locksmith.