Why Door Lock Failure Occurs in a BMW

26 Mar, 18

The modern conveniences of vehicles are often lost upon drivers today. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that we were stuck manually rolling up windows, turning a key to start the car, and scanning the radio hoping to find a tolerable song to listen to on the radio while we were stuck in rush hour traffic. Today’s vehicles offer so much more to drivers that add to the convenience of driving their cars in day-to-day life. Unfortunately, these modern conveniences can malfunction or fail occasionally, reminding us of just how fortunate we really are.

BMWs are no exception to the widespread advancements in the automotive industry, and then some; which is why it can be so upsetting to BMW drivers who experience failure in the seemingly simplistic systems like the door locking mechanisms. BMW is a pioneer and gold standard for many drivers when it comes to the modern conveniences that cars have to offer. When door lock failure occurs in your BMW, it’s first important to find the source of the problem to restore your BMW back to its modernly convenient self. Here are some of the more common reasons why your door locks might fail and how to address the problem:

Most Common Reasons for Door Lock Failure

While your door locking system might seem simple, there are many areas for malfunction and failure. In other words, the problem could be due to several factors that aren’t performing well, and the source of the problem will dictate how your reliable BMW specialist goes about fixing it. These are the most common reasons for door lock failure in your BMW:

Faulty or Malfunctioning Key Fob

Again, the modern advancements in technology have allowed for a more advanced way to lock and unlock your car, arm or disarm the alarm system, or even open/close the trunk remotely. Key fobs themselves can malfunction, causing the source of door locking issues in your BMW. You might eventually encounter a dead battery in your key fob, or a technological error or glitch related to key fob programing. This is a good place to start when it comes to door locking issues, as it’s the least invasive possibility for remedy.

Blown Fuses

Blown fuses occur every day, and are simply a part of door locking systems in cars. Luckily, when fuses blow they can be replaced quite easily and for an affordable price. This is usually a quick repair, but it’s important to keep in mind that there might be another issue that caused the fuse to blow in the first place. If only one of your BMW’s door locks isn’t functioning, the culprit is likely a blown fuse.

Failing Wiring

Most of the electrical systems in your car are supplied with power through wiring, along with fuses. Often the issue is related to a combination of failing components, but wiring itself can cause your door locks to fail. If your BMW is an older model, it’s common for the wiring to need to be replaced throughout the vehicle in various intervals. Since the door locks are used so frequently, it isn’t uncommon for the wiring to wear out or burn out.

Faulty Door Lock Actuator

Failing door lock actuators are another common cause of door lock failure in BMWs. Door lock actuators are an electronically-powered mechanism that is responsible for physically engaging the door locks when the lock button is pressed. Symptoms of lock actuator failure may include: odd noises coming from the door locks when the button is pressed or odd behavior coming from the door locks, like spontaneously locking and unlocking unprovoked.

How We Can Help You

Here at Santa Barbara Autowerks, located in Santa Barbara, CA, our German Master technicians are familiar with all the common reasons why your BMW’s door locks might fail. Since this technology has been around for a long time, our technicians have had many years to find simple treatment solutions that are affordable, effective, and quick for our clients who experience issues with their door locks. As you can see, door lock failure can be due to a number of different problem sources, so it’s important for our technicians to perform differential diagnoses before any other procedure to make sure we address the problem fully and efficiently. If you’re experiencing door lock failure in your BMW it can be downright inconvenient and distressing at times. Please contact us to schedule an inspection and get this nuisance of a problem fixed right away.

* BMW M3 Door image credit goes to: bizoo_n.