Mazda5 Sliding Doors Unlock Problem (Actuators)

[doody]

Has anyone experience this problem?

Whenever I press the remote twice to unlock all the doors, the passenger side sliding door does not unlock. All the other doors unlock properly.

I need to press the remote a few times in order to get that particular door to slide open.

I park the car in an indoor garage and I don't think this relates to the common issue of the cold and latch problem.

[meackerman]

mine had a problem with the passenger's slider unlocking. The little sliding lock button would move making it look like it unlocked, but it didn't move enough. Took it in and they replaced a part under warranty. We were thinking it broke because my son liked to continuously pull on the handle while we were unlocking the door, but if other people are having the same problem, maybe it wasn't his fault.

[doctorz]

happens to us occasionally. That's the door our eight-year-old uses. I was planning on having it fixed if it keeps recurring.

[ladygrey]

This happens to us pretty frequently. I too was blaming it on the kids pulling on the handles when unlocking, but I have noticed that it often happens even when they are being careful.

[mazdadude]

Well it has happened to me, and I don't have any kids...

I have found that once in a while I need to press the unlock button once more to get the sticky door open.

Looks more like a binding/lubrication issue, not electrical.

[doody]

Thanks for the input.

I took the Mazda5 in for an oil change last week and I told the Service Advisor about the problem. When I picked up the car, the guy said he had ordered something called an 'actuator' for the sliding door problem. It's covered under warranty.. so we'll see..

[Mntnbkr]

I had the recall done many months ago at the dealer on the rear slider door locks in regards to them potentially freezing and the associated fix...
Now, the doors will not unlock everytime with the fob - randomly - two clicks on the remote and the front doors and tailgate will always unlock (so I know it's not user error), but not the rear doors -sometimes the left , sometimes the right, sometimes both, sometimes neither. You can see the lock lever above the pull trying to throw open, but not getting past the middle of the stroke, like there's too much friction to overcome. Happens more often when the weather is cooler in the AM (but not that cold - 40-50s Farenheit)
This morning my wife was going to have our son crawl through from the front seats, when it finally unlocked on the 12th try.
Last time at the dealer they 'could not replicate'. It is now a safety issue, with kids back there, sometimes with them inside when the doors won't unlock. (pissed)
Did the fix involve a modification that could be causing this, such as a new mechanism, or a heavier lube/grease that the power of the lock cannot overcome? I was told the recall only added some sort of protection or hood to keep water out.
Has anyone else experienced this problem?
Any of you Mazda dealership guys seen this of know more about the freezing lock recall/fix that might explain this?
Thanks.

[antlind]

I had the recall done many months ago at the dealer on the rear slider door locks in regards to them potentially freezing and the associated fix...
Now, the doors will not unlock everytime with the fob - randomly - two clicks on the remote and the front doors and tailgate will always unlock (so I know it's not user error), but not the rear doors -sometimes the left , sometimes the right, sometimes both, sometimes neither. You can see the lock lever above the pull trying to throw open, but not getting past the middle of the stroke, like there's too much friction to overcome. Happens more often when the weather is cooler in the AM (but not that cold - 40-50s Farenheit)
This morning my wife was going to have our son crawl through from the front seats, when it finally unlocked on the 12th try.
Last time at the dealer they 'could not replicate'. It is now a safety issue, with kids back there, sometimes with them inside when the doors won't unlock. (pissed)
Did the fix involve a modification that could be causing this, such as a new mechanism, or a heavier lube/grease that the power of the lock cannot overcome? I was told the recall only added some sort of protection or hood to keep water out.
Has anyone else experienced this problem?
Any of you Mazda dealership guys seen this of know more about the freezing lock recall/fix that might explain this?
Thanks.

Could this be a problem with the remote?

[mazdadude]

Had this problem with mine, Mazda replaced the Actuator, and it has not happened since.

[meackerman]

had a similar problem on the passenger side slider, the lock would slide back about half way. dealer replaced the actuator also.

[a10thunder]

I have the exact same problem with my sliding doors. It really annoyed me at first but I've learned to live with it. My car is out of warranty so the dealer won't help me out. I might eventually replace the actuators myself. The inside door cover looks like a PITA to take off though.

[maple_leaf]

What model tear is that? Mine`s an 07 and it hasn`t happened....yet. (headshake

[meackerman]

mine is an 06.

[Mntnbkr]

2006. They were fine for the first year and no probs until after the TSB to fix the freezing locks was done, so either the mod did something, or the actuator was already getting tired and the timing was coincidental.

Guys- Thanks for the lead on the actuators - I will educate my dealer as to the possibility.

[fam]

My red 06 rear passenger door was sluggish to unlock as well. the 2nd click would unlock all the doors except that one. It would take 3 or 4 times constantly to get it to move. Wasnt always that way, started happening after the 1st year Id say. My black 06 works fine, and my white 08 is perfect.

[Mntnbkr]

For anyone keeping score at home, or for future reference...

The dealer did replace the actuator and all is better.
Now, when unlocking the other doors with the second click on the remote or from the interior unlock button, there is no longer a unlock click delay or lag time at the sliders like there was with the old actuator.

Thanks for all the feedback and ideas which definitely helped hon in on the problem and solution.

Unfortuantely these days, dealership service is NOT at an all time high and I feel I actually get things fixed when I know the problem and solution, and convey it to the dealership. It actually got fixed this time vesus the last time when we got the "unable to replicate" line... Maybe they realized that the next time it happened and I could not get my infant son out of the car I was going to break the window...and then bill them for it. :)

Thanks again all.

[065]

My '06 has done this since new. TSB, New actuators, key fobs, still does it. I've had lot's of cars over the past 27 years, and this is the absolute worst car as far as repairs I have EVER owned. My Mazda6 has been exceptional but this 5 has soured me from buying a Mazda again.

[mazdadude]

My '06 has done this since new. TSB, New actuators, key fobs, still does it. I've had lot's of cars over the past 27 years, and this is the absolute worst car as far as repairs I have EVER owned. My Mazda6 has been exceptional but this 5 has soured me from buying a Mazda again.

They replaced the acuator on mine once, and it failed, then they tried replacing it a second time and have not had any problems in over a year.

[doctorz]

have the same problem with the right rear door. Holding the 'unlock' button down for an extra second seems to help. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong. Is this the actuator?

[Mntnbkr]

Sounds like the actuator if the lock will not throw all the way open on the second button-press, but no idea how they 'test' for this at the dealership short of replicating the problem the same way you/I do with the fob.
Ours started as sporadic and eventually took many presses (up to a dozen) to open. Needless to say - very irritating with kids inside the car as we have not yet taught our 5 month old how to unlock the door. :)

A good way to test...stand on the outside of the other side of the car (with the car locked) and look at the slider lock button through the window. Now press unlock twice, first for the driver's door, second for the rest - if you see the actual lock/unlock button on the inside of the problem door slide/throw halfway open, then stall or pop back to lock position, problem solved - actuator.

[purplepirate]

I had the same problem, first on the passenger side sliding door. Actuator replaced at Lou Fusz Mazda, St. Louis.

Then the problem came back, but on the drivers side sliding door. I took it to Fitzgerald Mazda, Frederick, MD, and they reported that the car is operating normally.

I know what normal operation is, and it is not having to press the unlock button 8 times before the door will unlock.

It is also not an issue with the remote, since the blinkers flash and the lock actuators all make their clunking sound with every press. This problem started after the recall repair of potentially freezing locks.

[doctorz]

so the 5 went to our new dealer in Arkansas this week to get the TSB done on the front stabilizer bars, the suspension started clunking. I asked them about the rear passenger lock and they ordered the actuator and will be replacing it next week.

I have to give this dealer a ton of credit, they seem to actually hunt down problems and fix things. The previous dealer we used in Maryland "couldn't replicate" the problem and never bothered to replace the actuator (although to their credit, they managed to fix our squealing A/C belt).

And I'm really glad our 5 has the 4 yr/50K warranty. We're just past 36K miles. Gives us some more time to sort out any remaining issues.

[Mntnbkr]

doctorz-

Good for you, good for them.

Our doors actually unlock now, since the actuators were replaced by the stealership, and no more delayed clunk/lock actuator noise as the rear door tried to unlock but could not.

By the way - who was your MD dealer - would be nice to know who to avoid as I am on my second dealership and not overly happy? What's up with Mazda dealerships/dealerships in general these days - do they intentionaly want PO'd, unsatisfied customers? Their customer service is weak and questionable...

Please post back on the front stabilizer TSB and let me know if it solves the "speed bump/hump squeek" - is this the front end noise you have?
Also, where is your clunk from - our was from the right rear and turned out to be a blown shock/strut. Kudos to our dealership for solving that one - one issue resolved to my satisfaction.

Cheers.

[doctorz]

We were using Heritage Mazda in Owings Mills. They were actually okay, they figured out the squealing A/C issue, I give 'em credit for that. They were honest and certainly tried. But they told me Mazda wouldn't pay for warranty repairs unless a tech duplicated the problem, hence no fix on the actuator.

At the risk of getting off the thread topic...the clunking issue is getting interesting. I thought was coming from the rear. Crain Mazda in Little Rock told me it was the front, they had front stabilizer bar bushings in stock and replaced them. They said the rear looked fine. Meanwhile the actuator had to be ordered. I drive off, notice the car is quieter, it steers great again, but I still hear some noise from the rear. Four days later I return to get the actuator installed and I ask them to look at the rear again. They hear the noise in the rear but still can't find anything obvious. They said the TSB points to "lots of possibilities" and they've ordered the rear stabilizer bar bushings as a start, and I have to go back in the next couple of days to get them installed. They said the shocks look fine.

So in other words...the suspension noise was coming from the front and the rear. I'm planning on posting more when the saga is done, hopefully soon. Thus far this dealer is the most responsive of any I've dealt with (I've had Mazdas in four different states). I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

At least moving this far south has solved one problem...I'm not expecting many days of sub-15 degree temps to bring out the squeaky suspension and the crackling dash!

[john73]

Hello!

I'm having a problem with my rear door actuator on my Mazda Premacy. The door does not lock/open centrally anymore and the actuator makes a strange noise (a kind of whining sound).
Could anyone tell me how to disasemble the actuator and how could I repair this actuator (if anyone has already done that)?

Many thanks!

[mazdadude]

I had some problems in that area on mine, however they were taken care of under warranty. 2x the drivers side sliding door actuator was replaced. The problem or symptom, was the door would not unlock unless the unlock button on the keyfob was pressed 3-4 times. It seemed as if the actuator mechanism was "trying" to work, but you would hear a sickly slow solenoid sound.

Out of curiosity, I just looked in the factory service repair manual for my 2006, and it does not show a detailed diagram of it, and offers no repair instructions, it simply says to replace faulty part.(argh)

However, if mine was not under warranty, I would attempt to examine and service the actuator assy., as it just might need a little lubrication, or a rod/clip popped back on?

[coolmazda5]

Oh well, it is now happening to my 06, it was a fun 4 years without the issue (screwy), but hey, still under warranty. I'll use what I can get.

Yes, the typical now sluggish sound but nothing happens (randomly), getting more obnoxious now that temperature is going down. It happens on the driver's side rear door...

Could somebody please confirm the part number? My research got me to Mazda part C245-72-350 (Electrical - Body electrical - Rear door - Lock actuator) but not sure.

Thanks!

[skyhawk]

Out of curiosity, I just looked in the factory service repair manual for my 2006, and it does not show a detailed diagram of it, and offers no repair instructions, it simply says to replace faulty part.(argh)

However, if mine was not under warranty, I would attempt to examine and service the actuator assy., as it just might need a little lubrication, or a rod/clip popped back on?

I have seen this in other vehicles (i.e. toyota previa). There is an assembly that includes a small motor. There are gears. motor turns in one direction, door unlocks. Other direction, door locks. So everytime you press on that remote control, motor operates. Motor has a carbon brush (tiny ones) that is expected to wear out after sometime. It is not worth the time fixing the motor itself. too tiny.

There are plastic gears that can break. But chances are there is already a 'flat spot' on the motor commutator wherein current will not flow. Which explains the intermittent nature of the problem. Dealer tech will not bother
finding out if they can just lubricate it. They will shove in new parts and off you go. Saves them time and minimizes chances of customer coming back for same problem.

Tiny parts like these that can break within 5 years.. seem to justify the extended warranty.

[KBrian]

Hope I can squeeze in this question about locks. '07 GT when unlocked with remote, relocks automatically in about 30 sec.s if a door is not opened. Is this normal?

[skyhawk]

Hope I can squeeze in this question about locks. '07 GT when unlocked with remote, relocks automatically in about 30 sec.s if a door is not opened. Is this normal?

It is normal. Added safety in case you 'unlock' the car and somehow remember you forgot something.. you don't want the car unsecured. Also if you pressed the 'unlock' by mistake instead of the 'lock'. You'll be assured the car will lock itself up.

[SGT_OKINAWA]

It is normal. Added safety in case you 'unlock' the car and somehow remember you forgot something.. you don't want the car unsecured. Also if you pressed the 'unlock' by mistake instead of the 'lock'. You'll be assured the car will lock itself up.

Is there a way to turn this feature on and off?

I THOUGHT my 06 Premacy had this, could have sworn it did. Well when I first got it, it did. So one day, after I took off the negative battery cable to do some fog lamp work, etc. It’s not done it since, will not self lock anymore.

Thanks is advance! (first)

Peace!(rei)

[coolmazda5]

Could somebody please confirm the part number? My research got me to Mazda part C245-72-350 (Electrical - Body electrical - Rear door - Lock actuator) but not sure.


Bump, I just want to make sure they don't try to change some other thing. If they are going to open the door panels, they better get it right at the 1st try :)

Thanks!

[deisz001]

I've got the same problem with my Dutch 2005 Mazda5. The lock on the sliding door often only opens after 2 presses on the remote. I'm quite sure it has something to do with lubrication, since once it has opened succesfully, I can close and open it without a problem. It's only after the car has been parked for a longer period (e.g. during the night), that the problem occurs.