e46 driver door does not unlock
 

Ok so today I tried unlocking my door and then pressing the button again to unlock the other door. I drive a 2000 328ci. The other door unlocked but the driver door did not. However, when I try to unlock the doors while locked, I do hear an unlocking sound comming from the driver door as if something should have been unlocked, but the little pin doesn't pop up and the door remains locked.

The locking switch inside doesnt unlock the door either. the door will lock when you lock the doors, but the only way to unlock the driver door is to pull the handle from the inside.

I figured it could be a lot of things, but hopefully i'm lucky and its only a switch i got to swap out. Can anyone offer any advice. Thanks a lot.

-Mike:dunno

Hey....

Welcome!

I would have said sollenoid needs replaced but that would not be the case as you can lock the doos. Might be a bad relay o something.

Wait till the morning when dudesky and clapton and everyone else gets on, i'm sure you'll get an answer at some point in the NEAR future.

I got nothing man, don't know jack about E46's. But it sounds mechanical in nature; definitely in the door. I'd say pop off the door panel to observe what's going on in there :dunno

Something is definitely slipping or a piece may have been broken inside the door panel. Since you can hear it trying, the motor/gears seem to be good but it's not getting it connection inside to make it unlock. Like Dudesky said, take off the door panel and have a look and you'll be able to see where it is "slipping". Then you'll know what piece to replace and it will probably be pretty easy to remove the bad and put in the good on your own.

Good luck

See if this helps:

http://files.unitedbimmer.com/ub.c/c1apton/146.png

Thanks guys. That's what I would have originally thought too. However, when I press the lock/unlock located on the console, the driver door does not lock or unlock (you can't hear anything either). The other door and gas filler cap lock and unlock just fine.

When I use the button on the key everything locks fine, but it's only when I use the button on the key that I can hear the driver door unlocking but it really doesn't. Could it be a switch malfunctioning?

Your door lock actuator is malfunctioning. They run about 150$ and require someone with know-how to do in 30min. A back yard mechanic that hasent taken a door pannel off before. Possibly 2 hours.

Since yours is a coupe your going to have to unbolt the window from the regulator, remove the 2 10mms on the left side of the door and pull that side of the regulator out of the way. then there are 3 T30 torx by the door latch that you need to remove, a cable that you pull off that connects your exterior door handle to the lock actuator andunplug the actuator. Then you can shimmy it out. The door pin and cables that attaches to the inside door handle need to be switched over to the new one.

Also if you have front side airbags they have to come off, but remember DO NOT turn the key on while the air bag is unpluged or you will have an airbag light that will have to be cleared. Also dont have the key on while you plug the airbag in or it suppoustly goes off in yoru face, or so im told.

I had the same exact problem with my passenger side door, would only open from the handle on the inside of the car. Until it gets fixed try your best not to raise or lower the window on that door. Mine made a pretty awful scratching noise when it was like that, fortunately the window didn't get scratched. Better safe then sorry though.

2003 325i driver door lock problem
 

I have the same problem. When I press unlock button on the remote the driver door does not unlock. I press it again, all the other doors unlock.
I replaced the door lock actuator and problem persists. By the way, this is the second new actuator so I know it's not the actuator.

I am not sure what else could be causing this problem. Everything else seems to function ok. Windows roll down if hold the unlock button, etc.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

:drive2

Guys... I am also having the same problem here. It started two days ago. Both door will lock with remote control but passager door will not unlock with remote control. I have to use my key to unlock it.

When I am driving, the both doors whould automatically lock itself when I drive above 20mpg but only the passager door will lock not the driver's door.

I tried to press the lock/unlock button at the consol, the passager door would not lock or unlock....... Please helph here.

DYI e46 door problem actuator
 

Check your connections...before replacing
 

I recently had a E-46 that had had body work done at some point and the connectors were exposed where they were supposed to be sealed and it required alot of time looking for a needle in a haystack, but still recently a mini-cooper with the same symptoms as the original post...It ultimately was an owner whom left the windows open in a rainstorm....cost alot of money before that customer owned up!.

The lock actuators as well as linkages can be a problem and someone with know-how can usually pinpoint it.
A GT-1 helps greatly...

I just looked at the WDS and the GM or general module, (located behind the glove box) is the controller for all central locking functions, recently had an e-46 where the customer says all of a sudden his red blinking light on the rear view mirror stopped blinking, when he presses the button on the key, the lights did not blink, the door lock actuators were acting up and it ended up being the GM needed reprogramming cause some where along the way it lost that valuble piece of information it needed to maintain what it used to do...and by the way this car did not have an alarm...he just wanted it programmed to think it did....it can be done with a GT-1.