can't get driver side door open. HELP!
 

So, i think i made the mistake of trying to open my door and hitting the lock/unlock button at the same time. Now my drivers door wont open with either the outside or inside handles. I had to crawl out the passenger side to get out. The lock button on the top of the door seems to go up and down just fine and the key seems to work in the lock. I was going to take a stab at taking the door panel off for investigation BUT, i dont know how to get the door open to do so! Please help!!!

How cold is it near you? This is a pretty common MINI problem in the winter. Last winter I was completely stuck in the car (both door actuators froze).

It will open eventually -- its just going to need to warm up a little -- it will also be sporadic and random (FUN TIMES).

To try to prevent it -- I started spraying PB Blaster into the door lock area when it did open up -- because oil takes longer to freeze?? Its a theory -- who knows but it seemed to work.

Good luck.

Carefully try unlocking the door with the key from the outside. Don't force it if it's frozen.

Im in the car currently.. the door sounds like it locks and unlocks and the lil knob goes up and down. Same issue you were experiencing? And it definitely isnt that the door itself is frozen shut. Some sort of mechanical issue it seems. Was it that the part was just very cold and wasnt working right? It did snow 8" last night :D. Got off work at 130am, door opened fine, drove home, door did not open O_O

Yup... Same exact behavior. Knob went up and down fine... I couldnt even open it from the outside one time. Really classy having to crawl over to the other side in a suit. I almost climbed out of the sunroof once...it's a mini quirk. The lock and the door mechanism I'm not that familiar with. Only way to describe it is like it's not "catching" the release mechanism....

With the door open if you squeeze the handle to open the door it feels different than with the door closed. This is what I was feeling when I couldn't open it from the outside.

If you do get it open again...spray some sort of lubricant in there.

Yeah, when the door is in the unlock position, feels like the handles arent doing anything when pulled. I was inside the car and locked it and then tried to open the door and it felt like it was catching again. I figured that if it were the electrical locking mech, the knob wouldnt move but could still manually open door with handle. Sheesh.. i just worry cause i wouldnt know how to get the door panel off without openind the door, haha
Thanks again for your input

I actually think you can't -- its a real issue because the lock actuator definitely fails... I don't know what you do...

Hmm....

How long did it take before your issue cured itself? Did it just miraculously work when it got above freezing? Ive owned the car for a month now.. brought it from pheonix to denver. Dont think it ever experienced any of the cold weather issues till now. I dont roll up/down the windows when its cold cause ive noticed the motors freeze up. But the door lock issue is on a completely different level. I am anti-dealership to the core. But idk where to start if i cant get the door open to even get to any parts!!!! AAAGGHH

Hey - yeah i had the issue during last years polar vortex so it was cold, very cold here on the east coast.

It only happened a few times and like I said whether coincidence or not I sprayed the whole inside of the door side of the actuator with lubricant as soon as I got the door to open and was fine after that.

Same thing happened to the trunk a few times

Man, you were totally right. But it was odd. I drove the vehicle to the mountain to go snowboarding this morning and climbed over the passenger seat to get in when i took off. After boarding half the day, went back to the car and thought i'd at least give it a try. And heck, it popped right open like nothing was ever wrong. It was like 12 degrees up there and light snow. Damn car. The thing almost seems like a joke to me. Had the most oddball issues with it. Throttle position sensor causing limp mode, strut mounts with bearings that rotate, window motors and lock actuators "freezing" up... whats next?

Do you really want to know???!!! :-/ haha...keep reading the forum your "pain" has been very light....power steering is definitely on the list of things that will go out at some point, strut tower mushrooming, rear sway bar bushings, Lower control arms, rear hatch actuator, crank pulley, belt tensioner, AC compressor clutch coil, upper and Lower engine mounts ..I suggest you get handy with a torque wrench....or get a lotto ticket - upkeep on these cars is constant....I do call it upkeep though...with miles comes wear out.

Hahaha!!! I feel pretty confident in my mechanical skills. The issues i have seen with the mini, i almost think i need to be a witch doctor -_-. And i am all too familiar with costly vehicles. My other car has the acronym that spells out Just Empty Every Pocket

frozen door handle, HACK
 

I made a slim jim out of a hack saw blade (slimjim is a tool cops and car thefts use to open car doors) I sawed a notch on the dull side of the hacksaw blade, slipped it between door glass and rubber molding a little in frunt of the key slot in the handle. Wiggled it around to catch the cable housing while depressing the door handle. Had door open within a minute, no harm to the door, window or paint. Not a permanent solution but it might get you in. Good luck

Last time I posted this response everyone complained about it.
My 03 has the handles freeze when cold and wet out, was stuck in the car at home depot parking lot, had to roll down windows and climb out.

the microswitch in the handle is what freezes. take your gloves off and hold the handle for awhile till it warms up then it will open. Sucks but once the handle warms up it will open.

Here is the other fix for the new handle design, also what i have seen work is to spray a little wd 40 and/or PB blaster in the lock before winter and run the key it it a couple times. Work it back and forth, then do the seam on the handle latch and wipe it clean.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-doors-2.html