Question: I was involved in a car accident last week heading home from work. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt, but my passenger car door now won’t open after the accident. How can I fix this?
Answer: Car doors might seem simple, but they contain a number of parts that can be damaged in an accident, which can then prevent your door from fully opening or closing. Unfortunately, until you can pinpoint the cause of the damage, you won’t know exactly how to fix it.
Why won’t my car door open after an accident?
Your door may be jammed because of damage to its internal mechanisms. This likely includes the safety lock and latch—the components that hold your door closed. The safety latch is located on the door itself. It aligns with the safety lock, which is located on the body of the car.
There could also be damage to the hinges, which may cause the door to sag, wedging it in place.
And damage to your car’s electrical system could cause the locks to malfunction, freezing the door in place.
One more potential factor: If the accident caused damage to other parts of your vehicle, like your fenders, frame, or body panels, the deformed parts could be physically blocking the door from opening.
NEED TO KNOW: Your car door also contains other components that can be damaged, like the striker pin (a steel bolt located on the door) and the striker plate (a latch located on the body of the car that aligns with the striker pin). While these aren’t likely to cause the door to jam, you still may need to factor this into the cost of repairing your vehicle.
How to open a door that’s jammed after an accident
- Check that the door is unlocked. This might seem obvious, but it will be easier to free the damaged door if it’s unlocked.
- Try the inside and outside handles. Sometimes only one side of the door handle will malfunction, so be sure to try both.
- Look for visible obstructions. You might need to pry away a panel or bent fender that’s blocking the door.
How to fix a stuck car door
Whether you can eventually open the door yourself or not, you shouldn’t attempt to fix a damaged car door yourself unless you’re very experienced with auto body work. If your car door isn’t fixed properly, it could swing open while you’re driving, creating an extremely dangerous situation for yourself, your passengers, or anyone else on the road.
If the damage is to the hinges or lock, or if there’s something stuck in the door frame that’s blocking it, a technician may be able to remove the door and repair or replace the broken components. But if the door is severely damaged, you’ll probably need to have it replaced entirely.
And while some frame damage can be repaired, it can get expensive. Often, the cost to repair the frame damage is more than the car is worth. In this case, the car is declared a total loss and is no longer considered safe to drive.
Expert insurance writer and editor Amy Bobinger specializes in car repair, car maintenance, and car insurance. Amy is passionate about creating content that helps consumers navigate challenges related to car ownership and achieve financial success in areas relating to cars. Amy has over 10 years of writing and editing experience. After several years as a freelance writer, Amy spent four years as an editing fellow at WikiHow, where she co-authored over 600 articles on topics including car maintenance and home ownership. Since joining Jerry’s editorial team in 2022, Amy has edited over 2,500 articles on car insurance, state driving laws, and car repair and maintenance.
Everett Cook is an award-winning journalist and editor with more than 10 years of experience across a variety of industries. In editing for Jerry, Everett’s mission is to help readers have a better understanding of the costs of owning or leasing a car and to better understand their vehicle in terms of insurance and repairs. Prior to joining Jerry, Everett was an editor for Axios. His previous work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, Atlantic Re:think, The Boston Globe, USA Today, and others. He’s also been a freelance writer and editor with experience in SEO, audience building, and long-term content roadmaps. Everett is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.
