The driver's door lock on my 93 Camry LE. I cannot
unlock the door. While the car has electric door
locks, this appears to be a mechanical problem as
I can hear the solenoid operating and can observe
some motion in the manual lock mechanism near the
inside handle as I toggle the switch from lock to
unlock and back again. However, the lock will not
release electrically I cannot move the manual
release far enough to unlock the door. Neithe the
inside or outside handles will engage to open the
door.
When I try the key from the outside, there is less
than the normal amount of travel (rotation) in the
unlock direction, but it works normally in the
locking direction. There seems to be an
obstruction. All other doors operate normally and,
as I mentioned, I can hear and observe the
solenoid in the driver's door functioning. I have
tried operating the switch a number of times in
hopes that it will clear the obstruction, but with
no luck.
Since the door is locked closed, I suspect that it
is impossible to remove the door panel to
determine the problem. Is there are any Toyota tech's out there who have
seen this before and can help unlock the door so I can remove the panel please?.

 

I have the exact problem as you have or had. I can't get the driver door opened to fix it. Did you ever find a solution ? I would really appreciate your input regarding this. Thank you. Yong

 

Hi, Yong! I had the same problem on my 95 LE, and the only way I was able to gain access to the internals of the door was by nearly breaking the panel at the top, along the edge of the window frame. The door latch itself is shrouded by a white piece of plastic that wraps over it almost entirely, and is tough yet flexible- so I had to break mine to gain access. I used a long metal rod to eventually move the "claw" of the latch into the open position. Once I was able to pop my door open, the panel removed easily enough by removing the screws and giving it a firm, upward tug. The door handles and locks operate via thin metal rods, which are somewhat flexible, and prone to rust. Replacing the rods, handles, and plastic clips were easy enough work, and I found the parts second-hand in a junk yard. Let me know how it's going!

 

Can you lower the window? From my tow truck days the lock is outside the glass the door mechanism inside. Once the window is down you fish for the lock/latch actuator. The trunk on my Camry will only open if pulled from inside. the lock position blocks the open actuator. Have the time to go to a salvage yard and look inside the door. Things are easier to find in the dark if you know what you are looking for. I unlocked a VW Beetle with a spoon at a Pizza Hut? The out side lock lift up, handle down,, inside pull forward to open and unlock 4 possible things to try. A good locksmith can probably open the door he does it every day. Bet him $10 he can not open the door! Worth $10? Where is my trunk lid torsion bar? shim open the corner and work the manual locks!