How To Fix A Child Lock On Car Door: Easy Tips

DIY Security Systems

Most cars that are equipped with child safety lock systems may often experience a technical glitch, forcing owners to step out of the car and open the doors from the outside for the passenger. This kind of problem may be fixed quite easily and economically without the need to go to the repair shop. In this article, we will discuss the simple steps on how to fix child lock on car door, which will save you that expensive trip to the repair shop.

What are Child Locks?

Before we proceed on how to fix child lock on the car door, you must first know what a child lock is. Child locks are little switches normally built on the side of the rear doors. You can activate or deactivate it only when the car doors are open. When switched on, passengers, specifically the kids, may not be able to open the doors from the insides even if the latch is opened. This means that someone must open the door handle from the outside of the car to let passengers out.

Types of Child Car Locks

Child door lock systems on cars prevent passengers from opening the car door from the inside but will permit you to open the door from the outside. Most of the latest cars will have these on each rear door. They can vary, depending on the vehicle, but they are usually one of 3 types:

1. Lever
2. Key in slot
3. Dashboard button

To discover yours, the first place to look is your car owner’s manual. It will show you exactly where to find the locks and how to engage them.

How to use Child Locks?

1. Before considering turning on these safety features, it would be a good decision to securely park your vehicle and ensure that your children or pets are adequately attended to. 
2. Open the door or doors that you desire to “childproof.” The lock switch must be located just beneath the latch on the external edge of the door.
3. Slide the switch to the opposite side to initiate the Child Lock. In other cases, you will have to use a key. Do remember that Child Locks must be turned on individually and that they can only be opened from the outside.

How to Engage the Car’s Child Lock?

Several cars have a lever or key in slot child locks. To find these, open your rear doors, and you will find the locks on the inside that you won’t be able to see when the door is closed. Normally, an icon or a sticker looks like a child and an arrow to indicate how to engage it.

For the lever locks, just flip them up or down. The key in slot ones will be a recessed button with a little notch in it. You can use a car key, a flat screwdriver, or a coin to turn it. In some modern cars, there should be a dashboard button or an electronic control to engage the locks.  

Consult the manual guide to ensure you are engaging them correctly.

Steps on How to Fix Child Lock on Car Door

Step 1

The first step on how to fix child lock on car door is to discard the plastic cover around the child lock lever using a flat-head screwdriver to reveal a more massive hole in the lock mechanism.

Step 2

Spray a WD-40 in and around the lock lever, making sure to apply the lubricant deeply into the child lock mechanism.

Step 3

Turn off the child safety and switch it on several times to loosen it, then reset. Do this around 15 to 20 times and repeat this process for all problematic doors.

Step 4

The last step on how to fix child lock on car door is to substitute the plastic cover over the child lock device and close the car door. Drive and check if the trouble persists. If the problem persists, repeat this method and place tape over the lever, pushing the lever down. Be sure that the tape is tough enough to hold the bar in the down position.