2011 4Runner Auto Door Lock Issue

[Scarpozzi]

I started having problems with my door locks. I did some searches, but can't find my problem.

Things leading up to the problem.
1. My wife had my car detailed last Thursday.
2. This Thursday a rain storm came and water leaked through the sunroof....it was likely open slightly and I didn't notice. (Never happened before). There was a puddle in the all weather mats, but the seats weren't bad.

Problem Description:
Doors lock and unlock normally after the key is turned on.
When leaving the vehicle and using the key fob, they will lock and unlock a few times....then not.

Returning after a while, I have to use the manual key to unlock....the lock/unlock button won't work. Placing the key in the ignition will reset the relay and everything will work again. This seems like the relay leg or capacitor that gets power to the actuators is mucked up. I just don't know where to even look to find it. I may have to dig to find an electrical manual.

It appears the relay runs 500 plus dollars. Does anybody know anything about this stuff?

 

[herm0016]

did you let the thing dry out good? like put it in the sun with the windows open all day?

did the radio get wet? may be the body control modual. if you can find it, see if its wet or looks like it got wet. a lot of cars put them on the passenger side floor board. not sure on yours.

 

[Scarpozzi]

did you let the thing dry out good? like put it in the sun with the windows open all day?

did the radio get wet? may be the body control modual. if you can find it, see if its wet or looks like it got wet. a lot of cars put them on the passenger side floor board. not sure on yours.

I thought about that.... only saw water on the driver side.
Didn't look like the radio got wet. I was eating lunch during the storm and I removed the rubber floormat on the driver side so the carpet would dry quicker.

The detailing made me wonder because they wiped all surfaces with an oily cleaner of some sort. It's maybe 75 degrees today and overcast...not great for drying a car out if water's stuck somewhere.

I may try garaging it and pointing a dehumidifier fan at the open doors.

 

[mindless1]

? 75 and overcast has nothing to do with drying a car out. Put a box fan in it with the door open and the battery disconnected. Do NOT just let it sit to passively dry while fungus/mold/etc grows... if it's not already too late.

 

[Scarpozzi]

? 75 and overcast has nothing to do with drying a car out. Put a box fan in it with the door open and the battery disconnected. Do NOT just let it sit to passively dry while fungus/mold/etc grows... if it's not already too late.

I should be clear that my all weather mats stopped a lot of water and I probably dumped a cup or so out....the driver floorboard carpet was mainly what was wet and I dried it with 2-3 rags before running my heater/AC on the floor setting to speed it along. I don't know if the water has anything to do with the door issue...just noticed it afterwards.

I read some forums that suggested resetting the computer....4+ hour battery unplug. That's what I'm trying now.

The issue makes me think the power source of the door locks changes when the ignition is off vs on because the door locks only cease to function when the key is turned off....3-4 lock/unlock cycles after it's turned off, it stops working. I have some detailed documentation from Toyota, but it requires testing the computer and basically accessing stuff under the dashboard....ick.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I may not be much help. I've been restoring my brother's Nissan 95 Pickup SE. It had 24-year-old window film that had turned purple with multitudes of air-bubbles, making it very difficult to see anything in the exterior mirror from the driver's side. You had to roll down the window just to feel safe. So I spent several-days' time removing the film.

This process required using Ammonia-based liquids, covering the window with plastic sheets to hold the spray-on fluids in place for some period of time. Lots of the liquid had dripped down onto the armrests, where the door-lock switches are located as well as the electric window switches. For a while -- a couple days -- the passenger window would not respond to the armrest switch on either side of the car. I was mindful to turn the starter switch or let the car idle while I confirmed this problem.

Then, the following day, the electric window began working again without fail.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I may not be much help. I've been restoring my brother's Nissan 95 Pickup SE. It had 24-year-old window film that had turned purple with multitudes of air-bubbles, making it very difficult to see anything in the exterior mirror from the driver's side. You had to roll down the window just to feel safe. So I spent several-days' time removing the film.

This process required using Ammonia-based liquids, covering the window with plastic sheets to hold the spray-on fluids in place for some period of time. Lots of the liquid had dripped down onto the armrests, where the door-lock switches are located as well as the electric window switches. For a while -- a couple days -- the passenger window would not respond to the armrest switch on either side of the car. I was mindful to turn the starter switch or let the car idle while I confirmed this problem.

Then, the following day, the electric window began working again without fail.

That's why I mentioned the car being detailed...the interior came back all conditioned and oily....then there was water introduced to the interior and I thought those things may be to blame. What's odd....everything works fine when the key is in the on position. (except for the key fobs because they're disabled during car operation) As soon as I take the key out of the ignition, the locks and key fobs works fine for about 5-10 seconds....then both the key fob AND the lock/unlock toggle on the drivers/passengers side go dead.

I can turn the key back to the on position and things work again for 5-10 seconds after turning it back off again. In addition to the lock/unlock buttons AND actuators....the rear liftgate button fails to unlock, because it's powered by the same circuit. I've checked all the fuses and still can't locate one that appears to be blown. I've even swapped a bunch of the 10amp and 7.5amp fuses with others to see if the problem gets solved...nothing yet. I posted this question on a 4Runner forum and haven't gotten any fix either.

 

[Rifter]

Find the body control module, it may have got wet its sometimes located under the seats or under the dash, make sure it didnt get wet, if it did replace it or at least test all the pins to ensure it is working properly.