Godamn auto doorlock

[criticalm@ss]

I just want to slap the designer who thought this was a good idea.
Other than pulling the fuse or clipping the wire am I missing something
here? duh key is in the ignition dont lock the door!
end rant
I almost busted out the window I was so pist off.

[vrg3]

Wait -- what exactly are you complaining about? I don't follow.

[evolutionmovement]

I speak a little Angry Rant, so I'll guess that it has something to do with a failed actuator or the door handle return spring's plastic pin breaking.

[Legacy777]

This is likely your problem....

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=40575

[criticalm@ss]

no the auto door locking feature, even when ignition is on the door will lock you out!
gona clip wire.

[SILINC3R]

Did the same thing the other week. Luckly my dad left the passenger side down enough to get a golf club in to unlock the door.

[kimokalihi]

Never had this happen before. Maybe I don't have that feature and it hasn't happened on my previous 2 legacys either.

[evolutionmovement]

The failed pin will cause the doors to constantly lock. The pin holds the seated side of the return spring for the door handle. When it breaks, the spring rests on the door lock, pushing it in the locked position. Seeing as Subaru also makes the driver's lock the master lock, it will also automatically lock all the doors. Of course, the driver's door being the door used most often, it's the most likely to fail and it is a common problem. Had both my fronts go, but the fix is pretty easy and very cheap.

[criticalm@ss]

where is this assembly located?

[evolutionmovement]

It's the door handle/lock assembly. The spring is a clothes pin style. One end is attached to the door handle and the hook on the other end rests on a plastic hook, which breaks. That end then presses against the door lock button, which happens to push it "locked". You have to remove the assembly to see it. You can follow the other directions posted or, what I did (which IIRC, is a little different, but I don't care to read it again right now) was drill holes on each side of the housing so that I could insert an ~1/16" rod across, intersecting about where the plastic pin had been (it's easy to tell where that is when you see it). As I inserted the rod through one hole, I used a pair of pliers or something to push the spring off the lock button, and slid the rod all the way across through the other hole so that the hook on the end of the spring grabbed the rod. I then bent the rod ends on the outside to hold them and clipped the extra with a Dremel. I think I also had to use the Dremel to grind the lock button slightly where it otherwise hit the rod, but there's no way to even tell to look at it installed.

[kimokalihi]

Could this have anything to do with my recent door lock problem where I lock the doors via the lock button on the drivers door and exit the vehicle, hold the handle up from the outside, close the door and it unlocks it rather than keeping it locked?

[Legacy777]

no the auto door locking feature, even when ignition is on the door will lock you out!
gona clip wire.

There is no auto door locking feature on these cars. As Steve described above, the problem is the spring pushing on the back of the door lock button. It happens when you pull the door handle to open the door. It causes more pressure on the door lock button and locks it. It's a very easy and quick fix. The paper clip trick has worked for me since the late 90's.

[Legacy777]

Could this have anything to do with my recent door lock problem where I lock the doors via the lock button on the drivers door and exit the vehicle, hold the handle up from the outside, close the door and it unlocks it rather than keeping it locked?

That kind of sounds like a different issue, but until you take it apart and look at it, it'd be hard to say for sure.

[kimokalihi]

Lately it seems like if I pull up harder on it, it usually works. You have to listen for a click to know it's going to work but I never used to have to pull that hard.