In order to be roadworthy and safe, your car needs to stay buttoned up. The hood needs to latch securely, and the trunk should close and latch. All car doors should also close securely. This protects you while driving, and it also ensures that items in the car aren’t able to roll or fall out of the vehicle while moving. If your car door will not shut, there’s a problem that needs to be diagnosed. It may be one of several different issues. While all car doors are cosmetically different in terms of length, width, height, color and even thickness, they all work in the same basic way. There’s a latch on the inside edge of the door that’s designed to connect with a cable to the handle of the door on both the inside and the outside. On the inner edge of the doorframe is a catch that the latch secures to. As the door closes, the latch encounters the catch, and closes around it. This holds the door securely closed until you pull the handle. This opens the latch, and the door swings open on a hinge (or a set of hinges). Of course, this only works if the latch is in good working condition and the catch is likewise in good shape. The door hinge also plays a role – it not only allows your door to swing open and closed, but helps align the door with the catch so that opening/closing is as smooth and easy as possible.

The mechanic will inspect your door’s alignment, as well as the condition of both the door latch and catch. It may be necessary to remove the door panel to access the cable that runs from the handle to the latch.

If your door won’t close, it is unsafe to drive your car on the road. It may swing open, allowing items in the car (or you or your passengers) to fall out. It also makes driving unsafe because you will physically need to hold the door closed while the vehicle is in motion. One of our expert mechanics can quickly determine the problem and repair your door.