Rep Power: 0

The drivers' side door of my 2008 Honda Civic DX stopped opening a few days ago. All of a sudden, I was unable to open it from the inside or the outside. Of course, when something like that happens, you keep trying to open and close the door. After several attempts, I was able to get out of the car once, but then I shut the door and was unable to open it. So I kept attempting to open the door. Managed to get it open and closed a couple more times before it stopped opening at all. I then partially dismantled the door to get it open, and left it that way so I could work on it. At first I assumed one of the hooks inside the door panel had somehow fallen out and I would just need to open the door panel and put them back in place, but when I opened up the door panel, that's not what I saw. The hooks were fine. Then, I got the great idea of experimenting with the passenger side door, to see if I could figure out why the drivers's side door wasn't working. I used a screwdriver to manipulate the door lock actuator of the passenger side door - and then it got stuck, so I can't open or close that door either now.

Passenger side



Drivers' side

I don't know if these actuators are broken and need to be replaced, or maybe there's something I could do to get them working. Especially with the passenger side, because there was no issue with that until I stupidly manipulated it to see how it worked.

I just removed the drivers' side actuator and was playing around with it to see if it's operational. It seemed to be operational the first few times I manipulated it, but then it stopped responding to me operating the door handle, me operating the metal lever the door handle is connected to, and me attempting to manipulate it directly with a screwdriver. Video:

 
Rep Power: 221

That would be the latch, not the actuator, unless they became one integral unit on the newer cars.
could try lubing the hell out of it but i would just grab another latch.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thank you for responding - this is the first response in the two posts I've made here.

The latch is part of the actuator - that's why I'm asking about the actuator. This is what the unit looks like:

72150-SNA-A03

 
Rep Power: 221

Grab a latch, could gamble with the junkyard, or go new from the dealer or maybe aftermarket from rockauto.

 
Rep Power: 0

Everyone tells me "go to the junkyard." Even garages were talking me out of bringing the car in for them to work on, and told me "go get a new door at the junkyard." So I did.

After 3 weeks of struggling to install the door that I bought from the junkyard, I finally reached the point where I could attach the connector that goes from the handle to the actuator. As I was fumbling around inside the door, searching for the clip to attach the connector cable to... there IS NO CLIP TO ATTACH IT TO. THE AREA WHERE THERE SHOULD BE A FEMALE CLIP TO INSERT THE CABLE INTO, IS TOTALLY FLAT.

This door I bought from the junkard, after telling them my make and model and confirming my VIN, seems to not be compatible with my make and model. First of all, the handle it came with did not have a keyhole, so I had to replace it with my old one. Took me a long time because it's not as easy as it looks, but I finally got that done. This junkyard door must be for a model of 2008 Honda Civic DX Sedan that has electronic locks. My 2008 Honda Civic DX Sedan has only manual locks. There are no fobs.

So I need to know, is there more than one type of door for a 2008 Honda Civic DX Sedan? Because I'm starting to think the junkyard that everyone recommended to me sold me the wrong door and I wasted 3 weeks of my life installing it for nothing. The actuator is not compatible since it doesn't seem to have the clip to attach the cable from the handle to. I assumed a car junkyard would know that, I assumed they would know more than me about car parts, and would not have sold me the wrong kind of door, but then where do I attach the handle cable to?

 
Rep Power: 0

Sometimes there is a difference if your civic was assembled in Japan vs if it was assembled in the United States.