# 2011 Routan Door Issues



## mylene169 (Dec 18, 2018)

Hello! We've had our 2011 Routan for a little over 2 years now. A little over a year ago we had our passenger side slider fixed because it wouldn't always open or close, no matter which button we pushed. Now starting this fall all of the power doors have progressively started opening and closing on their own. First it was the passenger side slider. We thought it was an issue with the battery in the fob and replaced it. That seemed to help for a day or two before it started again. As it got colder that door stopped having a mind of it's own but then the driver side slider started and just the past weekend the tailgate is now opening and closing whenever it gets the urge. It seems to only be happening when you are near the van with the fob. However if you lock the van and walk away, chances are good some door on some side is going to open on its own at some point. I try not to keep anything too valuable in the van, but we were on vacation this weekend and when we came out the tailgate was wide open, it's kind of a safety concern at this point. It's also making me completely crazy... but that's beside the point. If the van is running the doors all stay shut, so that's good. But as soon as you approach it or turn it off it's anyone's guess which door will open without a button anywhere being touched. Along with that the buttons on the fob have gotten hard to push it seems... but not always the same buttons. I've searched pretty far back in the forum here, as well as across the internet, and I haven't come across this particular problem yet. We're going to call a dealership soon, but I'm wondering if anyone here may have had a similar problem and may know how to fix it


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## jayruguitar (Jan 16, 2005)

Def sounds like an electrical gremlin. I'd get to a dealership sooner rather than later.


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## georgef61 (May 16, 2011)

It sounds like loose contacts in the FOB, you can read about this problem on the Chrysler minivan forum here: https://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/160033-How-to-shorten-range-of-key-fob?p=1599729&viewfull=1#post1599729

(In case you don't know, the Chrysler vans are sisters to your Routan.)


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## dxgroutan (Dec 5, 2018)

Most likely a fob issue. Take the battery out of the fob, put it away and use the other fob. If you don't have a second fob, get one.


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## ROH2593 (Jan 6, 2019)

Hi everyone,
New to the forums and instead of starting a new thread I thought I'd ask my question in this thread since it's related.

I also have a 2011 Routan with Driver Side Door issues. I've done a lot of research and watched several vid's on YouTube. I'm sure it has to do with the wire harness. That isn't the problem.

Problem is, the sliding door will not open at all, not even manually from the inside. I have even taken off the plastic cover over the door handle (on inside) and have tried pulling on the cables to see if that would unlock the door - no luck. So I can't even open the door to take off the door panel to get access to the wiring harness or anything else.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can just open the door? At this point, I'd be happy if the door just worked manually. I'm thinking I might have to cut out an access area/hole on the door panel to try and get access to the lock mechanism. 

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks


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## Zambee500 (Jun 23, 2011)

I don't think that is the wiring harness, if you mean the wires in the black plastic continuous track that runs underneath the door that looks similar to the tracking that covers wheels on a tank. While those wires do get brittle and break, usually you get weird squirrely electrical gremlins, or the power slider stops working but the door itself still works manually.

With door stuck closed, it could be a failed lock actuator or the rear latch assembly failed while door is closed. Both have plastic gear wheels inside and the plastic gets brittle over time and the plastic teeth break off rendering them inoperable spinning in place. If you have or had a buzzing sound from the door for awhile when you used the power locks, that is the lock actuator failing. Usually if it is the door lock actuator the power lock function fails but you should still be able to manually move the lock/unlock from inside the van. 

I experienced a rear latch assembly failure a couple years ago, where the door was stuck closed and I could not move the lock back and forth manually at all. It was completely stuck closed and would not open because the rear latch would not release to allow the door to pop outward from the side of the van.

Either way it is a nasty job. The interior of the door must be disassembled, the wiring and linkages removed, the window either taped into place closed (up) or removed altogether so you can get everything removed from inside the door. My mechanic charged me $350 labor by the hour and he is very good. I believe book rate is considerably higher. 

The rear latch assembly part was $400 and only option was OE (at the time anyway). The lock actuator is $100-$150 part for OE for a Gen 5 Chrysler van, which is what the Routan is. However, there is a Gen 4 aftermarket part at 1aAuto.com (Search part# 1ADLA00087 for both driver or passenger side) that is $20-$30 and will work on the Gen 5 vans as long as you save the orange clip off the original part you are removing and put it on the Gen 4 part. If your problem is the rear latch assembly, I'd highly suggest considering also replacing the lock actuator for the extra $30 in parts while you have everything torn apart. It will save you hundreds of dollars in future repairs. 

Good luck, and post back with updates.


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## Zambee500 (Jun 23, 2011)

Here are a couple of videos that demonstrate what all is involved with replacing the lock actuators:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVod3qLx5F4

https://youtu.be/-eqAsHFPFgI


That first link shows how to use the much cheaper actuator for the Gen 4 vans in the Gen 5 vans. It has website and part number for it. And I don't know if all Gen4 parts will work in the Gen5 vans, but at least that specific after-market part from 1aAuto will work in Gen 5 vans.


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## 19hess52 (Dec 8, 2020)

mylene169 said:


> Hello! We've had our 2011 Routan for a little over 2 years now. A little over a year ago we had our passenger side slider fixed because it wouldn't always open or close, no matter which button we pushed. Now starting this fall all of the power doors have progressively started opening and closing on their own. First it was the passenger side slider. We thought it was an issue with the battery in the fob and replaced it. That seemed to help for a day or two before it started again. As it got colder that door stopped having a mind of it's own but then the driver side slider started and just the past weekend the tailgate is now opening and closing whenever it gets the urge. It seems to only be happening when you are near the van with the fob. However if you lock the van and walk away, chances are good some door on some side is going to open on its own at some point. I try not to keep anything too valuable in the van, but we were on vacation this weekend and when we came out the tailgate was wide open, it's kind of a safety concern at this point. It's also making me completely crazy... but that's beside the point. If the van is running the doors all stay shut, so that's good. But as soon as you approach it or turn it off it's anyone's guess which door will open without a button anywhere being touched. Along with that the buttons on the fob have gotten hard to push it seems... but not always the same buttons. I've searched pretty far back in the forum here, as well as across the internet, and I haven't come across this particular problem yet. We're going to call a dealership soon, but I'm wondering if anyone here may have had a similar problem and may know how to fix it


Yes I have the same problem! The rear door started first then it locked and wouldn’t open at all! Cost me $400.00 to have fixed now all are opening and closing on there on. I go in store come out one will be open. Now front window are going down by there self. I’m getting really tired of it so nerve wrecking.


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## 2010VWROUTAN (Mar 17, 2021)

19hess52 said:


> Yes I have the same problem! The rear door started first then it locked and wouldn’t open at all! Cost me $400.00 to have fixed now all are opening and closing on there on. I go in store come out one will be open. Now front window are going down by there self. I’m getting really tired of it so nerve wrecking.


OMG And I thought we were crazy we have a 2010 se Rotaun and its doing the same stuff these mini vans have a Volkswagen logo on the outside but everything inside is Chrysler. ive spent more fixing this car than I paid for it. I'm so sick of this. not even has 90k miles yet I smell class action suit let go and get these people!!


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