Your vehicle’s doors may start to lose their proper alignment over time resulting in sagging which can lead to a difficult experience when trying to close them.
Most commonly the drivers’ side door will show signs of this first as it’s opened and closed more frequently than others. It can also become an issue on doors that are regularly slammed shut or exposed to the elements more than others.
There are several reasons why the door of your vehicle can loosen over time and fixing it is a fairly simple task requiring one tool and only a small amount of time.
In this article, we’ll be covering the most common reasons for a loose or misaligned car door, how to prevent it, and how to fix this essential part of your car saving you time and money at a garage.
It is an obvious safety risk to drive your car when the door won’t stay closed properly. If your door was to fly open when you’re on the roads, this could lead to seriously dangerous issues for you and any other drivers on the roads around you.
Diagnosing which mechanism is causing the fault in your car door is vital in understanding the correct ways to fix them.
The most common reasons for your car door not closing properly are often fairly obvious and simple to fix, so let’s take a look at the most common causes for the door of your vehicle not closing properly before we get into how to fix them.
The handles for your vehicle are located on both the interior and exterior of each door. They extend either a metal rod or linkage to disengage the door latch from the anchor.
If your door handle is jammed this means it can be stuck in an open position requiring a replacement door latch release linkage. This will commonly feel like your handle is loose when you pull it and that it isn’t creating any movement within the mechanisms.
Another common reason is to do with your door anchor. If it is out of adjustment this can prevent your door from properly closing and can take some trial and error to fix. You can often tell if your door anchor is to blame by looking at the anchor to locate the marks where the latch is hitting the anchor.
If your door anchor isn’t to blame then more commonly the issue lays in the door hinges. Look at the space between the door and your fender to see if they are even or if there is some drooping visible. If there is an obvious level of misalignment then your door hinges are more than likely worn and in need of replacement.
If your door latch is stuck or rusted this can prevent your door from closing. This can also be caused by your door latch being accidentally closed when the door was open, but usually, this is a quick fix.
Check to see if your latch has closed accidentally by looking at the position on the door and comparing it to another door on your vehicle that is performing as expected. Typically the latch should be open in an obvious “C” shaped position.
If moisture is present in your vehicle doors when temperatures drop and freeze then this may cause your doors to freeze shut. This is easily fixed with anti-freeze spray or even alcohol hand gel. You should never pour boiling water as it can cause damage to your vehicle.
Often bad door alignment is simply caused by wear and tear over time through extended periods of use. When the door’s hinges get rusted and worn this leads to weakening which in time, leads to uneven alignment, and before you know it your vehicle doors won’t close.
Some cars with weaker bodies are more prone to this sort of damage, but it can also be down to situations such as previous crashes and repairs or if your door has been removed in the past and not properly realigned when fitted back onto the car.
Although these scenarios sometimes aren’t avoidable, the best way to prevent bad car door alignment in cases where it is down to wear and tear over time is to avoid excessive force when closing the doors on your vehicle.
This goes for the trunk, hood, and other doors too. Excessive forces and slamming them shut can lead to unnecessary strain and damage to the hinges that will shorten their lifespan and lead to a damaged door.
If you’ve managed to diagnose the cause of your car doors not closing fully then it should be fairly easy for you to fix the issue yourself in most cases.
Remember if you don’t feel comfortable fixing these issues yourself you should always get help from a qualified mechanic and do not drive your vehicle when the door won’t fully close as this can pose a serious safety risk to you and everyone on the roads with you.
If your striker plate is tilting away from the direction of the latch and preventing your door from closing properly then here’s how to solve it at home. Start by taking a sharp pencil and marking the height where the lock passes in the door pillar.
This helps you know the direction in which you need to adjust the striker plate. Once you’ve figured this out, loosen the bolt and adjust the plate lower or higher depending on your findings until the plate is back in its designated spot.
Your door hinges could be too tight or loose and cause this issue and the repairs for these two issues differ slightly. If your hinge is too loose, get a screwdriver to tighten the bolt until it’s sturdy with no unnecessary movement.
If your hinge is too tight then spray any lubricant or grease onto the hinge and wait for a few minutes. This should then allow the hinge to move much easier and allow your door to close again.
If you find your car’s body and door are not lined up then you will need to fix the misalignment. There are two ways to do this depending on your problem. You may need some help with this to remove the weight of the door so you can work better.
If the door is lower than the rest of your car then loosen the bolt slightly on the two-door hinges without removing it. Then adjust in inward, upward, and downward motions until the position is correct and retighten the loose bolt.
You can also push the door from the outside to bend the lower hinge back into place. Make sure you don’t push too far and check regularly to make sure you’re not causing more damage.
Another way to fix misalignment is by placing a small block underneath the lower hinge until the door is leveled. All of these methods should be done carefully as pushing too hard or far can lead to total destruction of the hinge and other elements of your door.
If your car door has visibly sagged then the pins and bushing are probably worn and damaged. This can be caused by wear and tear in older vehicles or sometimes it can be caused by excessive door slamming.
Car doors can take anywhere from 3-6 hours per door to replace.
Over time and use the pins and bushings holding your door hinges together will wear out and require replacing. This is easy to do in older vehicles, however, newer ones tend to have the hinges glued into the body so they cannot be easily repaired or replaced.
When your car door is repeatedly slammed this causes the parts to wear and break much faster than normal. This goes for electrical and mechanical parts too.
Vehicles door latches must be able to withstand the vertical force of 2500 pounds and the horizontal force of 2000 pounds.
Damaged, sagging or bent car doors are an extremely common fault, and re-aligning them is often a fairly easy fix that most people can perform themselves at home.
You should never drive a vehicle with damaged doors that will not fully close and never attempt to fix the issue yourself if you do not feel capable or if the damage is too serious for a quick at-home DIY job. Using our article we hope you’ve learned everything you need to know about car door alignment and how to make a door close tighter as this is a serious safety issue and should not be left untreated.
