Hello all, need some help here, no matter where I look or how I word it , my searches keep showing me sliding door problems. That's not what I have going on here. Front passenger door acts like it's locked, but pushing the buttons on the doors or the fob and the lock goes up and down. But yet will not open from the inside or outside. I was told the it's the latch and lock actuator that has failed, need to replace. Well can't get the bloody door open to do so. I have since taken the seat out , door card has been half taken off and put to the side ,checked internal components .Everything is moving the way it should be ,but yet it still won't open.

Please help

 

YUP, Just went thru the same scenario with our 04 Neon rear door! It is NOT EASY to do with the door in closed position, particularly on the Vans! It is inside the latch housing that has failed, I was able with the use of and air power chisel gun to go thru the door inner openings and jar the latch unit enough that it moved the workings inside enough that the door opened. Once that happened it was a "piece of cake" to replace the unit!
Good luck and let us know how it goes for you. Definitely NOT "plug and play" job when the door is in the closed position.

 

where at on the unit did u hit it with an air chisel? I barely have enough room for my hand to fit thru the access hole lol let alone a tool like that. I mean did you just put it on the unit and just let the vibration of from the chisel just eventually moved inside enough to push the door open? Sorry, kind if a noob when it comes to this, I wish this mechanism had a release lever of some sort on it. I have a replacement one, and there isn't one. this is so frustrating to say the least, I spent over 14 hours with my son yesterday to no avail to get it to "pop" open.

 

Sorry to respond that of the MANY minivans that I have owned, that NONE of them ever had a problem with the front door latches. SO I can not describe just how my found "trick" would work for yours. As I was working away on our Neon, my son was trying to google/youtube for instructions..told him he will NOT find anything, as it is something that only "trial and error" is going to "git er done". I also have had decades of doing auto tech work in the past, so have seen(done) a lot of things. This is a job requiring patience,some auto knowledge(skill),or plain DUMB LUCK.
Try spending time looking at your replacement, and with the door to see how a drift punch and hammer may be able to reach the inside flat face of the latch assy. and jarring the unit, that it might "pop" the inner works on yours.

 

Everything short of blowing it up hasn't worked. Couldn't even get an air chisel inside the door . I'm at my wits end .. ....

 

You did not say if you had the interior door panel completely off AND the ugly looking black "holds everything" panel taken off With that out you should have ample room to proceed. Youtube videos are very helpful, even one for window regulator replacement will help in this situation of yours!