This morning I was cleaning the inside glass when I tried to open the left rear door. Lifting the outside handle had no effect; then I tried the inside handle and the door opened. When I went to shut it, the latch did not lock around the bolt.

The latch moves freely by hand, yet does not engage in a "locked" position. I expect that the mechanism has failed.

How difficult is it to replace the locking mechanism? Any advice would be appreciated.

Best,
Charlie

 

It's not terribly difficult, but it's a knuckle stripping job. You have to remove the door panel (card) first, of course, and there are plenty "how to" posts on that.

Getting the lock out of the door, is not easy. Not much room in there, and sharp metal everywhere. Twisting turning, cussing, pulling, more cussing, and it will come out. In order to remove the lock, I had to remove the outside door handle assembly too (much easier to disconnect the operating rods).

In your case, I would remove the door panel, and look inside first. Chances are that the operating rod came disconnected, or one of the plastic "safety" locks holding the rods in place, broke. Maybe you don't need to yank the lock out of the door. But if you do, you can get a replacement on the junkyard, and once you are in there, it will be obvious what to do. Not complicated at all.