You should lubricate all latches, hinges, locks, window tracks and rubber weather seals with a quality silicone spray lubricant as part of your annual winter maintenence. An ounce of prevention ($6 silicone spray) is worth a pound of cure ($700 repair)

also, theres no reason the repair should cost $700. It's a $150 part and heres the entire job start to finish. https://youtu.be/AvUCEjVkF_0

 

I agree with your recommendation but I don't think it will solve this design problem. A post by SlimTV in "2009 Door Problems" has nailed it on the head. Moisture inside the door condenses and freezes on the latch cables, preventing them from retracting correctly. Lubricating the cables with silicone might solve the problem. Otherwise the door lock assembly with integrated cables needs to be replaced. In either case the door panel needs to be completely dismantled and it's too cold for me to do that now.

Last night I set up a space heater outside the driver's side door then moved it inside the door for a while. Today the latch is working better. I can feel the cables retracting correctly. Hopefully this will last until I get a chance to open up the door during a warm spell.

Bryan.

 

Had the exact same issue on my 2012 fx35. Found a few 'fixes' on the net but none of them made sense except for replacing the latch mechanism. What I did was remove the latch mechanism, brought it inside to dry out overnight, then sprayed fluid film everywhere I could inside the mechanism while working the cables back and forth to disperse it. fluid film displaces moisture and is sticky so I figured it should prevent any future moisture or condensation freezing the mechanism. its been through at least 20 warm cold cycles since I did it and no issues since . 20 bucks for a can of fluid film beats spending 500 for a new mechanism any day.

 

Welcome to the site. Glad it was so inexpensive for you. Some do not have the tools, skills or inclination to do this and will spend the money to have someone else do it.

 

Sure - its always easier to pay someone to fix something. Just trying to contribute a solution that worked for me instead of just being a leech. Readers that can't do it can get a tech to do the same thing without having to pay for the dealer part.

 

And we certainly appreciate your contribution.