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David0725's avatar
David0725
Explorer II
Apr 05, 2015

Stuck entery Door cant get out.

I never thought the Entery would get stuck that it would take me and 2 other guys 2 1/2 hours to get it open. It has been working fine till today. My grandson want inside the rv then tried to come back out and the door would not open Lucky for us I have a drivers door. So we tried to back in from the out side then from the inside. After prying on the door for 2 hours and taking the door handle apart then trying to kick the door open from the inside to get nowhere! I took a crowbar from the inside and after mangling the door little we finally got it open.. yay!! But we still cant see what was keeping it from opening :h So that got me thing what if there was a fire? How much time would have went by trying to get out that door? Or if we didn't have a drivers door. And trust me we was not ez on the door at all 3 grown man and a teenager took everything we had to get it open. And still don't have a answer why it was stuck...
  • consumeratlarge wrote:
    The frame can definitely twist. It evidently racked and bound up the door frame against the door. Next time, try moving the jacks up or down, one at a time, until it frees up. If you're level, it obviously shouldn't do it, but all those uneven twists in the road might be what caused this. Oh yes, and temperature changes from night to day can make a difference in how easy the door is to open.

    I used a dremel grinder to make sure my deadbolt was in the middle of the slot that received it (top to bottom clearance). Then, whenever I noticed a slight 'pull' on the trailer that I have set up all the time, I adjusted the jacks until it was easy again. My motorhome hasn't had that problem yet, but I dread having the lock itself fail, if that's what you've experienced.


    This may be what happened. We have had ours lock up twice, and both times, it was not the latch mechanism. One time it was the striker bolt in the frame that was wedged against the door latch area, the other time, the door was actually pinched in the frame due to torsional twist or heat expansion. The time the striker time, the top and bottom of the door was movable but not the latch area. We were outside at the time, and some coaxing with a large flat blade screwdriver finally freed it. The second time, no areas of the door would move with pressure, and we were inside. A slight adjustment of the leveling system free the door, and I could see where the latch side of the door, top latch side and bottom middle had some pressure marks (scratches). It very unnerving to not be able to open the door when inside, but there are windows.
  • How is you grandson...:h

    How old is your grandson? Not fun being locked inside the coach. Why didn't you just have him unlock and open a window..? Most of these latches are easier to open from the inside not the outside.....hope you didn't mess the door up too bad....good luck...Dennis
  • On a past coach, I would have problems with the door not opening or closing well some times. Never got stuck, but was close. My neighbor, a retired body and fender guy, came over and adjusted hinges and locks and it worked perfectly for ever more... He said they used to adjust them all the time at body shops.
  • I vaguely remember there was a recall last year (or year before) on some door latches? I do remember the year span was quite large and the recall effected a great number of makes/models. Was one of the main suppliers.

    Sorry, memory fails for further details.
  • One of the several reasons I like having a driver's door on our coaches. When the Tri-Mark door latch broke on our previous coach, I was able to open the door by removing the inside handle and cover assembly, and then work the broken latch bolt back from the door frame with a couple of small screwdrivers. Removing the latch bolt then left the dead bolt intact, allowing the door to be closed and locked as needed until a replacement was available. The new design latch assembly was about $80 as I recall, and was an exact fit for the old style latch.
  • Had this happen on our fiver. Door lock sheared inside of the handle, only two months old. Had to take apart the lock from the inside to get the door open. Luckily I have a sliding glass door on the rear of my unit.

    In a fire you'd have to use one of the escape windows if needed. I'd rather break a leg than burn to death.
  • The frame can definitely twist. It evidently racked and bound up the door frame against the door. Next time, try moving the jacks up or down, one at a time, until it frees up. If you're level, it obviously shouldn't do it, but all those uneven twists in the road might be what caused this. Oh yes, and temperature changes from night to day can make a difference in how easy the door is to open.

    I used a dremel grinder to make sure my deadbolt was in the middle of the slot that received it (top to bottom clearance). Then, whenever I noticed a slight 'pull' on the trailer that I have set up all the time, I adjusted the jacks until it was easy again. My motorhome hasn't had that problem yet, but I dread having the lock itself fail, if that's what you've experienced.
  • yes Fred I removed all the door hinge and lock mechanism. But left the head bolt in so I could keep the door closed with a key from the outside or latch from the inside. So I am ok there. But that's just it we had most all that stuff out and the door still wouldn't open. At this point we could stick a screwdriver between the door mechanism and the frame. what ever it was didn't show after we got it open. thanks
  • Probably one of the springs or pins inside the door latch broke.

    Are you going to be able to latch it and get the RV home or to a repair facility?

    I had to change my door lock several years ago (the key can not be changed, so I had to replace the lock) and was able to remove the whole lock assembly, and replace the whole thing. I think the cost was around $250 - $300. The RV supply store had special ordered this lock, and the customer did not pick it up. So they had one in stock, and for a discount, because the first customer lost his deposit on the deal. .. .

    You might be able to take it to a locksmith, if it is not to messed up, and have it repaired. Yet many locksmiths are not familiar with the typical RV lock, and might not be able to help out. . .



    Good luck,

    Fred.