I've looked through all of the Smart Key posts, but I'm pretty sure this problem is new. When I approach the car and touch the driver's side handle, nothing happens. If I take the fob out of my pocket and press the unlock button, all of the doors unlock EXCEPT the driver's side door and the exterior tone sounds 8 times. I've tried it with both Fobs (thinking it was a battery issue) but it happens with both of them. I've disabled the smart key and then re-armed it to no avail. I've tried opening and closing all of the doors, no dice. Any help? I'm really not too keen on taking it to the dealership, they're an hour away.
One other thing you could try is to exercise the driver's door lock with the mechanical key and see if that does anything. Listen for the solenoids working too. When you put your hand into the driver's door handle is there any beep? If not it may be the sensor at the driver's door. You can also look at your key fob and see if the red light on the fob illuminates when you approach the driver's door, passenger door and hatch.
with the car locked, approach and touch the passenger door handle, what happens on the drivers side? Does it unlock, any tones? Use you metal key in the drivers door lock. When the doorlock system is powered the metal key activates the drivers doorlock electrically, with only a small turn, via the solennoid. DOes the drivers door unlock?
Thanks for all of the ideas. I think the Solenoid is the problem. I went to the Passanger side door, and all doors except the Drivers unlocked. The Key and the interior light both illuminate when I approach the driver's side door, so that rules out the sensor. I tried opening it with the manual key, and I was able to, but only with quite a bit of effort. So it's either the Solenoid, or something mechaninal within the lockset. Looks liek I am going to have to take it to the dealer.
If a slight turn of the mechanical key didn't unlock the door, then the solenoid is failing. A harder, 90deg. turn is mechanically moving the lock.
