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Frozen shut Front Driver's Door

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Shawn, Jan 29, 2009.

  1. Shawn

    Shawn New Member

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    May 27, 2008
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    Ottawa
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Yesterday and today I tried to open the car from the driver's side front and could not do so. The door seemed frozen shut. I did manage to open the passenger side, climb in a force the front door open from the inside. Can snow or ice get into the door handle and cause problems? Can it slush freeze at the bottom edge of the door and keep it from opening? Anyone else have this problem?
    BTW... I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. It has been as cold as -35 celcius. The car is parked outside in my driveway. Yesterday, it snowed 25cm.
     
    #1 Shawn, Jan 29, 2009
  2. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    When you get the door open, throughly dry the rubber gasket and then spray with a light coat of silicone spray. That should solve the problem. Most likely you had moisture on the door gaskets that froze.
     
    #2 firepa63, Jan 29, 2009
  3. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    I've had ice freeze the door rubber to the body. I've never had ice freeze the handle so it wouldn't work, but I suppose that's possible.

    When I wash the car I spray LPS Silicone spray on the door rubbers, both the door and the body. It's water based (food compatible) so it won't hurt the door rubber or the glue that may be used to hold it to the car. I spray them all once a year with this stuff and it solves any iced out problems. I still get ice on the rubbers, but it falls off as soon as I open the door. The ice won't stick to the rubber.

    When I finish washing the car I open the door, spray the stuff (it chases the water off the rubbers), close and open the door a few times, then wipe off any excess water still there (it can pool on top of the rubber).

    LPS products are available from electronics parts suppliers.
     
    #3 David Beale, Jan 29, 2009
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