Over time, the doors on your car might start to hang due to losing their appropriate alignment, making it difficult to shut them.

The driver’s side door often exhibits symptoms first since it is opened and shut more frequently than the others. On doors that are more often banged shut or exposed to the outdoors than others, it may also become a problem.

Your car’s door may become loose over time for various reasons, but repairing it takes a single tool and a short time.

In this post, we’ll discuss the typical causes of a loose or misaligned vehicle door, how to avoid it, and how to repair this crucial component of your car, saving you time and money at the mechanic.

Why Won’t My Car Door Close? Typical Causes

Driving your automobile when the door won’t remain closed correctly is unsafe. When you’re driving, it may be quite hazardous for you and any other cars on the road around you if your door were to fly open.

To know how to repair your automobile door, you must first identify which mechanism is at problem.

Let’s look at the most common causes of your car door not closing correctly before we discuss how to solve them. The most frequent causes of your car door not closing properly are often clear and easy to remedy.

Door Handles

There are handles for your car on both the inside and outside of each door. They either stretch a metal rod or a linkage to release the door latch from the anchor.

If your door handle is stuck, it may be in the open position and need a new door latch release connection. Pulling on the handle often seems slack and as if everything needs to be moving within the mechanics. 

Door Anchor

Your door anchor is a further typical explanation. Your door may not close correctly if it is out of alignment, and adjusting it may need some trial and error. Looking at the anchor to see the marks where the latch is striking may typically reveal if your door anchor is to a fault.

Door Hinges

If your door anchor is not at fault, the problem is likely with the door hinges. Check to see if there is any drooping or an uneven gap between the door and your fender. Your door hinges probably need to be worn out and need repair if there is a clear misalignment.

Latch Problems

Your door may not be able to close if your door latch is stuck or rusty. Your door latch may have mistakenly closed while the door was open; nevertheless, this is typically a simple remedy.

Examine the position of the door and contrast it with another door on your car that is operating as it should to discover whether your latch has mistakenly closed. Normally, the latch should be in a visible “C” form with the door open.

Freezing Temperatures

Your vehicle’s doors might get frozen shut if moisture is present when temps drop and freeze. Anti-freeze spray or even alcohol hand gel will quickly remedy this. Boiling water should never be poured since it might harm your car.

Tips For Avoiding Poor Car Door Alignment

Bad door alignment is often just the result of wear and tear over time from frequent usage. Rust and wear on the door hinges cause weakness, which over time, causes uneven alignment, and before you know it, your car’s doors won’t shut. 

This kind of damage is more common in certain vehicles with weaker bodies. Still, it may also result from prior collisions and repairs, door removal in the past, or improper door alignment when the door is reinstalled on the vehicle.

The greatest strategy to prevent faulty car door alignment when it is due to wear and tear over time, even if these situations are sometimes unavoidable, is to avoid using too much force while shutting the doors on your automobile.

This also applies to the hood, trunk, and other doors. Excessive pressure and slamming the door shut may harm the hinges and put needless strain on them, reducing their lifetime and resulting in a broken door.

How to Repair an Unable-to-Close Car Door

In most circumstances, you should be able to solve the problem yourself if you’ve identified why your vehicle doors aren’t shutting all the way.

Do not drive your car when the door won’t completely shut, as this might pose a severe safety risk to you and everyone on the road. Always seek the assistance of a competent technician if you feel uncomfortable handling these problems yourself.

How to Change a Striker Plate

If your striker plate is leaning away from the direction of the lock, preventing your door from closing properly, here is how to fix the problem at home. Start by measuring the height where the lock passes in the door pillar using a pointed pencil.

This makes it easier to determine which way the striker plate must be adjusted. Once you’ve determined this, loosen the bolt and move the plate lower or higher to put it back in its proper position.

Hinges

Your door hinges may be too tight or loose, and each problem has somewhat different fixes. If the bolt on your hinge is too loose, use a screwdriver to tighten it until it is solid and moves no more than required.

Spray any lubrication or grease onto the hinge if it is too tight, then wait a few minutes once the hinge has moved considerably more easily. As a result, your door should be able to shut once again.

Misalignment

You must correct the alignment if the body and door of your automobile are not parallel. Depending on the nature of the issue, there are two approaches. You could require some assistance to get rid of the door’s weight and improve your working conditions.

If the door is lower than the rest of your automobile, you should gently loosen the bolt without removing it from the two-door hinges. Retighten the loose bolt after adjusting inward, upward, and downward directions until the position is ideal. 

Alternatively, push the door from the outside to reposition the bottom hinge. Don’t push it too far; keep checking to ensure you’re not doing additional harm.

Placing a small block under the bottom hinge until the door is level is another approach to correct misalignment. All of these techniques should be used with caution since doing so risks completely destroying your door’s hinge and other components.

FAQs

What Leads To Saggy Car Doors?

The pins and bushing in your automobile door are likely worn out and broken if the door slumps. This may be brought on by normal wear and tear in older automobiles or sometimes by frequent door slamming.

What Is the Average Time to Replace a Car Door?

It might take one to three hours to replace a car door.

How long do car door hinges last?

The pins and bushings that hold your door hinges together eventually wear out with usage and must be replaced. This is simple to perform in earlier automobiles, but in modern ones, the hinges are often cemented into the body, making it difficult to repair or replace them.

Can You Break a Car Door by Slamming It?

The components in your automobile wear down and break far more quickly than they should when the door is slammed repeatedly. This also applies to mechanical and electrical components.

What Kind of Weight Can Car Hinges Support?

The horizontal force of 2000 pounds and the vertical force of 2500 pounds must be withstood by vehicle door latches.

Conclusion

Re-aligning damaged, sagging, or bending automobile doors is often a simple remedy most people can do at home.

Never drive a car with broken doors that won’t shut all the way, and never try to repair the problem yourself if you don’t feel up to it or if the damage is too severe for a simple at-home fix. We trust you now know all you need to know about car door alignment and how to shut a door more securely, thanks to this post. This is a significant safety problem that should be addressed.