Repairing Dodge Ram Power Windows and Door Lock Problems

In todays PG-13 rated video I discuss common problems effecting early to mid 2000's year model Dodge Ram truck power windows and power door lock systems. I point out some common part failures that effect operation of both and show a repair for a common problem with rear power door locks and power window that wont work due to a wiring failure in the door hinge area. These systems have a complex system of controls and can be problematic in diagnosing and repairing. Watch this video for more helpful information.
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[@kentaro_199]

Wow I really assumed my 2007 Ram door lock broken is actuator until watch this video. And I opened up that cable cover and 5 wires disconnected!! And I connected them and holly molly it works!! Thank you for this fixing and save time and cost too! Thank you so much!

[@bruceross8168]

This is a great video. It saved me a lot of time and money. I just bought new speakers, which I can return... but was also getting ready to buy a new actuator for the door lock. I took the wiring harness off, as in this video, and it was exactly the same as the video. Thanks for the heads up!

[@Impopeye]

I looked at my hinge wires after replacing my drivers rear lock actuator. There were 5 broken wires. Got the solder gun out and put the original actuator on ( still good). Problem solved. Great video

[@bigbenhuisman]

Thank you so much for this video. WIth your help I was able to diagnose that I had the same wiring issue and was able to make the repairs on my own. One other video showed how to remove the door panel and pull the harness back in through the door to give a bit more working room, but you were the key to my success!! Thanks!!

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Thank you

[@Bashin1959]

This was a splendid tutorial as mine looked very similar to this. Followed this and Viola - fixed. Still a PIA to do, but what a saving of money - that alone is priceless. I thank your for taking time to produce this video

[@ushillbillies]

Thankyou ,just what I need to see

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Excellent. Thanks for watching

[@michaelamans2780]

Great video, helped me solve my door lock problem, 04 Ram. Thanks for sharing.

[@scuba422123]

world class repair tim!! those chevys have a screen under the ops they know something about the chips I have that snap on light a year now its ok

[@frankwern8784]

Just what I needed to learn. Thanks for a great instructive video!

[@lucky13farms99]

Wife showed me just this morning that her truck has this symptom. Will be taking a look at it this weekend. Hopefully it's just the wires, :) Thanks great video. Just subscribed.

[@carlsnow2342]

hi tim man you have the patience of a saint i would have scrapped the vehicle !!! wiring is and can be a nightmare anyway great job love the video take care be safe

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Thanks Carl, I wasn't busy at the time so it seemed like a great opportunity for a vid. Now if I ha lots of other stuff going on and all those broken wires to deal with Im not sure I* would have had the same attitude. Blessings mate!

[@THEREZISTANCE]

thank you for the video. gonna get started on my dodge right away. what gauge wire was necessary? I'm assuming you may have purchased it at one of the many auto stores.

[@johnpalos7873]

Thanks. I've been having these same issues with my doors. Already replaced my master door switch.

[@BigDog50001]

Wait, what kind of noise did the lock make? Can you repeat that please!?

[@thomastommy1192]

Hey Tim, As always another Awesome great video. Thanks for sharing. I truly hope you are having a blessed week.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Thanks Thomas! You as well.

[@jimthecarguy]

Nice video Tim and good explanation.

[@PeaceIntheValley]

Looks like I got the same thing on my back door! I'll try and fix tomorrow. Looks like about 4 or five wires broke.

[@PeaceIntheValley]

That was it and it fixed it. I had 5 wires broken. The boot looked fine. The wires inside were broke. It came this way when I bought the truck (used) from the dealer in late 2021. Thank you for getting this posted.

[@EXOVCDS]

Those soldering irons still look to be the best. You seem to barely touch the wire & solder and bamm, you're done! My little Wurth soldering pen is great for small places, but I'm not very impressed with the time it takes to heat stuff up.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Yes, I think this one is available on amazon. It crapped out after a year or so and I finally opened it up to find a loose wire at the switch. I fixed it and its been working great since. Ive been through so many crappy soldering irons its crazy. I also have one of those small pens and even a butane job for remote work which is nice but this is certainly my go-to unit. I need to slap a EXOVCDS sticker on it to trick it out!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Good repair

[@lukewilliams1882]

@cardoctor Both my front door locks worked and my back door locks did not. I checked the wires at the back door drivers side and re-connected 2 broken wires. Hurray!!! Now i have three locks working!!!! I go over to the other back door to find 7 wires broken. I join the 7 wires in the hope that all 4 will now work and now I have nothing!!! What should i fo do diagnose this? 2007 dodge ram qaud cab. Thanks

[@Sniperssx]

Thanks a lot enjoyed and learned I had some issue on Tahoe 2009

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Seems to be a common deal for most any makes. This one at least isn't too hard to get to the wires. Some are so difficult to reach it makes me angry.

[@Theservant777]

Change the ignition switch..i did every step their was and changed out alot..once i changed the ignition switch it worked like it was new!!!

[@montiraruba2831]

Wouldn't you check the fuses first or Window breaker under the dash before replacing parts?

[@zx8401ztv]

Yep i've been there, but with car door/hatch wiring. Thick red power wires with just two strands hanging on for dear life lol. I know you have been there, we all have :-D i do the same as you do, extend the wires and solder and heatshrink tube. Only a pillock forgets the heatshrink tube untill AFTER the joint is soldered, No No not me... ok yes me :-D. I don't bother about wire colour eather, the electricity does not give a dam. it's too dam easy to twist wires together, then later check them by accidentally twisting them apart, what a silly bugger i am :-D. I've thought about using silicone spray on the wires to see if it makes them move in the gator with less friction, so less stress on the insulation.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Never thought of silicone spray, that's an idea. Im pretty sure I wont see this one again for the same issue, but probably others. haha. Also I would never admit to forgetting shrink tubing on a power wire... :)

[@zx8401ztv]

I hope it stays away too, there is nothing more annoying than a boomerang covered in poo winging it's way back to you :-( I dont mind admitting i make mistakes, all humans make mistakes. Even mechanics in alaska make similar mistakes lol. One big family of monkeys, fighting over bananas ha ha :-D. Well sort of :)

[@ThecardoctorTV]

@@zx8401ztvWell if it boomeranged back its ok, I didn't charge anything to fix it so I can charge the next time. And no, I never made a mistake in my life in the past ten seconds.

[@zx8401ztv]

lol ok you win :-D

[@givemetruth4988]

Mine went up. Seemed funny when it did then never went back down. Rear right window. 06 2500 mega

[@wyattoneable]

Dang. He's had that problem for a while if that many wires have broken over time. Down here in Tn we've had record heat and no rain. I was thinking about you up there enjoying the cooler weather. :)

[@willefixit]

nice on lift .did 79 deville door harness tight and low. cust in rush just want ac lol. problems add up then your the bad guy then its fixed your the best.lol did ac rebuild -evap and condenser. made dead line. cold ac still 4mounths nice job!!!!common problem all across the board jeep honda etc. were ever wire bends ,found broke headlite wires before recall years back.hatch too .great stuff! how you make out fishin???fires out yet heared it was preety bad? .friend lives just outside anchorage, told him to look u up if he has truck trouble.runs toyota pickups.works on base i,need to visit again. he left ct in 83 ,i visited90ish 21 days great state(upper 0ne) you got there .see next time.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Thanks, yes, the fires were horrible. Fishing was decent this season and always fun to get out of town for a while. We are blessed to live here. You should come up next summer. Blessings

[@tylernabors7006]

Hi everyone, i found this video by trying to diagnose my door locks. My door locks with unlock but not lock. Master switch has been changed, no broken wires found, if i pull the instrument cluster out, does anyone have an idea how i can troubleshoot this. Thanks

[@Sctronic209]

What wire is what on the door lock same side you were working on. I have the same problem with that lock didn’t find any broken wires.

[@adamwagner4596]

Dodge needs to recall these trucks everyone has wire issues same spots

[@BearSesameLLCAllentown]

Put grease in the wire boot, I bet that will help keep the wires from chaffing

[@christophertbrownctb]

Great video once again. Have you ever done a video on rebuilding the rear on a dodge ram 2500?

[@ThecardoctorTV]

I have not. It isn’t my specialty so I doubt I’ll do too many differential videos. Thank you for watching my vids!

[@mark98070]

Have you ever tried using the low temperature solder butt connectors? Solder and heat shrink with a heat gun in one step.

[@maingun07]

I've used them. They're better than just twisting them, but not by much. Give then a good jerk and they come apart. It's far better to twist a good Western Union splice and then fill it with solder and finally use a 3/1 adhesive filled heat shrink to seal it up.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Yes, they work for some applications but wouldnt recommend for a door jam harness fix since they don't flex too good. But when your in a pinch anything is better than nothing!

[@kellyspeppers]

My VW Jetta had the same problems with broken door loom wires. VW sells an expensive replacement loom. I used very flexible silicon wire to splice in all the wires in the door. That Dodge door lock/latch assembly looked a lot like the VW ones, more euro junk. My solution was to replace with Chinese made junk, haha.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Sometimes the China stuff lasts longer anyway. haha. I think car makers should just make easy replaceable sections of wiring and throw some extra in the glovebox but that would make too much sense and cost them too much ion lost repairs down the road. Seems like they start to fail just outside of warranty period.

[@kellyspeppers]

@@ThecardoctorTV Haha, you are right, don't make it to last very long, why would people buy new cars.

[@maingun07]

Dodge isn't the only one with this problem. Same issue with my '99 F350. What's worse is that the fu -- uh, fine engineers at Ford decided in their infinite engineering wisdom to reverse the way the door ajar switches work. With every other vehicle on the planet, the switch is closed when the door opens and open when the door closes. But not on mine. No, these switches close when the door closes. That means you need constant juice in that circuit or the computer thinks the door is ajar and will turn on your dome light. Oh, and just to add insult to injury, they put the damn switch not in the door jam, but in the door latch mechanism. Brilliant, Ford! I'd love to meet the engineer that designed this circuit, but they won't let me into the monkey cage at the zoo.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Love the Ford door ajar switches....NOT!

[@genesemenza]

Please tell me just what is "quality wire?" Where do you buy it???

[@terrybrill3428]

That is my problem with my 2002 ram 1500 4 door truck, but the LR door is locked, there is no way to open it to get to the wiring harness in the door jamb HEEEEELP!!!

[@terrybrill3428]

Does anyone know how to get the shut N locked door open to access the door jamb??

[@paulg444]

but how did those driverside rear seat wires break ?

[@leonnegro4504]

What gage are this wires? Thank you

[@deanbarr5740]

Hi Tim, my wife has a 2013 Dodge Durango with 135xxx miles. She bought this vehicle new 6 years ago. So far no issues at all other than the passenger side front window sometimes doesn't work with the passenger side switch. In the six years she's had it it's only done this a few times but it always works from the driver side. You have any idea what is up with it. As i said it's only done this a few times, and had to use the driver side switch to roll the window up. It magically fixes itself and has never had to be serviced. Thanks buddy.

[@willefixit]

my guess dirty switch or wire not all the way broke.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Yes, who knows until you catch it in the act but a bad switch even the one on the drivers side can do it or wiring in either front door. If it stops working it will be easier to diagnose but maybe it will behave from now on.

[@LaramieJim]

Dodge Fiat are endless money pits...Rev up your.....oh wait wrong channel. Good vid car Dr. HAHA

[@watchman6104]

Thanks for the video! It fixed my issue.

[@njbiker2008]

Dude for 40 dollars you can get both wiring harnesses for both doors it will do it again

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Good video

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Thanks!

[@jasoncsather4674]

I have a question about a 2004.5 dodge cummins 1 ton dually i have that whining sound when i try to unlock the doors or lock them i have to fidget with the button to get the windows to roll up or down. And my lights on the dash (my odometer and my P.R.N.D lights you said that the wires in the back door could affect this?

[@badhabit7379]

Someone tell me how that many wires got broken inside that rubber boot

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Open and close the door 1M times at -20F and thats what happens.

[@Sniperssx]

Pls share type of iron gun and other tools used on this video

[@willefixit]

looked like an old weller 1200wat lol got mine from dad 40yrs ago! ,2 pull trigger high low

[@ThecardoctorTV]

Yes. Heres a link for amazon: www.amazon.com/Weller-D550PK-260-Watt-Professional-Soldering/dp/B00002N7S1/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=weller+soldering+iron&qid=1569180667&s=gateway&sr=8-6

[@jacobpeterson3049]

Somebody spliced into the power lock wires under the dash and snipped their fix before I got the truck

[@northernpatriot9078]

Hi car doctor how would you bill out this job what shop software do you use ?? Wanna be shop owner wants to know

[@ThecardoctorTV]

I didn't charge since I did a bunch of other work on it. I use Mitchell ondemand for estimating. Good luck on the new venture. Let me know if you want to buy my shop! :)

[@northernpatriot9078]

@@ThecardoctorTV well I don't have 300k I will be starting out very small but get back to you in about five years if I am successful lol but I sure could use your help if I come across a very difficult diagnostic problem

[@mikemcreynolds6236]

You replaced the wire loom and the door lock still doesn’t work

[@wingerfan1]

Do you give a free estimate?

[@badhabit7379]

They are not dealer parts ( you lie ) I got mine off of Rock Auto and 1Auto

[@ThecardoctorTV]

😮

[@badhabit7379]

My window works just fine but the lock doesn't

[@adamwagner4596]

Give it a year it will be broke again

[@outoftime788]

6:24 srry but how in thee hell does that hapen. good job

[@ThecardoctorTV]

It’s the magic of video editing. 😀

[@outoftime788]

@@ThecardoctorTV so u sayin editing causes those wires to get cut lol

[@willefixit]

@@outoftime788 wire fatigue one to many twists.hair short cold weather etc...

[@ThecardoctorTV]

@@outoftime788 Oh, I thought you were referring to the jump in the process. Yes, just flexing and crappy wire to begin with. Planned obsolescence.

[@outoftime788]

@@ThecardoctorTV lmfao

[@hawaiianf1504]

The cure for broken wires in the door channels on a dodge ... NEVER buy a Dodge!!!

[@maar5725]

بعد شـُـكر الله ' شــــــكــــــراً لك ؛ : Thank you وأصل شُغلك المـُمتآز Keeep UUUPPP . Keeep Goooing . أُكرّر شُكري لك . Very Very Excellent steps in diagnosing the problem / malfunction . Good steps 👍👍👍 مـُـهـندّس صيآنّة طــآئــرآت مدنـيــّـة . ومـُفتش مُرآقبّة الجودّة QC inspector ARAB Engineer and Sr. Lead QC Inspector I'm civil aircraft engineer and . FAA, IA license Sr. Inspector NDT/NDI Level II Inspector Jeddah Dhahran Al-Hijaz .

[@nomanjones4803]

Got It, DON'T BUY A DODGE!

[@willefixit]

all wires break . most brands poor design seen honda jeep gm etc.

[@ThecardoctorTV]

well that's one solution but I didn't say it first! haha