'07 Mazda3 driver side door lock issue...

[SpeedDemon3]

I tried to find a warranty section but couldn't so I figured I'd post my question here. Hopefully I can explain this as thoroughly as possible.

The door lock on the driver side tends to stick when being opened manually. By habit, I always lock the driver door lock via the master lock button, but then I unlock the lock manually with my finger. Lately, I've noticed when I do this, while unlocking it, the lock tends to have some sort of resistance/drag. The passenger door lock does not do this at all. I can lock it with the master lock button and then unlock it manually and it's perfectly fine.

So I decide to take my car to the Mazda dealer across the street from where I work and have it checked out and fixed under warranty while I still have another year or so left. The guy who first checked me in and took my car, he noticed the difference between the operation of the driver door lock and the passenger door lock. So I figured it would be fixed. But by the time I picked my car up, which I had dropped it off at 8 am, didn't get any word back til about 4:30 pm because I had called a few times wondering what the deal was, a different guy checked me out and sent me on my way. He told me the door lock was operating just fine and didn't seem to understand my complaint. Then he seemed to be annoyed by the fact that I lock the door with the master lock and then unlock it manually. He kinda got an attitude and scoffed at me, too. I felt like ripping the plastic seat cover off and littering their parking lot and leaving but I decided to keep my cool over such a silly thing.

Anyway, is this just normal operation for the door lock or do I have a legitimate complaint? I've shown this issue to my dad and my girlfriend and they both see the problem and feel the difference between the driver and passenger locks. If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[SpeedDemon3]

Nobody has anything to say? No experience with this at all? No opinions?

[vaterator]

So the dealer just kept the car there all day and didn't do anything with it? Have you called the service department again and talked to the original guy who recognized that there was a problem?

By the way, I'm guessing no one responded to this because it's in the wrong forum...

[ekanddsm]

Ok, really

Is a door lock that is hard to open/close with your finger manually really a problem??

[vaterator]

Not to speak for the OP, but I don't think that's the point. I never use the manual lock button, but putting myself in the OP's shoes for a minute, if this were me it would be a minor annoyance--one that I may be inclined to get fixed if I can still get it fixed for free. What if it gets worse, breaks, or just stops working altogether after the warranty is up? Then I'd be kicking myself for at least not getting it looked at while it was under warranty.

Again, seems like a very minor annoyance, but it sucks when stuff doesn't work right on something you spend (a lot of) your hard-earned money on.

[SpeedDemon3]

Yeah, my girlfriend thought that it was pointless to get it fixed. But as Vaterator put it, I might as well get it fixed while it's still covered under warranty, ya know?

Since then I've just been locking/unlocking the door with the master lock button and then I tried unlocking it manually and it didn't have the drag and the resistance it once had. So maybe it's not even a problem.

Even if the door lock does break, it's probably not the most expensive thing to have fixed if it's out of warranty by then. But I figured I'd try to get it fixed for free while I still have the chance. It hasn't been a problem anyway. And I still have maybe 6 months of warranty left.

Thanks for the input, Vaterator.

[tqm2005]

I have the same problem and it's a pain so don't tell me it's not a big deal because I go to lock the doors with remote and all doors lock except the driver's side. So what's the big deal, now you leave thinking your car is secure when it is not since the door is now left unopen since you believe it's locked.