How to Fix Frozen Car Doors

A common, frustrating problem that occurs during winter is frozen car doors. A common reaction to this is to pull on the door handle as hard as possible to break the door open, which can actually break the mechanism inside the handle, causing even more problems. With the proper steps, you can safely open a frozen car door in a short minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Window scraper
• Lighter
• Windshield wiper fluid
• Extension cord
• Hair dryer

Instructions

1. Chip away ice from the cracks of the door and the door lock. Sometimes a thin layer of ice is all it takes to prevent the door from opening.

2. Unlock the door. If the lock is frozen, hold your key over a lighter for 15 seconds to heat it up, and insert the key into the lock. It may take more than one attempt to completely thaw it out. If the door still won't open, move on to the next step.

3. Pour windshield wiper fluid into the cracks of the door and on the door handle, where the seals can freeze over in harsh conditions. Since the cracks are small, only a very thin layer of ice can form, so it doesn't take much effort to melt it.

4. Hook up a hair dryer to an extension cord and blow hot air into the cracks of the door and the handle until the ice melts. Be cautious about blowing hot air onto a cold window, as the extreme temperature fluctuation could cause it to crack.

Tips & Warnings

• Check all of the car doors before investing time and energy into opening the driver's door. It is common for one side to have frozen doors while the other side is not frozen at all.