Passenger Front Door not latching all the way

[KnucklestheRS]

Hello all!

I have had my Sonic for a couple months now and I really enjoy the car. I really only have one complaint.

My passenger side door does not like to latch all the way. If you shut it at a normal velocity, it sticks out about 1/4" from the side of the car. It's latched, but barely. If you slam it, it still leave a 1-2mm gap.

Does anyone else have this problem? It didn't do this when I bought it, it started when it got really cold out (couple months of well below freezing temps and snow and ice), and it still does it now. Occasionally it will go from the 1-2mm gap to the 1/4" gap while I'm driving and it squeaks.

I've looked in the door jam and shut it slowly to see if anything is catching but it isn't, it almost looks like the hinge is slightly bent because the tops of the passenger doors do not line up. The front door is definitely lower.

I am going to get a free oil change soon and am going to have the dealer check it out. I was just wondering if I was the only one with this issue so far.

Let me know, guys.
Greg

 

[Natesriv]

The door has a metal "loop" it latches to, two screws... might be able to adjust that. But on the door itself, the latching mechanism has a few allen or torx screws... LOOSEN them, not remove... the you can jostle the entire latch assembly to the left a little. I suspect the latch is too far to the right (towards inside of car) so when you close it, it isn't over far enough to be flush...

 

[KnucklestheRS]

The door has a metal "loop" it latches to, two screws... might be able to adjust that. But on the door itself, the latching mechanism has a few allen or torx screws... LOOSEN them, not remove... the you can jostle the entire latch assembly to the left a little. I suspect the latch is too far to the right (towards inside of car) so when you close it, it isn't over far enough to be flush...

That seems to make sense. I wonder if they weren't tightened properly in the first place. Or if the temperature drop just gave it the shrinkage it needed to shift.

 

[Natesriv]

Or factory goof

 

[KnucklestheRS]

Or factory goof

Yeah definitely haha. Could be, they also did a crappy job installed the vinyl on the drivers door pillar, it's trying to peal off haha. Easy fix on that though, at least the engine runs really well and it's super reliable so far!

 

[Wolfwood]

I work at a GM plant. Once your car was built it goes to an area of the factory named "Final". In final they tweek all kinds of things. There are body shop workers up there named fitters who look at gaps between body parts. They have all kinds of tools, but like 95% of the work is done with leverage and/or a rubber mallet. So yeah, your door not fully shutting is totally believable. I would check out the catch that the door grabs onto when shut. Adjusting that on our trucks is how they adjust how far inboard or outboard the door is, so I would assume the same would hold true to a Sonic.

 

[KnucklestheRS]

I work at a GM plant. Once your car was built it goes to an area of the factory named "Final". In final they tweek all kinds of things. There are body shop workers up there named fitters who look at gaps between body parts. They have all kinds of tools, but like 95% of the work is done with leverage and/or a rubber mallet. So yeah, your door not fully shutting is totally believable. I would check out the catch that the door grabs onto when shut. Adjusting that on our trucks is how they adjust how far inboard or outboard the door is, so I would assume the same would hold true to a Sonic.

Apparently the striker was loose. It's perfect now!

 

[Natesriv]

good deal!

 

[PICKUPYOURFEET]

WHAT TOOL DO YOU USE TO TIGHTEN THE BOLTS?