Frozen gas door won't open :(

[qqzj]

Three days ago in Tahoe, I was not able to get the gas door open because it got stuck. I went to gas station at noon the next day and refilled. After I came back, I realized that I can open it from inside. But still I would prefer to get it open normally.

Yesterday, I washed my MDX thoroughly and after I opened the gas door, I noticed a lot of water there. So I guess the door was frozen at Tahoe. Upon a closer look, I noticed that there is a small gap at the top of the gas door so water could get in. I am wondering is there anything we can do to correct this problem. It seems that it is due to Acura workmanship. Can we go to dealer to ask them to fix this problem?

Happy new year!

[ND40oz]

There's a TSB for this, they replace the latch mechanism so that it isn't affected by freezing. Until you get it done, if it happens again, you can pull it open while someone is pressing the release button on the door, had to do that for a few months while I waited on the TSB parts.

[qqzj]

Thanks for the quick reply, and I learned a new trick

Just to make sure, so you can pull it open (when somebody else presses the button) even when it is frozen? So you basically broke the ice by brutal force?

Also since my 07 is out of warranty, would the dealer take care of it? If not, what is the part number and how much would the replacement part cost? We should be able to do this, right? Thanks a lot. If there is a picture by picture guide on this, it would be even better.

Originally Posted by ND40oz

There's a TSB for this, they replace the latch mechanism so that it isn't affected by freezing. Until you get it done, if it happens again, you can pull it open while someone is pressing the release button on the door, had to do that for a few months while I waited on the TSB parts.

[ND40oz]

The dealer "should" take care of it since it's a TSB even though you're out of warranty. I had no warranty when I had mine replaced by a Honda dealer in England since the warranty is only good in the US. The were able to order the part and do the work without charging me anything.

When you press the button, the little lever still retracts some even when frozen, there's just a very small lip that it catches and causes it not to release, when you pull on the door it makes it over that lip and it pops right open. The new latch is metal instead of plastic and I believe it's only a few screws to replace it.

[qqzj]

I see. I shall call local dealer to find out my luck. One concern is that I think the root cause is that there is a gap on the top of the gas door so that water can get in to that little space. It would be even better if the dealer can realign the door and close the gap. What do you think?

Originally Posted by ND40oz

The dealer "should" take care of it since it's a TSB even though you're out of warranty. I had no warranty when I had mine replaced by a Honda dealer in England since the warranty is only good in the US. The were able to order the part and do the work without charging me anything.

When you press the button, the little lever still retracts some even when frozen, there's just a very small lip that it catches and causes it not to release, when you pull on the door it makes it over that lip and it pops right open. The new latch is metal instead of plastic and I believe it's only a few screws to replace it.

[ND40oz]

That door will never be water tight, so I doubt realigning it would help, unless you want to do it strictly for cosmetic reasons. The original design just lets water build up instead of draining properly and the updated latch accounts for this. If you ever open the door when it's been raining, you'll see a steady stream of water flow out the bottom of it when you first open it, just the way it's designed.

[qqzj]

I think you are right. The old design would block the small hole at the bottom of the gas door space so that the water won't drain. So the new design would correct this imperfection? That would be nice.

I also did some search and found out that some people ARE complaining about gas door sticking out for cosmetic purpose. So I am wondering whether this latch fix would also fix the cosmetic issue? I do care about the look a little.

Originally Posted by ND40oz

That door will never be water tight, so I doubt realigning it would help, unless you want to do it strictly for cosmetic reasons. The original design just lets water build up instead of draining properly and the updated latch accounts for this. If you ever open the door when it's been raining, you'll see a steady stream of water flow out the bottom of it when you first open it, just the way it's designed.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by ND40oz

The dealer "should" take care of it since it's a TSB even though you're out of warranty.

That's not necessarily true. A Technical Service Bulletin merely means there are instructions that go to dealerships about how a problem can be fixed. Just because there's a TSB does NOT mean that the problem will be fixed at no charge. Usually the TSB will say whether the repair will or won't be done at no charge. And unless it explicitly says it will be done at no charge, any given dealership may fix it for free, or they may charge you for it; it's at their discretion.

The TSB you'll want to look at is 07-058. You can view it here. Here's what this particular TSB says about getting it paid for if the car is no longer under warranty: "Any repair performed after warranty expiration may be eligible for goodwill consideration by the District Parts and Service Manager or your Zone Office. You must request consideration, and get a decision, before starting work."

[qqzj]

One question, how do you squeeze a finger behind the gas door when it is stuck? Or did you use a credit card or something like it?

I searched around and find this TSB

http://acura-club.net/index.php?act=...e=post&id=4138

And here is the part referenced in the TSB:

http://www.usa-honda.ru/big_parts/mdx/14stx7_b4920.gif

It seems to be the part that goes under the gas cap. Does not look like a latch. Maybe they drilled a hole in a slightly different place to drain the water?

Originally Posted by ND40oz

There's a TSB for this, they replace the latch mechanism so that it isn't affected by freezing. Until you get it done, if it happens again, you can pull it open while someone is pressing the release button on the door, had to do that for a few months while I waited on the TSB parts.

[qqzj]

Thanks for your link. But we are denied the access. So I found another one as above. It seems that you also have a 07 MDX, so may I ask you this? Is there a separate TSB for fixing the alignment of the gas door? There is a slight gap on the top of the gas door. I did not pay much attention in the past 6 years, but it becomes a concern since I noticed the frozen issue.

Originally Posted by nsxtasy

That's not necessarily true. A Technical Service Bulletin merely means there are instructions that go to dealerships about how a problem can be fixed. Just because there's a TSB does NOT mean that the problem will be fixed at no charge. Usually the TSB will say whether the repair will or won't be done at no charge. And unless it explicitly says it will be done at no charge, any given dealership may fix it for free, or they may charge you for it; it's at their discretion.

The TSB you'll want to look at is 07-058. You can view it here. Here's what this particular TSB says about getting it paid for if the car is no longer under warranty: "Any repair performed after warranty expiration may be eligible for goodwill consideration by the District Parts and Service Manager or your Zone Office. You must request consideration, and get a decision, before starting work."

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by qqzj

Thanks for your link. But we are denied the access.

Sorry! I followed the instructions on this web page and then went to that link.

Oh, and mine is a 2004...

[ND40oz]

Originally Posted by nsxtasy

That's not necessarily true. A Technical Service Bulletin merely means there are instructions that go to dealerships about how a problem can be fixed. Just because there's a TSB does NOT mean that the problem will be fixed at no charge. Usually the TSB will say whether the repair will or won't be done at no charge. And unless it explicitly says it will be done at no charge, any given dealership may fix it for free, or they may charge you for it; it's at their discretion.

The TSB you'll want to look at is 07-058. You can view it here. Here's what this particular TSB says about getting it paid for if the car is no longer under warranty: "Any repair performed after warranty expiration may be eligible for goodwill consideration by the District Parts and Service Manager or your Zone Office. You must request consideration, and get a decision, before starting work."

Correct, this is why I said "should", most of the time the dealer can get it covered if they want to. There clearly is a defect in the design and the TSB is an acknowledgement of that defect. If i managed to get it covered on a different continent, your local dealer should be able to do the same.

As for getting it open, you shouldn't need to get your fingers behind the door, just a little tug on the top will open it provided the button is being pressed at the same time.

[qqzj]

Came back from the dealer at Burlingame CA. Was told that the TSB never 'work for us'. So they refused to even consider that TSB. The guy just squeezed some silicon into the smaller hole that house the latch. And told me that everything should be fine. I am not planning to visit Tahoe again soon. So there is no way for me to know.

[ND40oz]

That's ridiculous, there's a clear fix for the problem you're having and they decided to squeeze some silicon in there instead? Go to a different dealer, even if they won't cover the cost of the fix, you can still pay for it and get it done properly.

[s2kmdx]

My gas door was getting stuck under any conditions, hot or cold. I had to get a tube of lotion that I would use the end of and slightly pry into the top of the door so there is a bit of pressure there, then run back to the driver door and press the open gas door button. The gas door would open and I would go pick up the fallen tube of lotion. Embarrassing

I fixed it by using a dremel and filing down the plastic stick that holds the door shut, I filed down the inside part of the stick just a tiny tiny bit, it's barely noticeable, I just made it less "Sharp" kind of giving the end a slight curve to it. Now my gas door works each and every time.