Tips and Tricks on How to Open a Frozen Car Door

Cold winter nights help you sleep well but might also freeze car doors. Since you can’t open frozen doors, you must find a way to break or melt the ice. Additionally, you must avoid damaging critical parts like the door lock and rubber seals.

How to Open a Frozen Car Door

Here are the recommended ways to safely open a frozen car door:

Remote Start

Does your car have a remote start feature? You can thaw out frozen doors by pressing a button. Use the key fob to start the engine from outside the vehicle.

Once the engine warms up, it generates heat that spreads to the rest of the car. The heat will melt the ice that keeps the doors closed.

The remote start approach takes minimal effort on your end. However, it requires some time for the engine to warm up the rest of the car. If you’re in a hurry, you might not have time to wait for the frozen doors to thaw out.

Only use remote start if you turned off the windshield wipers the night before. Otherwise, the frozen wipers will activate when you start your vehicle, potentially damaging themselves or the windshield.

If you’re worried about the car doors freezing overnight and plan to melt the ice with a remote start, you can take steps to assist the process. Before you turn off your vehicle for the night, set the heater to full power and direct its airflow at the doors. That way, when you remote start your vehicle, the heater will fire up and warm the doors, unfreezing them.

If you’re using remote start, make sure that before turning off the vehicle the night before, you turn off the windshield wipers. If the wipers are left on when you start the car, they may break while operating or damage your windshield. Also when using remote start, set the heater to full blast and direct it to the desired airflow direction before turning off the vehicle the previous night. This is so that when you start the vehicle, the heat starts to melt the ice.

–Anthony Harlin, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician

Thawing Out Frozen Locks With a Heated Key

Older models that rely on a key for ignition require old-fashioned methods of thawing out frozen doors. The first step usually involves carefully heating the key and using it to defrost the door locks.

Ice can appear on the complex mechanism that engages and disengages the door lock. A frozen lock can prevent you from unlocking the door.

Fortunately, you can thaw a frozen door lock with a heated key. Heat the shank –the metal part that goes into the door locks and ignition cylinder– with the low flame of a match or lighter.

Once the key has become sufficiently hot, carefully insert it into the door lock. As the heated shank enters the keyhole, it will melt the ice on the locking mechanism.

You might have to repeat the procedure several times before you thaw out the frozen door lock. Disengage the lock and see if you can open the door. If it remains stuck, it’s time to thaw the rest of the door.

Warm Water

When you wonder how to get frozen car doors open, you probably considered pouring hot water on the recalcitrant door. Unfortunately, if something hot comes into contact with a cold object, the latter expands rapidly. You might accidentally shatter the cold window glass or damage the paint on the frozen door with hot water. How to unlock a frozen car door using water without damaging your vehicle?

Instead of hot water, use warm water. The latter can melt ice without triggering the destructively rapid thermal expansion of the materials that make up the door.

To thaw out the car door with this method, pour warm water over the area surrounding the frame. The heat will melt most of the ice on the rubber seals.

Next, push at the door with your entire body weight several times. The pressure will shatter the remaining ice on the seals.

Once you’ve thawed out and opened the door, dry the rubber seals. Ensure there’s no water that can freeze up during cold nights.

If you pour warm water on your door and it doesn’t open, you should immediately try to pour more warm water and open it again. If it doesn’t open, you should immediately look for another solution. Otherwise, the water that you just poured can freeze up and make the door harder to open.

If temperatures drop below the freezing point of water (32°F), avoid using warm water to get the frozen car doors open. The water will freeze quickly, making the situation worse.

Hairdryer

Do you have a hairdryer at home? You can use it to thaw frozen locks and doors. Unlike warm water, you can use it even in temperatures that will freeze water.

Park your car near a power outlet and use an extension cord to ensure the hairdryer can reach the vehicle. Follow the usual precautions for operating an electrical device in a damp area.

Keep the hairdryer six inches from the surface of the frozen door. Sweep hot air across the frame for several minutes. Then gently open the door. If it refuses to open, there might still be ice on the rubber seals or locks. Repeat the procedure until you can draw the door open.

Pushing Frozen Doors to Break Thin Ice

Sometimes, the ice doesn’t get enough time or moisture to become thick and sturdy. If the layer is sufficiently thin, you can break the brittle stuff with sufficient force.

Lean into the door, directing the pressure of your weight near the seam between the frame and the rest of your car. Do this several times before trying to open the door. If successful, you can shatter thin layers of ice, freeing your door.

Exert care when performing push-ups on the door. Otherwise, you might accidentally leave dents on the metal, adding to the issues that need costly repair.

Ice Scraper

An ice scraper lets you remove ice layers that have formed on a surface. While you can use any solid object for the job, a proper scraping tool reduces the risk of damaging the iced-over part.

Keep an ice scraper in the car and another in the garage for emergencies. You can use the spare scraper to break the ice from outside your vehicle.

Unfortunately, an ice scraper can’t reach ice between the door and the frame. You must also use the tool carefully to avoid scratching fragile parts like the window glass or paint.

Deicing Products

On freezing days and nights, ordinary measures like warm water and ice scrapers won’t work on thick ice. Instead, consider applying a deicing product to your car .

Deicing products don’t simply melt ice. They also apply a layer of lubricant that prevents moisture from attaching to the protected surface.

Spray the deicing product on the lock, handles, and rubber seals. The protected areas won’t hold moisture, and they’ll prevent ice formation.

You can usually order commercial deicing products. Alternatively, you might be able to use diluted white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, or wiper fluid to dissolve ice. These solutions are great because you probably have them in your household.

Using white vinegar involves putting two parts vinegar and one part water into a spray bottle. Then, you’ll spray the mix into the door’s seams. Naturally, the spray might smell pungent, but the solution can melt the ice around your door in 30 seconds. After waiting for the solution to take effect, you can try to open your door.

When using alcohol, mix one part alcohol and two parts water in a spray bottle and spray it on the gaps around your doors. When spraying the alcohol, ensure that the solution can get inside the gap between your door and the vehicle body. After a few seconds, you might be able to pull the door open.

Tips and Tricks to Avoid Frozen Car Doors

Prevention remains the best solution to most problems. Here are some of the ways you can prevent frozen car doors during winter:

Cover Your Car

If you expect wintry weather, put a car cover on your vehicle. The cover blocks precipitation that can potentially turn into ice and freeze the doors.

Put a Trash Bag in the Door

If you shut a large trash bag in the door, the makeshift plastic barrier can stop ice formation.

Preemptive Deicing

Applying a deicing product can reduce moisture and prevent ice from forming between the doors. Spray the protective substance around the door, on the handles, and into the lock.
Hopefully, learning how to open a car door that is frozen shut proves helpful this winter season.