My 2004 GMC Sierra Driver Door Controls Not Working! [Solved]

Riding a car while the door controls stop working is an annoying thing to happen as one can’t move the windows or access Electric child safety locks.

In most cases, the issue of faulty door controls happens due to rusty circuit board, broken orange wire, bad door lock actuator, or fired DDM fuse.

So, how to fix the 2004 GMC Sierra driver door controls not working issue? Do the given procedure to solve the error –

• Clean the circuit board.
• Repair the Hot (orange) wire of the driver door.
• Replace the door lock actuator.
• Change the DDM fuse.

To know in detail about the reasons and solutions, Keep on Reading!

Why Is 2004 GMC Sierra Driver Door Controls Not Working?

There are a lot of causes that make the (driver-side) door controls stop operating in 2004 GMC Sierra cars. If you’re also having issues like this, it’s time to learn the reasons first and then fix the bug.

Cause #1: Dirty Circuit Board

In the case of the 2004 GMC Sierra no power to driver door issue, the main culprit is the dirty circuit board that contains rust. This happens a lot if the button doesn’t work at all or won’t react.

How To Fix?

1. Get inside the car.
2. Detach the driver door controls unit and remove it using a pry bar.
3. Take out the wiring harness plugs (3 in total).
4. Now, you are left with the drive door controls unit.
5. Remove the plastic tape or label on the bottom.
6. Take out the big flex plastic unit by using the screwdriver. Be sure to use it on the holes and uplift the screwdriver to remove the flex plastic unit.
7. Again, do the same thing to remove the black part from the button included part of the driver’s door control.
8. Detach the brown plastic cover and inside you’ll find the green circuit part bottom part.
9. Use the same tool to detach the interior circuit board part from the black plastic part.
10. Inspect the circuit board’s upper part.
11. Use a brass contact cleaner brush to wipe the rust from the circuit board’s upper part.
12. Then, use a pencil eraser to wipe the surface again for a while.
13. Clean the surface of the circuit board’s upper part with a 100% alcohol-based cleaner.
14. Pull all the parts back into place.

Cause #2: Wire Issue

The broken wire is the most common reason why the driver door controls not working in the 2004 GMC Sierra. The error occurs if the wire is broken or loosely fit.

How To Fix?

1. In the left instrument fuse panel, you’ll find a left door circuit breaker inside the car.
2. The battery needs to be charged and the connection should be good.
3. Grab a test lite to check if the circuit is hot or not. It needs to be hot all the time.
4. Check the orange (hot) wire that goes into the driver’s door.
5. Use the same tool on the wire to understand the condition.
6. At the hinge side of the door, look at the rubber boot that covers the wires. Move it a little to access the other wires. If possible, detach the wire and insert it tightly.
7. If the wire has a tear or wear, it’s better to cut the wire a little far from the torn part. Then, cut a little thread of wire and connect the steel line using a pair of pliers.
8. Cover the open spot with a plastic tube and seal it through using a hair dryer. Cover the plastic tube with tape.
9. Then, program the BCM and new door module on the auto shop via the expert.
10. Reinstall all the parts.

Cause #3: Faulty Door Lock Actuator

If your car’s radio doesn’t turn off or the dome light doesn’t work when you open the door, then it’s indicating the door lock actuator is the culprit. Either the part is damaged or just needs a simple cleaning.

How To Fix?

1. Go inside your car.
2. Find the 2004 GMC Sierra blend door actuator location on the bottom of the passenger side trans hump.
3. Take a pry bar to remove the bottom dash shell from the passenger side. During this, you’ll have to detach one bolt.
4. Use the wrench to detach 2 bolts and then remove the bottom actuator. Detach the plugs and unplug the old actuator.
5. Insert a new one.
6. Put on the plug and attach the bottom actuator. Secure the part with 2 bolts using the same tool.
7. Attach the bottom dash shell using slight pressure and secure it after inserting the bolt.
8. Turn on your car and test it out.
9. If this doesn’t fix the error, then take out the door panel.
10. Unplug all the plugs which are connected to the actuator, and spray plugs with electro cleaner.
11. Inspect the actuator closely if it’s filthy then clean it using a brush or maybe replace it.
12. Reinstall all the parts.

Cause #4: Faulty Driver Door Module Fuse

A lot of times the drive door controls don’t work if one or two fuses of DDM are blown out. When the fuses burnt out, you’ll probably find the light turn-on issue or maybe buttons not working, etc.

How To Fix?

• Open the hood of your car.
• Locate the instrument panel fuse box (passenger compartment) right below the instrument panel on the left side of the steering wheel.
• Remove the fuse box cover using a pry bar or plain screwdriver.
• Find the drive door control module (DDM) –

• On the passenger compartment fuse box, locate Fuse 22 (10 A) which controls Left Turn Signals and Side Markers Lamps, Instrument Panel Cluster, and Driver Door Module (DDM).
• However, if the issue is only occurring with the drive door control buttons only, then check the Fuse 6 (15 A) in the passenger compartment fuse box which handles Driver Door Module (DDM).

• Inspect these 2 DDM fuses and spot burnt marks or scents.
• Remove the burnt DDM fuse (one or both) and insert a new one.
• Attach the fuse box cover using slight pressure.
• Test it out. 

Overall Thoughts

That’s why the 2004 GMC Sierra driver door controls not working! Now that you know about the causes and solutions, attempt them to fix the bug. 

Hope this guide helps you to understand this topic better. Happy Repair!