On cold days, my car (Ford F150) has to meet ice when leaving it in the parking lot. Due to this, a lot of time its door doesn’t close or work at all no matter how much pressure I use.

Due to the given reasons, the Ford F150 door won’t close or lock:

Ice buildup from the outside.
Rust in cable, linkage, door panel, and other parts.
Worn out door striker bolt.

To fix the bug, I’ll show you all the solutions in this step-by-step guide and explain them in detail including the causes. Let Me Lift the Veil for You!

Table of Contents show

Fix Ford F150 Door Won’t Close by Doing These!

If you pull the door handle and it doesn’t close, inspect the door panel and nearby surroundings carefully to find the reasons. Based on the causes, solve the issue of the Ford F150 door won’t stay closed by doing the given methods.

Solution #1: Perform the Lock/Unlock Cycle & Access Defrost

Leaving the car outside for a few hours during the season of winter will possibly build ice all around the door.

Due to this, the door panel from the outside can be blocked by ice which causes the issue of not closing. Here’s how to fix it:

Clean the snow using a rag.
Open the door like you used to do and immediately close the door.
Again, do the same thing a few times.
Then, turn on the Heater Controls and increase the fan speed.
Click on the Power button and again hit it.
Hit the Defrost button.
Turn on the A/C button and move the little knob to the cold (blue side). Then, immediately hit the A/C button.
Move the knob to hot (red side).
Wait for 5 to 15 minutes so that ice melts.
Again, open the car door and close it using slight pressure.

Solution #2: Clean the Door Panel Parts

The door won’t close issue mostly happens when the door panel parts are covered in corroded or rust. It happens if the ice gets inside the door gaps and harms the metal parts. Fix the bug by doing the given steps:

Open the door.
Look at the panel closely to find a hinge that helps to lock the door when you close it.
Use a strong lubricant like the WD-40 Specialist on it and wait for 10 to 15 minutes.
Close the door.
If still not working, then take a pry bar to detach the door interior panel.
Take out the door water shield access.
Inspect the latch release cable if it’s rightly placed or not. Also, check the cable end if it’s attached to the outer handle or not. If not, attach them rightly.
Use the lubricant and let it sit for 10 minutes at least.

Detach the latch and other assemblies on the car. And the is easy if you use compressed air to remove dust or snow.
Spray the lubricant and let them soak for a couple of minutes.
If you find the latch worn out or broken, be sure to do the Ford F150 door latch replacement.
Locate all the metal parts and spray the lubricant. Dry the solution for 10 minutes.
Reinstall all the door latch and handle assemblies.
Insert the door panel.
Do it on other doors too if other doors don’t close.

Solution #3: Replace Door Striker Bolt

A lot of times the door striker bolt (which holds the hinge and locks the door) can wear out. Due to its sudden decrease through wear, it expands the gaps inside the hinge and causes the door to not close in F150. To fix the bug, look at the given instructions:

Open the door and locate the door striker bolt on the car piler.
Inspect the door striker bolt closely to find the plastic housing which can wear after some years. If it seems bad in condition, you have to replace otherwise lubrication can fix the issue.
Use a right Torx bit and unplug the old door striker bolt by moving it to the anticlockwise (left) direction and remove the part.
Grab the new door striker bolt and test it if it fits inside the door hinge smoothly or not.
Then, insert that into the hole. Be sure it’s a strong and appropriate door striker bolt like the Dorman 38421.
Move it in the clockwise (right) direction using your finger. Then, secure it using the same Torx bit.
Open and close the door a few times to understand if it fixes the bug or not.

Wrap Up

The issue of the Ford F150 door won’t close is a terrible thing to face in a busy life. I highly recommend you try the above methods rather than spending bucks on repair in an auto shop as the fixing is super easy.

However, if money isn’t a problem and you don’t want to spend energy, then it’s okay to get help from an expert. Just prepare $200 – $500 for repair (inspection + repair/replacement + labor + material costs).

Hope This Helps!