Frozen car door or lock? What works in a Minnesota winter

Every Minnesota winter brings the same morning: you press the unlock button, nothing happens, the key will not turn, or the door unlocks and then refuses to open. Before you call anyone, it helps to know which part is frozen, because the fix is different for each.

First: what is actually frozen?

A door frozen shut (the seal)

The most common problem is not the lock at all. Water gets into the rubber seal around the door, then freezes it to the frame.

• Push before you pull. Lean your weight into the door to crack the ice, then pull the handle.
• Try the other doors. One is often less iced, and once the engine runs, the heat helps free the rest.
• Clear ice along the edges with a plastic scraper, not a metal tool that can chip paint.

A frozen lock

If the key goes in but will not turn, there is ice in the cylinder.

• Use lock de-icer. It is cheap and worth keeping in your coat or bag, not in the frozen car.
• Warm a plain metal key a little and ease it in. Never heat a key with a chip or a remote in the head.
• Never force it. A key turned hard in a frozen lock is how keys snap off inside.

What makes it worse

• Hot water. It melts the ice for a minute, then refreezes into more ice, and pouring hot water on cold glass can crack it.
• Prying with metal. Screwdrivers and ice picks tear the door seal and scratch paint.
• Yanking the handle. Frozen handles and latches can break, which turns a frozen door into a repair.

Key fobs and the cold

Batteries lose power in the cold, so a fob battery that was getting weak in the fall often quits on the first deep-freeze morning.

• Most fobs hide a metal emergency key. Slide the release and use it on the driver's door.
• Push-to-start cars usually have a backup spot to hold a dead fob so the car can still read it. Your owner's manual shows where.
• Replace fob batteries before winter if they are a few years old.

If the fob is lost or truly dead, see our guide to car key fob replacement.

Prevent it before the next cold snap

• Treat the door seals with a silicone spray or seal conditioner in the fall.
• Lubricate the locks with a dry lubricant made for locks.
• Keep de-icer with you, not in the glovebox of the car it needs to open.
• Park in a garage or facing the morning sun when you can.
• Make a spare car key while you still have a working one. See car key replacement.

When to call a locksmith

Call when the door is locked with the keys inside, the key is lost, or a lock stays frozen after de-icer. In the Twin Cities, SOS Locksmith Solutions comes to you 24/7: 763-600-3529. Wait somewhere warm and we will call when we are close. See car lockout service.