Frozen Car Doors and Locks in Winnipeg: How to Get Inside Safely

After a freezing rain or a night at -30°C, it is common to find a car door that will not open or a key that will not turn. In Winnipeg this is one of the most frustrating winter surprises, especially when you are on your way to work. Here is how to deal with it without damaging your vehicle.

Why car locks and doors freeze

Moisture gets into the lock cylinder and door seals, then freezes. Freezing rain, a car wash before a cold night, or melted snow that refreezes around the rubber seals can all lock a door in place.

Safe ways to get inside

• Try every door. The driver’s door is not always the one that freezes. Try the passenger and rear doors, and the trunk or hatch.
• Push on the door, then pull. Pressing the door inward can crack the ice seal around the frame. Do this gently, without force.
• Use a de-icer made for locks. Spray lock de-icer into the keyhole, then wait a minute before trying the key.
• Warm the key. Warm the metal of the key with your hands or a lighter for a few seconds, never so hot that it burns, and try again.
• Hand sanitizer with alcohol can also help melt ice in a keyhole when you have nothing else.
• Use the remote or the app. If your key fob unlocks the car but the handle is frozen, the issue is the door seal, not the lock.

What not to do

• Do not pour hot or boiling water. It can crack glass, damage paint and refreeze almost immediately, making the problem worse.
• Do not force the handle or the key. Handles and keys snap in the cold.
• Do not use a flame near the car body or lock.
• Do not leave the car unlocked overnight as a fix. It is not safe, and it can still freeze shut.

Preventing frozen doors and locks

• Spray silicone on the rubber door seals before winter to keep ice from bonding.
• Apply a graphite or lock lubricant to the keyholes.
• Avoid washing your car right before a deep freeze, or dry the door seals afterward.
• Keep a small can of lock de-icer in your coat or bag, not in the car.

When your keys are locked inside

Sometimes the problem is not ice but a key left in the vehicle in the cold. Do not try to break a window, which is costly and unsafe. Our technicians at Brown Square Towing open cars, SUVs and trucks without damaging the lock or paint, 24 hours a day, including holidays.

What to have ready when you call

• Your exact location and the nearest intersection
• Vehicle make, model and year
• Whether the keys are inside, or if the door is just frozen
• Whether anyone, such as a child or a pet, is locked inside. If so, call 911 right away.

Fast help anywhere in Winnipeg

From Osborne Village to Garden City and from East Kildonan to Fort Garry, we dispatch the closest truck. See all our services or call us now.