Step away from the car and visually inspect the way the car door aligns with the car s body.
Car door striker plate adjustment.
Luckily this is an easy fix and all that you need is a screwdriver small chisel hammer and a pencil or marker.
The lock striker should enter the slot on the plate centrally without rubbing the sides.
When that happens the door strike will not align with the strike plate.
Moving the strike plate should not be needed most of the time.
If the latch won t spring into the strike plate photo 1 observe whether it hits the plate at the top or bottom.
Use this mark to judge whether the striker plate needs to be slightly raised or lowered to give the door a close fit.
Make sure it s in the proper location.
Tightening the hinges or adding a support screw may be all that is need to get the door working correctly.
Inspect the striker plate.
Open the door again.
If the door still doesn t catch grab a flashlight and study the way the door latch the flexing part operated by the door handle hits the strike plate.
First try tightening the screws in both the handle and the striker plate.
When adjusting the door striker plate you may have to adjust it several times to ensure a good seal on the door.
Inspect all of the bolts holding the door in place.
To adjust the striker plate open the door and mark on the door pillar with a pencil the height at which the lock passes it.
It has a round or square hole that the door latch bolt fits into when you turn the knob and close.
How to adjust a door knob strike plate.
Note any that are showing signs of wear and.
Before you attempt to adjust the strike plate make sure the door does not need to be adjusted.
This video shows how to adjust a car door so it closes flush with the rear door.
A door strike plate attaches to the latch side door jamb.
This video shows how to adjust a car door so it closes flush with the rear door.
The problem of a door not latching is commonly caused by a misaligned strike plate so the first thing you have to do is to check the strike plate first for alignment.