Warning: Door Strikers Loose

[Incommando]

I am certain with my luck I am the only one to have had this happen but I am posting this because it happened to strikers on each side of my Sonic. This would seem to limit the chance it was one shoddy employee. Here goes:

I noticed the door alignment on the front pass. door of my '12 H/B was showing an increased gap and was no longer flush when shut. Upon checking I found the door striker on the "b" pillar to be completely loose which allowed the loop to move a considerable amount in any direction. I maneuvered it around until the door sat flush again and tightened both screws using low-strength thread locker.

Curious, I checked and found the driver's front to be loose, although just barely as if I had caught it before it got bad. I repeated the process on this door. The rear strikers were fine.

I would think that should I have been in a crash that the pass. door at least would have been at greater risk of opening. I also wonder if it had gone much further it would have opened on its own with the striker still stuck in the latch. This may be a truly isolated event but I wanted to pass on my experience.

 

[Maddog2020]

Can you post a picture so we can see exactly what you are talking about (which screws)? I may want to check mine just in case.

 

[Incommando]

This is the striker on the passenger side front. I assume the bolts go to a movable plate in the pillar itself to allow for adjustment. It appears that the two screws ( top/bottom) hold it in place by squeezing the base plate against the interior plate, pinching the body. You also see the lube around the striker. The dealer put that on when I had my free oil change. This made re-aligning the door much easier but to get the door to shut as flush as possible I had to move the striker in further. You can see the original position in the picture. When I discovered the condition I could easily move the striker about 3/8" in any direction.

The driver's side was just barely loose. I could move it but it took a little effort. I lined it up with the marks in the lube and tightened it there. The door closes and fits fine.

 

[severous01]

it's not just chevy that does this. original OEM doesnt use threadlocker on these bolts. and they should. it's a good thing you put it back together with threadlock.

if you notice a rattle, or the door not shutting all the way this is the prime suspect. or the other end where the hinges are. also, OEM doesnt use threadlocker here either. if you do want to remove the bolts and apply threadlocker i suggest doing one at a time so you dont have to align. it's a pain if you undo the hinge bolts all at once