It’s very frustrating when you try to close your automatic sliding door on your 2018-2026 Honda Odyssey and just when it’s about to close… re-opens again. This can be extremely stressful especially if you’re in a situation like dropping your kids off at school and your sliding door won’t close on it’s own.
In this post, I will first show you how to get that sliding door closed so you can continue driving where you need to get going. And next, I’ll guide you through some steps towards addressing the issue so that it will close properly in the future. This post is focused on the issue where the automatic sliding door won’t close at the last minute and will re-open on its own. This leaves you with the issue where the automatic sliding door just won’t close by itself.
How to Get the Automatic Sliding Door Closed Now
First of all, I know many of us have gotten into a jam and just need the sliding door closed right away. If the door is opening up on its own again right before it is about to close, it’s usually due to something blocking it from closing or it may be due to too much friction on the door closing mechanism, resulting in the door thinking there is a blockage that is keeping the door from closing.
The first thing you should check is if something is blocking the door from closing. It seems obvious, but look all around the door opening to see if anything is blocking it from closing. If you’ve got kids, it’s entirely possible for a toy or other item to have dropped and is keeping the door from closing all the way. Look all around the door, especially in the crevice where the lower door rail is located.
If you’ve checked and don’t see anything blocking the door from closing, then you may be able to physically guide the door closed. Use your hand and give a bit of pressure on the door to help guide it closed. Add the pressure by pressing on the door and also in the direction of it closing. Apply pressure the entire time until it fully closes. This has worked most of the time that I’ve had this issue when there was nothing physically in the way of the door closing.
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Maintaining the Automatic Sliding Door Mechanism
Over time, a lot of things can fall into the area that at the bottom track of the sliding door. This area can harbor a ton of dirt, spilled drinks, and other debris, which can cause more friction for the sliding door roller. If you have kids, this problem can be compounded with all the snacks, candy, sand, and other random stuff that they tends to drop down there. I have three kids and it is absolutely absurd how much crap gets stuck down there.
If you’re in a pinch or you don’t have a whole lot of time, you can grab some cleaning solution like an all purpose cleaner with a towel (baby wipes work too) to clean the bottom track so that there is no gunk that can keep the track from gliding freely along the rail.
Fully Cleaning & Greasing the Automatic Sliding Door
To properly maintain the sliding door track, you should completely clean the area at the lower door track, and then apply grease to the door rail at the top of the sliding door to reduce the friction for the sliding door mechanism. Start off by vacuuming any large debris in the lower region.
Shark Vacuum Cleaner
An all purpose cleaner and a microfiber towel or rag is best to clean the area as the chemical can clean up all the debris, as well as the dirty grease there. Fully wipe down the entire area including the metal track. You may need to partially close the door halfway in order to clean the area blocked by the roller wheel. We don’t need to apply grease to the lower metal track because the wheel simply rolls along the metal track and doesn’t require grease.
All Purpose Cleaner
Microfiber Towels / Rags
Now, take a look at the guide rail at the top of the sliding door and ensure there is nothing in the rail keeping the door from closing. Usually, if there is a blockage, it is probably going to be at the bottom track as it is far more likely that something has dropped down than for it to be stuck at the top.
If the top rail is very dirty, you could clean the rail and remove any dirty grease. However, this area tends to stay pretty clean. Apply a good quality lithium grease to the guide wheel and apply a very small amount across the inside of the top guide rail. Then, operate the sliding door open and close several times and then leave it open. Apply a little more grease to the guide wheel again.. Wipe any residual grease that may have gotten outside of the roller and track.
This will usually be enough to maintain your sliding door and keep it running is good shape. This guide is focused mainly around issues around blockage of the door and cleaning/maintaining the door rails and tracks to maintain proper operation of these sliding doors. There are going to be times where there are other issues that cause problems with these doors.
Other Things to Look Out For
One of these things that you may want to look out for is the rubber weatherstrip molding that runs along the perimeter of the inside of the sliding door. This molding is held to the door by little plastic trim clips. The clips can sometimes pop out of the door itself, or they can pull off of the molding itself. Either way, it’s a good idea to look around the entire door and see if the molding has come loose either way.
Even if part of the weatherstrip molding has become dislodged, it can bind up and cause the door to stop and re-open again. If any part of the have come loose, pop the clips back into the molding and the door so that the molding is re-attached to the door properly. In my case, the clips have come loose at the very bottom of the door, so I had to do this work while laying on the ground looking up at the bottom of the sliding door.
I would also like to point out another problem where the issue can be more serious. Some Honda Odyssey owners have an issue where the sliding door doesn’t even run anymore altogether, or it has come off of the rail completely. The wire that runs the sliding door can also break, which will lead to a similar issue of the door no longer working. These more serious problems will usually require taking the vehicle into a shop that can handle the necessary repairs.
