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 closing and then just when it’s about to close, opens back up again, it’s usually due to something blocking it from closing. It may also be due to too much friction on the door closing mechanism, resulting in the door thinking there is a blockage that’s keeping the door from closing.
The first thing you should check is if something is literally just 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.
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 increase the 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 tend 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. The goal is to clean off any gunk that may be keeping the roller wheel from gliding freely along the track. This alone can sometimes get your sliding door to close all the way on its own.
Fully Cleaning & Greasing the Automatic Sliding Door
To properly maintain the sliding door track, you should first 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 WV201 WANDVAC Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
An all purpose cleaner and a microfiber towel or lintless rag is best to clean this lower area as the chemical can break up and clean various debris, and even any dirtied grease. 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 / Lintless 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 something to have gotten stuck at the top.
If the top rail is very dirty, you could clean the rail and remove any dirty grease. However, this area generally 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.
Permatex 80345 White Lithium Grease, 1.5 oz.
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 Reasons For The Automatic Sliding Door Not Closing
Dislodged Door Molding
One of these things that you may want to look out for is a dislodged 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 off of the door, 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 in any 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 molding has come loose, pop the clips back into the molding and the door so that the molding is re-attached to the door properly. In one case, the clips on my Odyssey came loose at the very bottom of the door, so I had to do lay on the ground looking up at the bottom of the sliding door and re-attach it.
Low Battery Charge
Another potential issue with the automatic sliding door (that I have also experienced personally) is when the sliding door will suddenly not work at all. The sliding door basically refuses to move on its own and you will hear a loud and constant beep. The only way to close or open the sliding door at this point is to manually push it open or close.
If you’re experiencing this, it could be due to a drained battery. This can be due to leaving electronics on, operating the sliding doors constantly, and/or running accessories for a prolonged period of time without having the car running. The car battery on this generation Odyssey depletes quickly due to the power-hungry electronics and accessories and so it needs recharging constantly from driving regularly.
You can either jump start your car, drive your car for a while, or perform a combination of the two to recharge your battery. If your car battery is on its way out and due for a replacement, change out the car battery for a new one; it may address the issue. It’s not uncommon for the car batteries (even the AGM ones) to need replacement after a few years due to no longer being able to hold enough charge.
Sliding Door Cable Failure
I would also like to point out another problem where the issue can be more serious. Some 5th Generation Honda Odyssey owners have an issue where the sliding door doesn’t run anymore (even with a good battery and plenty of charge) because the sliding door cable breaks. In some cases. Thankfully this has never happened to me in the time I’ve owned this car. More serious problems will usually require taking the vehicle into a shop that can handle the necessary repairs.
