Sagging door

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jbeuree

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
Messages
5
Our front driver's side door is sagging quite a bit, and hits the underside of the door when trying to close. (2015 model) Took it to what was supposed to be a good body shop and asked them how much it would be to get the door aligned properly. Got back a crazy quote with all kinds of work that looks unrelated to me. If it was the old style where I could just change the pins it wouldn't be a problem, but I suspect there's more involved with these. Has anyone fixed a sagging Leaf door and know what all needs to be done? Do the hinges just be replaced?
 
Depends on what's causing the sag. The hinges themselves appear to be bolted on to both the door and the body pillar so replacement shouldn't be a big deal if they are worn. There's also some adjustment possible by loosening the bolts and repositioning, though I don't know the range of adjustment. Have you checked to see if there is any up/down play in the door? Loose bolts? Could be something as simple as re-adjusting the fit and tightening the bolts. If the misalignment is due to accident or some large weight having been applied to the open door, deforming the body pillar then it might need to be shimmed or someone getting in there to do metal work.
 
jbeuree said:
Has anyone fixed a sagging Leaf door and know what all needs to be done? Do the hinges just be replaced?
Easiest way to check is the same as old-school hinges... open the door and lift up & down to check for play in the hinges. If sloppy, change the hinge assy. If not, likely something is bent or out of adjustment.
 
I've replaced lots of Maverick and similar door hinges, in my youth. It's not an easy job for one person (although you can use a chair as an assistant) but it's fairly easy for two, if at least one person has done mechanical adjustments before.
 
Sounds like somebody Jacked the car incorrectly and bent your floor pan which could cause the door to be out of alignment.
 
dsh said:
Sounds like somebody Jacked the car incorrectly and bent your floor pan which could cause the door to be out of alignment.

Good point. A picture of the door showing the gaps all around could help.
 
I don't have pictures, but when the door is closed the gaps look nice and consistent all the way around. This is what made me believe it was sagging. I did some messing around with it, and it also doesn't look like there's play in the hinge, which is really strange. Examined where they attach closely and can't see any signs of anything deformed/damaged/etc that could explain why the door is angled slightly down from where it should be. Is it possible there's play between the hinges and the bolts themselves? I haven't tried loosening them to see, but that looks to me like the only explanation other than some strange manufacturing defect, which I guess is also possible.
 
jbeuree said:
I don't have pictures, but when the door is closed the gaps look nice and consistent all the way around. This is what made me believe it was sagging. I did some messing around with it, and it also doesn't look like there's play in the hinge, which is really strange. Examined where they attach closely and can't see any signs of anything deformed/damaged/etc that could explain why the door is angled slightly down from where it should be. Is it possible there's play between the hinges and the bolts themselves? I haven't tried loosening them to see, but that looks to me like the only explanation other than some strange manufacturing defect, which I guess is also possible.

1) When the door is closed properly, the gaps will be even because the door is being held in place. Check to see how the panels align horizontally all the way around. A tweaked frame might display a bow in places.

2) A visual inspection is not likely to reveal anything on the hinges since there is so little that can cause closing issues.

Best bet. Open door then lift up on the end. Is there any play? If not, bent casing. If there is, bent or loose hinge or even possibly door although that is the least likely cause.
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
1) When the door is closed properly, the gaps will be even because the door is being held in place. Check to see how the panels align horizontally all the way around. A tweaked frame might display a bow in places.
Everything looks good and straight, which makes me think its something to do either with the hinges or where they attach.
2) A visual inspection is not likely to reveal anything on the hinges since there is so little that can cause closing issues.

Best bet. Open door then lift up on the end. Is there any play? If not, bent casing. If there is, bent or loose hinge or even possibly door although that is the least likely cause.
There didn't seem to be any play in the hinge itself, but it could be that its such a small amount it's difficult to notice. It's enough that it's hitting the bottom of the door, but I don't think there's really all that much clearance there to begin with.
I also wonder if the door could have been caught badly in the wind or something, and if that could have tweaked where the hinge attaches enough to mess it up but not really be noticeable.
 
I also wonder if the door could have been caught badly in the wind or something, and if that could have tweaked where the hinge attaches enough to mess it up but not really be noticeable.


That would be a warped hinge. Maybe. See if the door hangs below the frame when open.
 
jbeuree said:
I don't have pictures, but when the door is closed the gaps look nice and consistent all the way around. ...

If the bottom is hitting but other gaps are fine then it doesn't sound like a hinge or adjustment problem. It makes me suspect what someone already mentioned -- improper jacking of the vehicle deforming the bottom of the door frame. But again can't say for sure without seeing it.
 
Sorry for dredging up an old post, but thought I'd give an update in case it's of use to anyone with similar problems in the future. After taking the car to a body shop and not liking their estimate, I waited for a while until I had some time to deal with it myself. The door hitting on the bottom was definitely due to the door sagging, and had been doing it for so long that some of the paint scraped off the part of the car where it was hitting, and was even rusting some.

(sorry for the google photos links, they don't seem to work inline)
Scraped and rusting metal under the door:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gjpQi92QBCJ3h4rE9

Showing how far off the door alignment was when closing:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gjpQi92QBCJ3h4rE9

And a final one of the lower hinge. Probably difficult to see in the photo, but it looked like the bushing was gone on the front part. The pin and hinge appeared to be rubbing and wearing, causing some rust to form as well.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5UX9gab8F1p6qcu77

Ordered new hinges and paint for the repair. Replaced the top hinge as well, even though it looked OK just to be on the safe side.

When replacing the hinges, there's a few things I discovered. The service manual list MANY things to take apart so the hinges can be addressed with the door on the vehicle, up to removing the fender and separating some foam from it. I opted to actually remove the door from the vehicle to make it easier - plus I was expecting to need to do some work on the bottom of the door as well. Although I had a good surprise with that, in that the plastic part on the bottom of the door appeared to cause all the scraping and there was no damage to any paint on the door itself. Having quickjacks made this easier, as they make a nice platform, with a piece of wood, to support the door for removal/installation.

There is an electrical connection that needs to come off for the door to be removed. I hadn't dealt with this specific type before, but it wasn't difficult to figure out. It has what can only be described as a "handle lock", which points down in the installed/locked position. Rotating this up and against the wiring itself will pull the connector most of the way out. Pulling the connector the rest of the way with the handle fully unlocked will release it, and will also lock the handle in the unlocked position. Installing it automatically releases the handle, and then rotating the handle down will pull the connector firmly into place.

As for the hinges themselves, the top one only has a rotational adjustment. The bolt that is nearest to the door goes into a pin that sticks out and gives a specific position for the top hinge. The other bolt goes in normally, which provides some adjustment room to rotate the hinge. It needs to be rotated so that both hinges are "in line" and the door will contact both simultaneously. I found it useful to use a long level against the hinges to ensure they were both at the correct angle.

The bottom hinge is the one that provides the real adjustment. As I was installing them with the door off, and didn't have any tools that could loosen the bolts with the door on, I had to do a few trial and error attempts. Basically, install hinges, install door, determine if too high/low, remove door, adjust hinges, and repeat. Sounds tedious but probably still easier than the approach in the service manual.

Now with the new hinges the door closes perfect, and the parts cost me a fraction of what a body shop wanted for the same work.
 
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