Power Door Lock Actuator The behind-the-scenes mechanism that locks and unlocks your vehicle’s doors with the push of a button is the power door-lock actuator. Mounted inside the door, it ...

The actuator has a plunger that can push and pull with about 10 pounds of force, more than enough to operate the door lock. The actuator connects to the current lock system via a rod.

Returning attention to the door handles we interact with to open the car’s door, there have been numerous design changes in the past 50 years or so. And not only for aesthetic reasons.