My key turns but the door doesn't unlock — what's wrong?
The gearbox inside the lock has stripped — the cylinder is fine. The mechanism gets replaced, matched to the existing prep, for $175.
$175, parts + labor
Door Lock Jams or Won't Catch? Lock Repair — $175
Sounds like: door lock jams or key won't turn · sliding door latch won't catch
Jammed or worn door locks — including sliding-door mortise latches — are replaced for $175 with hardware matched to the original prep.
Why It Fails
Door locks fail at the mechanism, not the key: mortise gearboxes in patio doors wear until the hook latch stops throwing, multi-point locks on newer entry doors drift out of alignment as the door settles, and the humble sliding-door latch simply fatigues after ten thousand flips. The lock that «needs a jiggle» this year is the lock that strands you on the porch next year.
How the Repair Goes
We match the replacement to the original door prep — backset, spacing, faceplate — so no new holes get drilled. Mortise units, sliding-door hook latches and handle sets are swapped and the strike aligned so the door pulls snug against its seal. $175 including hardware. If the real problem is a sagging door dragging the latch out of line, we fix the alignment first and say so.
Brands
Sliding-door mortise locks are near-universal patterns matched by faceplate; multi-point entry hardware (common on newer NC builds) is matched by brand. Old brass mortise sets in pre-war houses are serviced, not replaced — parts for those deserve saving.
Repair vs. Replacement
A lock swap is $175 against a $10,000-class patio-door replacement.
FAQ
Why won't my sliding door latch anymore?
Either the hook latch has fatigued or worn rollers dropped the door out of alignment with the keeper. Both are same-visit fixes; the latch swap is $175.
Can you fix a lock without changing my keys?
Usually yes — most failures are mechanical, in the latch or gearbox, and the cylinder your keys fit stays.
Door lock / mortise hardware repair near me? Serving Charlotte, Raleigh & Greensboro
Door lock / mortise hardware calls come in from all three of our metros — Charlotte, the Raleigh–Durham Triangle and the Greensboro–Winston-Salem Triad — plus the towns around them, from Huntersville and Matthews to Cary, Apex and Kernersville. The price doesn't change with the zip code: $175, parts + labor, any brand, written 5-year warranty.
Applies to: entry doors, sliding doors, storm doors. Every repair carries a written 5-year warranty.