Honda StepWGN: Power sliding door cable fraying causing door fault

Both RP3 and RP6 Stepwagon generations use motorised power sliding doors on both sides. The steel drive cable running from the door motor through the centre pillar guide channel is subject to fraying where it bends around the lower pulley bracket. As strands break, cable tension becomes inconsistent, causing the door to hesitate mid-travel, reverse unexpectedly, or trigger a door obstruction fault code that disables power mode entirely. Advanced fraying can result in cable parting inside the door cavity, requiring full cable loom and pulley bracket replacement. In NZ grey imports, wear is frequently compounded by corrosion in the guide channel from prior Japanese coastal or humid-climate use, accelerating cable degradation.

• Power sliding door hesitates or reverses mid-travel without any obstruction present
• Door fault warning displayed on instrument cluster
• Clicking or grinding noise from door lower cavity during power operation
• Power sliding door mode disabled after fault code is set
• Door closes slowly or incompletely before reversing automatically

1. 1

   Operate both power sliding doors fully open and fully closed at least three times each and observe for hesitation, reversal, or fault messages.

2. 2

   Listen for clicking or grinding at the lower door edge during travel.

3. 3

   Check for door fault codes on the cluster.

4. 4

   Inspect the lower cable exit point at the sill for visible frayed strands or corrosion.

5. 5

   Request permission to remove door lower trim panel to directly inspect cable condition at the pulley.

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

$480 to $1,400 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Have the power sliding doors ever shown a fault code or been disabled?”
• “Have the door drive cables ever been inspected or replaced?”
• “Has either sliding door ever been repaired after an impact or obstruction event?”
• “Do both doors complete their full travel smoothly and latch firmly?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.