09 ML63 drivers door will not lock

my heated garage kept, weekend drives only ML developed an usual issue today. The doors have always locked and unlocked fine, never any issues. ML has keyless go, and as long as the key was in my pocket, just touching the handles would unlock the door. Well, today, at my 3rd stop, I had my family with me, they opted to stay in the car while I ran into the store. I left the engine running (MI is still cold this time of year) and went about my business. I returned to the parking lot and the door would not unlock. I tried the door handle, the handle button, the keyfob, tried cycling the locks, nothing. My wife hit the unlock button on the passenger door, nothing. She reached over to hit the unlock on the drivers door, nothing. Finally, she had to pull up on the lock knob. Now, the drivers door will not lock at all, and I cannot even force the lock plunger down, as it has something resisting and is pushing back up. I check all the fuses and did several searches and came up with nothing. Short of taking to the dealer (several hours drive in 1 direction) I am actively seeking a solution. Perhaps someone reading this has had a similar situation and found the fix to be something simple, like lock re-syncing or a menu option needs reset.