Broken Interior door handle, how do I remove the panel with it closed....

Hey all

Dropped my kid off at daycare on the way to work this morning and when I opened the door i heard a sound of plastic falling into a cavity. Looked around, saw nothing and moved on. Got to work and tried to get out and nothing. the handle had no resistance on it. I climbed out the passenger side and assumed the part where the metal rod snaps into the plastic door handle broke. Im still at work so havent messed with it yet but, how do I get the door open so I can take the panel off?

2003 double cab btw

Thanks in advance for ideas

 

crickets...well this was a long shot..

 

Pardon my very stupid question, but does the outside door handle not work either?

 

Can you open it from the outside?

 

Not stupid, it didn't open either. But I only had a few minutes before getting into work so it might be locked. the lock was loose also like it moved freely up and down

 

Because the truck locks as soon as you start it (which I have never liked)

 

It should open from the outside unless something got fubar'ed with all the rods. I haven't done an interior handle yet but I've replaced plenty of outer handles, and they each have their own rods. There's one that goes to the interior handle and it sounds like that one's connector got broken, but I would be willing to bet that the outer handle still opens the door (hopefully)

 

Ok, then that tells me that more than one piece broke. Because it locked when I started the truck but now the lock on the panel moves up and down with no resistance either

 

use the key to unlock from outside then open the door. If not, you may have to jimmy it.

 

You've confirmed it won't open from the outside?

If that's the case then I can't really think what would have broken on the inner handle that would also effect the outer handle...weird

 

I didn't try using the key to unlock from the outside, I was pressed for time by the time I crawled out the passenger side. Then that should open. Ok, thanks guys

 

yeah let us know if you can get it to open from the outside handle, I'm betting that you can (when it's unlocked). If you can't, then you might have to jimmy it open like suggested above. I don't think the inner door panel can be removed correctly from inside the truck with the door closed.

 

Another option is to just take off the interior door handle that is held on with just one Phillips (technically JIS) screw And then the handle slides toward the windshield and then it will be free to pull out. Once off, you can grab the metal rod that connects to the door latch and pull it to open the door.

 

Side note... this would be a great challenge to put in one of those “espcape room” attractions. Lol

 

Glad you got out Ok
Sad but true fact is many have perished locked in their own cars
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/na...-trapped-corvette-dream-car-article-1.2253934

 

Good call. Im sure once I get off work and use the key to unlock the outside then it will open. But, that is an excellent idea as backup

 

Ha. Well the outside door handle has zero resistance as well. Not sure now. Once I get home ill go from there. But, ill take the handle off on the inside and pull the bar to open the door. Hopefully. Lol

 

If pulling the metal rod behind the interior door latch doesn't work either, you might have a broken spring inside the door latch mechanism. Mine broke a few weeks ago and I've seen at least 3-4 people having the same problem this month. I blame the summer heat. Check out the video in the first post of this sticky thread:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-generation-tacoma-door-will-not-unlock-solved.469156/

 

Holy crap. This is my problem because pulling the rod doesn't do anything either. Thanks!

 

No problem! It's a cheap fix, you can get a replacement spring for $1 at Ace Hardware. It's just a pain in the butt to replace. At the very least you need to remove the driver's seat to pull the door panel. I pulled both seats and the center console because I didn't want to scratch anything.