How to fix car door handle

Murilee Martin

One important benefit one gets from spending so much time peering into discarded cars in junkyards is the opportunity to examine innovative field-expedient repairs done by motivated-but-thin-walleted vehicle owners. I've seen some pretty good all-tape glass replacements and wishful-thinking cooling-system enhancements over the years, and door-handle repairs also play a role with inspiring clever zero-budget fixes. Here's how one 2000 Chevy Prizm owner got a finger-shredding door handle working with objects at hand.

The Prizm was a NUMMI-built Toyota Sprinter, so it tended to hold together very well for decades. Cheap Toyotas of the 1990s had fragile door handles, though, and I've seen the drill-hole-and-insert-wire-loop repair before. The hole in the stump of this Prizm's front passenger-door handle wasn't made with a drill, judging by its pronounced conical shape; I think either a pocketknife or the sharp end of a nail file did the job. Once the lengthy process of gnawing a hole all the way through the handle's plastic was complete, the same sharp tool served to cut off a length of shoelace (I've used the laces of both my shoes to rig up an emergency, hand-actuated throttle cable for an MGB and get the car out of a dangerous breakdown spot, so I approve of shoelaces as car-repair hardware). Fixed!

If you’ve had your car for a little while, you probably don't think too much about your car door handle - until one day you grab the door handle to get in and it feels "off." You can’t quite place it but it just doesn’t feel right. The handle seems to operate, but it’s as though the door is still locked.

Naturally, you operate the key or the remote a few times, but it doesn’t help - it seems you are locked out of your own car. You try the other door, or even the back door, and it works. Great! You can get into your car, but you have to climb over the center console or even the back seat to get in and drive! It’s undignified at best and next to impossible at worst, but at least you can get in the car and get home.

The driver's door handle may not always be the handle that goes first - sometimes it's the interior door handle - but since that is the door that is operated the most, that is usually the case. Most of these handles are made of plastic or a cheap cast metal, and after so many operations, the business end, the part you can’t see, eventually cracks and then snaps off.

The procedure for replacing the handle varies from car to car, and some even require dismantling the interior of the door, but many can be easily changed from outside the door with just a few procedures.

Part 1 of 1: Replacing a car door handle

Materials Needed

Painter’s tape
Phillips screwdriver
Replacement door handle
Socket wrench set (1/4 drive)
Torx bit set

Step 1: Shop for the new door handle. It’s a good idea to have the replacement door handle in your hands before starting to dismantle anything. This makes it possible to study the handle and gain a little insight into how it’s attached. There may be fasteners on one or both ends.

If your car has automatic door locks, there may be little levers that have to be connected or even electrical connections if the car is equipped with a security system.

By looking at how the fasteners are installed, you can determine if they can be removed from the exterior of the door, or if it’s necessary to work from the inside of the door. If it has to be worked from the inside, that goes beyond the scope of this article.

Ask your parts professional if the handle comes with a lock cylinder - if it does, you have a decision to make: do you want to have a separate key to operate this door? Or do you want to still be able to use your old key. In most cases you can order the cylinder to be keyed to your existing key by providing the serial number of the car, but this usually takes longer to deliver than a handle with its own lock and a pair of keys.

If the lock cylinder is in good condition, it’s sometimes possible to switch the old lock for the new.

Step 2: Locate the fasteners. In most cases, there is a fastener located in the door jamb just around the corner from the door handle. Sometimes it’s out there in plain view, often it’s hidden behind a plastic plug, or a piece of weatherstrip but it’s usually not hard to find.

In many cases, it will be the only fastener in use; in others, there might be a screw at the forward end. You can tell by looking at the replacement handle.

Step 3: Apply painter's tape. Before you go any further, it’s time to put a little painter’s tape around the door handle. This will help you do the job without scratching the paint. Use a good quality tape - one that can be removed easily to protect the finish.

Now it’s time to break out your, screwdriver, socket set, or torx driver to take out the bolt(s). Once removed, the handle can be moved fore and aft.

Step 4: Remove the door handle. Slide the door handle toward the front of the car, then the rear of the handle can be tilted out of the door.

When this is done, the front of the handle will be free to move and can also be slid out of the door in a similar fashion.

Any mechanisms that have to be disconnected will be apparent at this point.

There may be a small pair of wires for the alarm, or a plastic rod attached to an automatic door lock. In most cases these can just be popped off with the fingers.

Step 4: Switching the lock cylinder. If you’ve decided to switch out your old lock cylinder, this is the time to do it. Put the key in the lock and unclip the fastener at the end that holds it in place. There may be a clock spring and other devices attached.

Carefully withdraw the cylinder with the key in place and replace it in the new handle.

Warning: Do not remove the key until the lock is in place - if you do, tiny parts and springs will shoot out all over the room!

Step 5: Install the door handle. Make sure any rubber gaskets are in place, and slide the small end (front) of the door handle into the slot first then start to insert the large end.

Reconnect any links or electrical connections and guide the handle into the slot.

Looking into the hole, you should be able to see whatever mechanism the handle has to engage, it may be necessary to operate the lock or the trigger to get the latch to engage the mechanism while you insert the handle.

Step 6: Install the fasteners. Put the fastener in the door jamb first but do not tighten it yet, Check and make sure the handle is seated well against the door. If there is a fastener on the front, install it now, but don’t tighten it yet.

Tighten the fastener at the door jamb first, then you can tighten any other fasteners.

Try out the door handle, test the lock, and check the alarm to be sure you have everything hooked up correctly. Once you’re sure the job is done, be sure to put back the plastic plugs that covered up the holes.

Changing a door handle from the outside is not a bad job, but like many people, you may just not have the time. Or you may find that you drive a car whose door handle must be replaced from the inside which can be challenging for even the most experienced mechanics. Either way, you can always call Your Mechanic and have that job done conveniently at your home. door handle replacement.

You’ve been rolling down your window and opening the door from the outside door handle for a while now. That interior door handle has not been working and you’ve been dreading replacing it. In older cars, much of what you see and touch was made from heavy metal and steel. In later model cars, much of what you see is made of lighter metals and plastics.

A commonly used part like your door handle may have lasted a lifetime in your old car, but with lighter gauge metals and plastics in modern cars, you may need to replace your door handles at least once in the lifespan of your car.

Part 1 of 1: Replacing the interior door handle

Materials Needed

Step 1: Remove the door panel screws. Locate all the screws before you start pulling on the door panel.

Some screws are out in the open, but others may have a small trim cover on them. Some can be hidden behind the grab handle as well as around the outer edge of the door panel.

Step 2: Separate the door panel from the fasteners/clips. Using the appropriate trim panel removal tool, feel around the outer edge of the door panel.

Typically, you’ll want to feel the front edge, down along the lower edge and around the back of the door opening. There may be several clips holding the panel in place. Insert the trim panel removal tool between the door and interior panel and gently pry the door panel loose from the clips.

Note: Be gentle as these clips can break easily.

Step 3: Remove the door trim panel. Once separated from the retaining clips, gently push up on the door panel from the bottom.

The top edge of the door panel will pop up along the window. At this point, reach around behind the door panel to unplug any electrical connectors for the power window/door lock/trunk/fuel door release buttons. To fully lift the door panel out of place, you will have to angle the door panel and/or the door handle assembly to pull it back through the opening in the door panel to lift it completely off.

Step 4: Remove the plastic vapor barrier if needed. Take care to remove the vapor barrier intact and do not cut it open.

On some vehicles, the inner door must remain sealed properly as side air bag sensors may rely on pressure changes within the door for side impact airbags to deploy. If it is already damaged or damaged during replacement, replace the vapor barrier as soon as possible.

Step 5: Remove the inner door handle mechanism. Unscrew any nuts or bolts holding the door handle in place.

There will be a rod from the inner door handle to the door latch mechanism, usually held together by plastic clips. Carefully detach them, remove the broken handle, and replace it with the new one.

Step 6: Loosely reinstall the inner door panel. Test both the inner and outer door handle functions before securing anything in place.

Once you have verified the operation of both, reconnect any electrical connectors you removed and snap the door panel back into the retaining clips. If any were broken during disassembly, visit your local auto parts store or dealership for replacements.

Step 7: Reinstall all screws and trim pieces. Once the door panel is secured onto the retaining clips, reinstall all screws and trim pieces.

Hand tight is perfectly fine, no need to over-tighten them.

An operational door handle is essential for your comfort inside the vehicle and can be a serious inconvenience when broken. If you do not feel comfortable performing this job and if your vehicle needs an inner door handle replacement, be sure to have one of YourMechanic’s certified technicians come to your home or work and perform the repair for you.