Hi All,

As I opened my car door ('06) yesterday, I heard a pop sound, and then a thumping sound like something swinging loose inside the door. A little investigation determined that the exterior door handle no longer opens the door. The interior handle still functions properly.

I've reconnected interior handles before, but never exterior. How do I go about doing this, and is it going to require a LOT of body work removal?

 

The same thing happened to me yesterday. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

You will have to access the door handle from inside. Don't have the exact steps handy right now, but in summary:

Remove triangular cover on the opposite side of the side-mirror, gently pry up the control module and disconnect the connectors. Remove the cover behind the door handle, unscrew the two (2) screws, remove the rubber insert in the small compartment (that you grab onto to close the door) and unscrew the one (1) screw. All that is left are clips holding the door panel against the door. Unclip them from one of the lower corners. All that is holding the door panel now is the lock knob and the indent, so raise the door panel gently, access the interior door handle, unclip the white clip for the door release cable, unclip the door release cable from the door panel, and the panel should be free.

After this, you'll probably have to peel back the white film/plastic to access the exterior door handle from behind. The same design door release cable should be used to connect to the exterior door handle. Just reconnect whatever is disconnect, assuming nothing is broken.