Yummybud924

My passenger side door handle has been broken for a while, the metal lever you pull actually broke off.

today I parked my car and when I came back the driver door won't open now. it unlocks but the lever where you pull looks like it is jammed or something. it is not releasing. now to make it even worse my hatch won't' open either the lock has been broken for a while.

so now I have my car parked at the university campus and I can't get in......... I can call a tow truck but I have no idea how they can open it, it unlocks but you'd have to pull the inner door handle to unlock it.

it sucks but I think i have no choice but to smash the driver side quarter window and reach in and try and open it from the inside.


if I break the glass I'd have to order a new one and also a new handle.

should I have it towed to a mechanic shop and see if they can open it without breaking the glass?


if I order a new window and handle it will be a while before I can drive it. i'm in canada and shipping to canada will be a while.

Mangonesailor

Sometimes cops have these bags that you can inflate to pry the car door open enough to reach inside with a coat hanger. You could try and do that to reach the inside door handle. The inside door handle is concave on the inside, correct? You may be able to hook it with a coat hanger.

Yummybud924

well how am I going to get a cop to come help me lol.

I have free tow truck service, I have Canadian tire road side assistance membership. I called them today and they said they can only unlock the door or tow me to a mechanic...... maybe i'll call them again tomorrow and see if they can come and try and help me open it somehow.

also if I can get it open without breaking a window what do i do? i'd have to order a new door handle which will take a while. to get here, and i've read that replacing the door handle is super difficult without disassembling the door basically.

seafeye

Super easy to pop out the rear side windows. If that helps…..
Order some handles today. Start taking off the door panels. So when the parts arrive you can do it in an hour.

Van

Yes, the rear window just pops out. The leading edge of the rubber molding off of the little metal rail, then take a flat head screw driver to the lower leading edge of the molding to start prying the window out. If you're careful, the mark made by the screw driver will be under the molding so it can't be seen.

For putting the window back in, get a piece of string and follow this video:

931guru

Slim Jim

odonnell

This trick works on my car:

If it unlocks but won't let you open the door, keep turning the key HARD, it sometimes needs a little extra click to unlock fully.

william_b_noble

don't break the key by turning too hard.
you might be able to open the passenger side door if you work on it, I don't quite understand what "metal" broke off - if it is the little part you squeeze, you may be able to cut the remaining part and pull on the linkage, if it is the main door handle part, you can cut it (it is held in by a screw through the rear door jam)and pull on the linkage that descends to the lock mechanism.

there is a kit for repairing door handles, there is a part that wears out commonly on these.

If you pull the rear window (which is what I would probably do), do it carefully so you don't bend the metal trim that is embedded in the rubber, that is $$$

TheDatanator

Can you get in via rear hatch??

mytrplseven

When my doors won't open, which is most of the time, if I push on the top of the window frame or the upper part of the door while I'm using the latch, it comes open. Good luck with this. It takes the load off the latching mechanism.

Yummybud924

thanks guys. I'll see what I can do and report back. I was thinking of popping the side window out i'll try that. my side window does not have a metal trim..... I removed the side windows before to fix a leak and didn't put the metal trim back on.

yeah hatch lock is broken too lol. over the years each lock broke and i didn't bother fixing it I thought oh my driver side still works that's all I need.... this summer I was going to to fix both door handles but I ran out of time I was replacing a million other things on the car.

Yummybud924

tow truck guy got it open for me. now I have to leave my window down until I can get it fixed it soon as I i live on campus and park it outside.

not sure if the handle is broken or jammed. I tried spraying it with wd40 but it didn't free up.

how much would it cost to get a shop to replace it? I don't really have time to mess around with it. i'm going to see if I can get a used one shipped to me locally.

RoyaleWithCheese

I just went through the same thing!

I just smashed my quarter window out though because I had to get the car moved.

Door handles take maybe an hour to replace per side if you go from the inside of the door. There is a method to doing it without pulling the door card but I would avoid that at all cost. I did it on one door from the outside (4 hours of frustration with a long screwdriver) and then on the other side went from the inside of the door (easy 1 hour).

Not sure how much a shop would charge to put them on but it's really not bad to do yourself.

Yummybud924

ok cool. I was worried if I pull the door panel from the inside I'd damage something like the plastic water a barrier.

I just looked at my door handle and looks like the linkage is broken so I don't know if I need to buy a new door handle. a piece of metal that is part of the mechanical linkage has actually broken off.

I know 944 online sells the linkage for 30 bucks but not sure how fast they can ship it to canada.

Dougs951S

Van, excuse my ignorance but what is the point of that venting in the rear quarter window? is it just to let fresh air into the car so you dont die of the heat?