Easy fix for broken access cab door latch

The door latch on one of my access cab doors quit working last year. After much frustration I finally found the permanent fix.

The problem was a plastic clip that connects the rod from the door handle to the upper and lower latches that hold the door shut, so the door could not open. I first tried zip ties and that worked for a month until they failed.

Its simple plastic clip that holds the parts together but as is wont to happen on a 2006 truck, plastic parts start breaking due to age and fatigue. Toyota doesn't even have a part number. They want to sell you a whole new cable assembly for over $80. It turns out those clips you can get (in stock) at any Autozone or Advance Auto (although I could not find them on O'Reilly's website, they may stock them as well.)

Its called "door lock rod clip", and they come in a package of assorted ones for different vehicles for about $5.00. Your replacement is in there, the larger yellow one, and you can throw out the others.


Tool you need are:
T25 Torx
flathead screwdriver
Needlenose plyers
14mm socket

first off, ignore these two rubber covers, they are irrelevant


To open the panel you remove two torx bolts and the bottom seatbelt bolt. One torx in the door handle and one in the pull handle at the window

pop the cap off the lower seatbelt anchor and remove with 14mm socket

when you pop the panel off, there are ten or so white plugs that hold it in. Some stay with the panel, some stay in the door. Remove the ones that stayed in the door and return them to their place in the panel so they will hold in place when you reinstall. You don’t want rattling later. I found using a flathead and needle nose pliers worked well

here is the culprit, the little bastard


Here is the replacement

I ziptied the little f***** as an added precaution

Reinstall the panel by lining it up carefully and popping in with some fist pounds around the panel. Take care with the seatbelt track as mine ain’t right, the panel and seatbelt height adjuster are preventing it from recoiling back without me manually feeding it so I will open it again to align it correctly.

Imagine not being able to open your driver side rear door for the better part of a year, all because of one little dipsh** piece of plastic. Toyota doesn't make it easy, and I never thought this was a commonly stocked part (literally on the isle) at a local auto parts store.

 

Same thing in the tailgate; cheap plastic crap that a simple bushing and an e-clip could have made a non-issue.

 

Subscribed... so I can find this thread when mine breaks! Thanks!

 

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Oh wow, thank you so much. I was driving around for the last year unable to open my driver side acess door (2020 Tacoma) and I’m thinking “who designed this rat trap of a door handle for this thing it’s not even worth itself”. I had some free time today so I took a look around for advice and I found this thread. I know it’s an easy job but with these things.. knowing exactly what to do can help speed things along. When I saw your post with details and images I thought “wow I can definitely accomplish this with the tools I have, let me give this a shot” the bottom line is that all I needed to do was remove the torque screw retaining the door handle, reach in and flip the rod end back into the right position. Turns out.. when I was having a bad day I actually closed the door so hard that the joint holding the rod to the handle actually flipped over (stayed connected) but was actuating the rod in the wrong direction. Super easy fix with your advice thanks. When I saw that dipshitted piece of plastic I was like “that son of a b—-!” I couldn’t see what I was doing because I didn’t pull the door panel off but the image is of a linkage that’s similar to the door handle. The linkage horn was over extended and the door handle couldn’t re-load itself. Hard to explain but I hope that helps. When the rod over extends the horn it passes the 180 degree point and has to be manually reset. I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed. The handle should rest at a 90 degree point in both directions but instead the horn is relative at 180 degrees. This problem could be solved by math too. I was hanging photos of my Tacoma up all around the house when I was supposed to be minding the bath for a toddler that can’t stand in it, so I included a couple of photos of the children that grew up to find success have their families. A rubber grommet with a fish hook end or even a bent hook end would be too much to ask of a manufactured that’s been making cars for the last 87 years.. I have a theory actually. I think that Toyota made this clip so that people working on the line can just slap the control rod in as opposed to fishing one end into the handle. I suppose that would require a flexible cable so the part can be assembled on the outside of the door, short of a reimagining of the entire door frame. At least the clip didn’t fall out and got stuck to the exhaust where it started a fire and melted the wiring harness. Then the horn will work intermittently.

 

Wow, thanks for the write-up OP!

 

Sub'd for if mine breaks. Thanks!!