Door opening mechanism issue

My drivers side exterior door handle only opens the door if you pull in a certain spot, really far. And this only opens the door when it wants to. I have already purchased a new handle and replaced it thinking that would solve the problem but it did not.

 

you are going to have to take the latch mechanism off and take a look... most of the time there is so much junk on the moving parts... it is a relativly easy job.

 

Sometimes just need a little lube in there to help things move around. But as he^ said you should pull the door panel and take a look. Something could be broken and you might end up getting locked out or breaking your door handle.

 

Good for you starting a thread before it broke altogether. Most people will use their special technique to deal with malfunctioning stuff until it's too late and it breaks.

This is for a 00 and earlier truck, but it should be pretty similar to yours if you're not sure how to get at the exterior handle...

 

Not sure about tacomas, but on other vehicles I've worked on, there's little plastic clips that hold the linkage rods in place. If one is damaged or gone, the rod could still be in place but there would be enough slop for it to work intermittently or with finesse

 

This will help.

 

Sounds like the handle is a about to break. I replaced mine today with one from Amazon for like 12 bucks... feels cheaper than the one but said it was OE replacement. Hopefully it will have a long life just be gentle but tons of you tube videos all you need is a screwdriver and 10mm socket with a 3 or 4 inch extension don't forget to unplug your speaker (top only) before pulling panel completely off