Cracked door handle

Lube up everything (even the window gears) when you get it apart. Makes everything work smoother. I've replace both sides and the passenger side is feeling weak like it wants to break again. OEM is best bet if you don't want to do it again in a year.

 

I feel like the new (ebay) ones breaking is based on people simply replacing their OEM broken handles without lubing up the internal linkages. The rough linkage is usually the reason the OEM ones broke in the first place.

 

Gotta love how the Japanese create a hole in the metal door to allow you better access to the harder to reach bolt. I can tell you GM wouldn't do that!

 

Yeaaaaaaaa....Didn't notice that little grommit on the hole when I did the first door handle....real pain in the ass. Realized it was there when I went around and did the other one and I felt like an idiot.

 

Damn I love this place! My handle broke last night and I had a replacement ready to go. Found this thread and though I broke a few clips (it’s 15* outside right now) it was a pretty easy fix.

. Crappy handle design though- only the end closest to the lock actually works, so puts a lot of stress on the plastic in the middle.

 

Use Houdini lock fluid. Smells like Oranges! Makes an old Taco smell better! haha

 

I bought a chrome one and painted it black. The chrome one was some kind of cheap steel. Been g2g for 6-7 years now, and the chrome ones on my SR5 truck are still doing great.

 

Just went through this with my 04. The passenger side outer door handle cracked when it was freezing outside and wouldn't open. Ordered a replacement handle assembly through Amazon...Dorman brand ($25 shipped or so).

Replacing it was a pain in the ass, I used the Youtube video referenced above but that guy makes it look super easy. Reaching up inside the door to get to the bolts and undoing the metal rods from the plastic retaining clips took awhile...maybe I just have huge hands. All in all I think it took close to 2 hours but I finally got it done lol.

 

This is when I was really grateful that I bought a long needle nose pliers kit similar to this. Made things a lot easier.

$34 11” Long Needle Nose Pliers Set 5-Piece Plier Kit (Storage Bag Included)

https://www.amazon.com/Needle-Plier...pID=516F6HaoJHL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

Yeah after I fought with it for an hour I ended up going to the hardware store for a set of bent/angled needle nose pliers, which helped quite a bit.

 

Had the drivers and passengers both break about 6 months apart from each other. Drivers door was the original factory part and the passenger side was a cheapie the Previous owner replaced. Both of the replacements are Dorman units. I've noticed the passenger side isnt unlatching anymore from the outside. The door will pop but wont open from the outside without the key. Any idea what the issue could be? Im hard pressed to think the handle has broken again....

 

There's a plastic clip inside the handle assembly that holds a metal rod connecting the door lock cylinder to the handle...I'd be willing to bet that rod either came loose from the plastic clip, or the clip itself broke. Either way you'll have to take it apart to see/fix. Probably be best to just have another door handle assembly on-hand when you do, in case you need to replace it again...the Dorman units are only $24 or so each (just replaced mine with one).

 

Was just talking about this with my friend last night while we replaced mine...mine broke because of this exact reason (poor design). The plastic underneath the handle that you grab snapped in half, because if you grab it from the middle or to the other side of the lock, it puts a lot of stress on the plastic just like you said. One day I went to open mine and "CRACK!!"...that plastic split in two.

Really hoping this Dorman unit holds up over time, because that was a bitch to put in. I tried showing my fiancé how to properly open the handle now to prevent it from breaking again, and she just rolled her eyes at me lol.

 

May just break down and get the damn Toyota handle assembly. The drivers side door lock cyl doesn't seem to be working correctly either. Maybe I just suck at installing them, Not entirely sure haha.

 

hmm...I mean the aftermarket functions the same as the OEM one, just likely made out of different material but I can't imagine it would fail on you that quickly on both sides. I'd open them up and look to see if those rods are properly seated in the plastic clips (there's 2 on each assembly)...if I had to guess that's where I imagine the issue would be.

But yeah, if you're going to go through the trouble to open up the door again you might as well replace it anyway lol. I really wanted to replace mine with an OEM handle, but at $100+ a pop compared to $15 - $20 for aftermarket, it was hard to justify. The Dorman replacements were pretty highly rated in the reviews so I'm hoping it holds up.

 

I'll let you know what I find because the passenger side door is basically inoperable without using the key or power locks to unlock the door a second time after the handle is lifted/ opened. This was happening before I replaced the door handle the first time.

 

huh, yeah let us know...maybe snap a pic of the inside of the handle once you have it opened up. Now it's sounding like maybe it isn't the handle that's the issue, maybe it's the door latch? Or maybe there's something wrong with the long metal rod that connects the inside handle to the door latch. Hard to tell without seeing the issue in person.

 

If you change the door handle, does it still use the same key? Is the barrel removable and replaced on the new OEM part ?

 

Yes. You move the old barrel to the new part. Super easy

 

Great thanks. Mine is loose on the door, but not broken. Also you have to turn the key really far to the right to get the auto door locks to open. So much so, my keys have a slight bend in them. Ever heard of this before ?