Rear outside door handle broken off and can't open from inside either.

[atikovi]

2000 model. I assume the child safety switch in enabled so I can't open the door from the inside. The outside handle that you grab is missing. I tried probing the hole where the handle should go with a hook tool but got nowhere. Any suggestions to get it open?

 

[joegr]

It may not be that the child lock is set. When the outside handle was broken off, it may have taken the rod the works the latch with it.

I do remember a thread or two on here about this problem. I think that generally they ended up breaking the interior door trim off to be able to get to the door latch.

 

[atikovi]

I found a color matching handle in the junk yard and could see it's bolted on the door by just two studs. Using a hand grinder with a 1/16th 3 inch cutoff wheel I sliced through the handle from the outside and removed it in 2 minutes. Door then opened with the linkage. No damage.