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How do you fix an interior car door handle?

I was opening my passenger side door from the inside and felt something snap. It sounded like some plastic inside broke, and now the door won’t work on the inside. How can you fix an interior car door handle?

avatar
Melanie Mergen · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oh no! Thankfully, fixing or replacing an interior car door handle can typically be completed with a few tools and some simple steps. If you’re uncomfortable repairing it yourself, a
mechanic
can replace it for you, typically for a couple hundred bucks.
Today’s car door handles use lighter metals and plastics than older cars, so it’s not uncommon for some of the components to break at some point. Since you said it felt like something snapped, it sounds like you may need to completely replace the inner handle.
Here are the tools you’ll need:
  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Screwdrivers
  • Ratchet
  • Sockets
  • Interior trim removal tools, which you can find at auto repair stores
Once you’ve gathered your tools, replacing your car door handle involves these general steps:
  1. Remove screws on the interior door panel
  2. Carefully remove interior door panel with trim removal tools
  3. Remove inner door handle components
  4. Install new inner door handle components
  5. Replace the interior door panel
If your car has side airbags, you’ll want to be careful not to damage them, their sensors, or any related mechanisms while you replace your car door handle.
While you take care of your door handle, make sure your
car insurance
protects the rest of your vehicle with the
Jerry
app.
Once you download Jerry, just answer a handful of questions that will take you roughly 45 seconds to complete and you’ll immediately get car insurance quotes for coverage similar to your current plan. Jerry customers save an average of $887 a year.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.

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