2002 Kia Rio Driver Side Door Is Hopelessly Stuck!

KENNETHHOLMJR

MEMBER
2002 KIA RIO
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
85,000 MILES

The driver side door of my 2002 Kia Rio seems permanently stuck. The driver's side handle broke off and a friend tried to fix it. Unfortunately, when he took the handle off, the door got shut and refuses to open. The power locks are constantly engaging and the inside handle no longer operates properly. As a result, there has been a lot of sliding inside and out of the car though the passenger side. I now have a replacement handle, but cannot get the door open to install it. Is there any way to release the door so the handle can be put on without damaging the door? Thank you for any help you can provide.

1 Reply

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Hello and thanks for donating

The inside door handle attaches to a small rod that moves back and forth to open the door latch. You will need to remove the interior door handle to access this rod, then use pliers to pull the rod and pop the latch open. There should be a small screw set in the middle of the inside door handle. Remove that screw then use a flat bladed tool (screwdriver) to pop out the door handle enough to reach and unhook the rod.