Outside door handle

STEVE PARKER BENNETT JR

MEMBER
2008 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE
5.0L
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
120,000 MILES

The door handle on the front passenger door of my truck will not open the door. I locked the ignition keys to the truck inside the vehicle last week. The local fire department used an inflation device to pry the door open to use an extension device to pull the manual lock piece up to unlock the door. Now the outside door handle will not engage to open the door. The inside door handle will open the door, but, not the outside handle. How do I correct this myself without taking the vehicle to the local Chevrolet dealership? Is there a YouTube video to show me? Thank you for your help and assistance!

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,700 POSTS

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com.

If the exterior handle is not working, either the linkage has come apart or the handle itself has broken inside the door.

You will need to remove the inside door trim panel. Here is a link that shows in general how it is done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/door-panel-removal

Next, I have attached four pictures. The first one are the directions specific to your vehicle for removing the panel. The second shows an exploded view of the panel. Pictures 3 and 4 discuss replacing the handle. Before you replace the handle, make sure the linkage is not the problem. The long vertical rod in picture 4 is the primary component in this linkage. It is what attaches to the handle and the latch. If it is bent or disconnected, it will need repaired.

Let me know if this helps or if you have other questions.

Take care,
Joe

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