2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab, Driver's Door Won't Open From the Outside
by Christy
Steve Says, Thanks for asking me your question! This is a fairly common problem. What usually happens is the linkage inside your door either comes unhooked from being worn out or it breaks. This is why you hear the rattling noise. The fix itself is usually fairly simple. Getting to the part that needs to be replaced however is generally not an easy job. I highly recommend that you take your car to a good repair shop. The reason is because in order to get to the part that needs replacing you would need to take the interior door panel off, then reach up inside the door to get to the part. If you do not have the right tools and knowledge about how the door comes apart you will end up with a scratched and broken door panel. If you know someone who is very mechanically inclined the could probably do it with the right diagrams. You can get all the information and diagrams you need from factory trained technicians by using a service that I recommend called JustAnswer. If you are interested simply type your question in the box below: This type of repair will probably be in the $150-$250 range. It is very hard to give an accurate price range because I don't have the car here and I don't know exactly which parts you need, but it should be close to that amount. If you want to try this car door repair yourself you can. You will need to pry off the inside door panel in order to access the parts inside the door. They make a special tool that slips between the door and panel to pry it off. It is held on with plastic clips (usually) that you will probably need to replace (they just slide on and off) when you are done. To find the location of these door clips you need to pry the door out enough to see where they are, then use the tool to get right under them and pry them out. After the door panel has been removed it is fairly easy to see the different parts and what they go to. I hope this has helped. Good luck with your door problem. |
