Car door is stuck shut on my 96 ford explorer.?

Question

I recenty had some problems with my ford explorer door, and ha a hard time opening it from the outside. Now the door will not open from the inside either. It doesn't seem to be catching something, as The harder I pull, the more it seems like it is going to break. I'm wondering if there's any way possible to fix this without having to use a professional.

Answer 1

watch a few old episodes of the dukes of hazard, just to get the hang of it... you'll be hood slidin' like Bow in no time. Then you won't have to fix your door...



Seriously though, you might try pulling your door card out just enough to access you latch mechanism, try to lubricate everything, it might just be corroded.

Answer 2

It's a problem I have had with a number of cars over the years. If you feel mechanically inclined, you can take off the inner door panel and see what has failed. Sometimes a clip has fallen off one of the rods that connect the handle to the lock mechanism, or it just needs a little adjustment. You can break off the handle by pulling hard. They are not all that strong. You probably need to go inside the door, if you feel brave enough to tackle it.

Answer 3

You can unscreew the door handle mechinism and try pulling the lever connected to it. If you can get the door open that way you can strip the door liner and fix the issue. You dont have to use a pro, but you will save yourself many hand cramps and alot of cuts if you do.



A Chilton or Haynes manual from an autoparts store can give you all the directions to do this.