1998 Chevy Tahoe passenger side door handle won't open from the inside. Please help!

[Brett74]

Hello,

I have a 1998 Chevy Tahoe LT 4 door. I'm having a problem with getting the front door to open from the inside. It opens just fine using the outside door handle but won't open using the handle on the inside. I took off a small plastic panel that's black in color and has 4 small screws. It's located on the side of the door at the very bottom. I looked up inside the door and you can see the rod moving when you pull the inside door handle and all of the white clips are intact. It's also still connected to the actual mechanizm which releases the door when the handles are pulled. It's totally mind blowing because all looks connected and seems to be working when it's pulled you just can't open the door. I was going to take the door panel off for a closer look but I'm having issues getting the biggest harness unplugged from my power panel on the door. There are 3 total and the two smaller one's came out easy but not the biggest one. Any help on what I should do or check next would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[retorq]

You need to replace the handle on the inside. I replaced all mine a few weeks ago ...

 

[07Burb]

 

[SunlitComet]

It sounds like your latch is to to blame. As for the connector goes you may have to pinch the release tab harder or see if there is a secondary pin keeping the release tab from disengaging.

 

[cody08]

Pretty common on these trucks for the inside handles to break, also the rod that connects to them tends to get stretched out as well which makes them tougher to open and you have to pull harder on them. Which is what usually leads to a broken inner handle.

 

[Brett74]

Thanks for the help everyone! However, I'm not thinking the inside handle is broken since I can see it still moving the rod back and forth inside the door. I'm going to try and pull the panel off ASAP so I can have a better look. These freaking Tahoe panels are the hardest I've ever tried to remove on any vehicle. Just trying to take the triangle piece off was a pain in the butt and it felt like it was going to break. My Tahoe is in excellent condition for it's age so I'm trying to take my time and be extra careful in doing this. Hopefully I'll get it taken care of soon.

Thanks again!

---------- Post added at 09:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 PM ----------

Oh, and thank you for the welcome! I appreciate that.

 

[retorq]

I bet the handle is snapped but still holding together. 2 of mine were like that ...

 

[Brett74]

You're probably right Stephen. It can never be something simple and easy to fix. I've already looked into buying a new one. At least they aren't expensive, just a pain to do. Oh well, time to have a cold one and go look at it again.

 

[cody08]

The panels really aren't that bad to get off. Just remember, tools make the job.

 

[retorq]

Get yourself some interior panel clips too you'll break a few ...