Driver door will not open.

2005 SATURN VUE
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JJHJ
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Hi there! We are stuck with our 2005 saturn vue. It has power windows and doors. About about a month ago the driver door wouldn't open unless you pulled the handle inside three to four times. Now it won't open at all. The dealership wants about $600 to fix this. And I can't afford this. So per the dealer since we can't open the door to remove the panel we would have to break it off to get the door open. Well being a woman I have managed not to break the panel just the two door clips and have enough room to see inside the door area.

We can see the door latch actuator but not sure how to pop the piece to open the door for replacement. Any suggestions??
Jul 21, 2013 at 1:25 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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What part of the linkage is broken? Is it the part that attaches to the lock assembly or the door handle?
Jul 21, 2013 at 8:13 PM
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JJHJ
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The interior handle and exterior handle are in working order. It seems to be latched shut at the door actuator. We can see the actuator but are unable to latch the latch to get the door opened. We have checked and the door is not in the locked position. When you pull the handle up from the outside you can see a yellow plastic piece inside the door moving up and down but the latch remains closed. I'm sure there is something simple we are missing to pop the latch.
Thanks in advance for your help
Jul 22, 2013 at 12:41 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Yes it sounds like the lock rod or level on the latch needs to be actuated so the latch can be opened. Check the diagrams below so you can see what I am talking about.

Check out the diagrams (Below). Please let us know what happens.
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Jul 22, 2013 at 8:49 PM
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TURBOJAY
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I had this problem as well. The lock rod does not pull the latch open. Thanks for the post all fixed :)
Oct 29, 2018 at 12:06 PM
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MQUINONES1
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driver side door won't open?
Oct 29, 2018 at 12:07 PM (Merged)
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STRAILER
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Hello,

It sounds like the lock arm of the latch is not being activated completely for some reason and it could be the latch is bad as well. You will need to remove the door panel with the door closed which can be done easier if you remove the seats.

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

Once off move the lock rod back and forth to see if you can get it to unlock fully.

Check out the diagrams (Below)

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken
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Oct 29, 2018 at 12:07 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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I have seen where the lock rod gets bents not having the travel it usually has. You got to move the rod by hand to get the throw.
Oct 29, 2018 at 12:07 PM (Merged)
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ED-WEEZY21
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Please correct me if I'm wrong saturntech9, but can you remove the inside door handle cover and see the rods to possibly pull one and make the door open?
Oct 29, 2018 at 12:07 PM (Merged)
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MQUINONES1
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Yep you guys were right the lock rod wasn't pushing the latch lock arm all the way, i slight bend and everything works again. I love this site :)
Oct 29, 2018 at 12:07 PM (Merged)
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KELLY SILVERMAN
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So what exactly was the name of the part that needed to be ordered?
Jul 22, 2019 at 9:51 AM
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STRAILER
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It is called a "door latch". Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.
Jul 22, 2019 at 10:52 AM