# Doors won't open and exterior handles removed.



## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

I was wrapping my daughters car and had the handles off. Well she locked then unlocked the doors. Since then they will not open. I tried placing the handles in place, but without having access to the side of the door, I cannot tighten the screw down that allows the handle to go in all of the way. I found two other threads with this same issue, but it appears they either never got this fixed or didn't post how it was done. I am hoping someone on hear knows how to fix this.


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## neile300c (Jul 8, 2014)

can you go thru the trunk, and then get them open from the inside? Sounds like a pain, but maybe the option


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## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

I can get inside the windows are down. Inside handles do not open the doors


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## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

It is behaving like the handle was held open when unlocking the car. Typically you tell the person holding the handle open to wait then you lock and unlock the door. But in this case the handle is held open and cannot be released because the screw on the side of the door is backed out which holds the handle out.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

from the inside, youve tried 2 quick pulls of the inside levers?


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

or try



stanman13 said:


> The Cruze uses a euro-style door handle. The rear of the handle hooks over a small lever which operates the latch. With the exterior handle removed, you should be able to get your pinkie finger in the hole where the rear of the handle goes in and feel the lever that the handle pulls. You might have to use some kind of hook tool (maybe a bent coat hanger) in that hole to reach the lever if it's too far in. Pull the lever toward you and it should release the latch.


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## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

I have pulled the lever with my finger, however it doesn't release anything. It is like whatever it is supposed to pull on or release is not being engaged. Would locking and unlocking the door with the handle being pulled out cause something to be out of position so it is not releasing. When I put the handles back in the handles do not go to the released position. They are held out on the pulled position. This is the state of the handle when is is to be removed.


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## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

After much finagling, I have been able to release the two front doors, but the rear doors are not opening. The drivers side door opened when I put the handle and lock back in even though handle never did go to the released position. The passenger side door seems to have something broken inside since the assembly the handle pulls on is sort of floating in the door panel. I was able to move it around and at some time during all of this the door unlatched. Still haven't figured out how to release the two rear doors.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

this is incredibly strange. hahahah


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## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

Yes, I have tried that.


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## netroamer (Apr 9, 2017)

OK, I figured out how to get the doors open, so I'll post this for anyone who may come across this same situation. I figured out why the passenger side mechanism was sort of floating in the door panel, which lead me to figure out how to open my rear doors. There is a screw on the other side of the door handle where it pivots. This screw sort of holds the mechanism for the handle from coming unclipped or retained on the opposite side of the handle where the release is. I ended up pushing on the mechanism to clip in the rubber bumper and the entire thing fell over and down, but still easily reachable from the hole in the door because the screw had slid out of its slot (apparently it must have been a bit loose). I was able to work the screw back into position and loosened it some more to slide it back in place. While it was pushed forward a little I installed the rubber bumper for the door handle that was removed when I took out the handle in the first place. I then slide the screw all the way back into the slot and the opposite side latch or clipped into something because it was now locked in solid. 

So using some reasoning, I figured I would try loosening and releasing the mechanism on one of the rear doors. After the mechanism was released and fell forward and down a little, I was able to use the inside handle to open the door. This worked for both rear doors. Now all the doors are open and working properly.


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## sparko (Jan 7, 2017)

netroamer said:


> I was wrapping my daughters car and had the handles off. Well she locked then unlocked the doors. Since then they will not open. I tried placing the handles in place, but without having access to the side of the door, I cannot tighten the screw down that allows the handle to go in all of the way. I found two other threads with this same issue, but it appears they either never got this fixed or didn't post how it was done. I am hoping someone on hear knows how to fix this.


I had a problem with my cruze where the inside n outside handle would not open, I had to drill out the latch, but afterwards found the problem. When removing rear seat to help gain access, discovered glass pieces were all over, I bought this cruze used.Turns out when the side glass was busted, little glass pieces go into the door latch and caused the latch not to work. Moral of the story, it you get one of your side windows broken, consider changing the latch!


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Haven'r heard from Net Roamer in quite some time, actually since the day he joined. I hope he wasn't locked up?


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