# 2013 Cruze LTZ passive entry exterior door handle



## 94mustang (Aug 24, 2016)

This is really strange, I cannot figure it out. So if I take a hairdryer to the button and warm it up (to the point were it is hot to the touch), it still does not work. 

Now for the strange part, about 30 minutes after doing this it will work 100% fine, I do not even need to press hard or differently than normal. However another hour after this it will stop working again, no matter how hard I press it.

I personally think what has caused this problem is that they wash the car after servicing it. It coincidentally stopped working the day after (I did not use the button the day of, so it probably stopped working the day of). I think water is getting into it and turning into ice. The button pushes down fine, but maybe the actual switch is frozen. 

Do you think spraying contact cleaner on the button would help, or make the situation worse?

Thanks for your input.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Interesting. Can't help you since my 2012 had the sensor. And a pretty flawless sensor it was, once I learned what made it tick. I would definitely recommend if you are washing by hand, maybe put a piece of tape over your buttons so you don't get water in there, but yeah, that does seem extreme. Do you have anywhere you can take the car inside to warm it up for a while? The hairdryer might not penetrate enough in a short time.

In looking at a picture of one, it looks like the painted part is just a cover. Maybe you can take it apart and swap the painted part to the new handle? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-...:UKEAAOSw6n5XqJyS:sc:USPSPriority!48103!US!-1

Unfortunately it doesn't look like the button assembly really comes apart.


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## brent769 (Apr 4, 2013)

Just a thought, could it be a bad connection at the connector? Maybe try reseating it? Check for pinched wire to. Also, could you not reuse the exterior part of the door handle so you can avoid painting? I am going from the pic in the ebay link Sunline provided. I don't have the LTZ and haven't taken my door handle off.


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## 94mustang (Aug 24, 2016)

They must have painted it last time because it was still under warranty and maybe GM has some rule that the dealer has to use the entire part when doing a warranty repair, since technically the door handle is one part (part number wise).

I do have an indoor garage at my house, however the temperature is only about 32 degrees. Yes, I agree now that I know how the switch is assembled, simply putting a hair dryer on it probably does next to nothing. 

My plan at this point is to wait until it gets a bit warmer, for now I will just use the button on the rear drivers side for now to get in. Once it warms up, maybe by then it will get a chance to dry out. If not I will have to look at things such as the connectors, or maybe try cleaning the switch with a drop of alcohol and work it in.

I think that is a very good idea to put tape on top of the button when it gets washed. Unfortunately these cars have so many electronics on them nowadays, so every-time one washes the car they are taking a risk. I already had the trunk button go out about three years ago (in the summer).

Thanks for both of your advice, it has certainly saved me a lot of money.


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## 94mustang (Aug 24, 2016)

Just an update, I was able to get the handle off (this is extremely easy), but I could not get to the electrical connector (since it was inside the door). In another words I believe the inner door panel has to come off to remove one of these handles (if you have the one with the passive lock). I cannot find any instructions out there how to get to this connector, all the videos only show ones without the connector. I could not see any dirt or corrosion what so ever on the connector.

So I put the handle back on and came up with another idea. I took a thick freezer type zip-lock back and filled it with hot water. I took an extra precaution to make sure the bag was dry on the outside and properly sealed. I wrapped this hot bag around the handle and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I came back and presto the button was working again.

This means that there is obviously something that is freezing inside of the handle and it causing these issues. I assume that these door handles have more than just a simple switch, there must be some type of receiver in them as well, since the button will only work if the key fob is about 3 feet in range (which is how it has always functioned). Plus the connector has four wires. So it is really unknown which part has frozen on the inside to cause this. I assume once the handle gets cold again, it will probably not work.


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