YACR: Toyota, how I detest thee

[AFB]

I never understood how a car company so concerned with their image of reliability could make such cheap door handles. Yes, I'm ranting about door handles. A few months I was in a parking lot, and reached for the handle and *snap* off came the drivers side handle in half. Since it still worked , I was not inclined to repair it. Almost a week ago, I finally had a Toyota dealership replace the handle mechanism to the tune of $300. Today, my gf reached to get out of the passenger side door and noticed the internal mechanism for the passenger side has died. Door handle is totally intact with no visual sign of damage. Why must you make such crappy door handles?

</rant>


For the record, I've personally known three other people with this same problem. It seems to only happen on the older (before 2002/3) Camry and Corollas.

 

[RallyMaster]

it may suck.

 

[KLin]

I've had my Tacoma for 5 years and have had no problems with the door handles.

 

[KarmaPolice]

toyota > *

 

[ViviTheMage]

love my dub <3

 

[Ricemarine]

Hum, I have a 2001 toyota corolla, and never had a problem with the door handles

 

[Captante]

I must say I've had a lot of car parts break over the years but a door-handle hasn't been one of them ... this includes 4 Toyotas btw & I tend to beat on my cars.

Edit: Incidently I had a guy in a huge GMC pickup scrape the side of my current '05 Corolla S the other day ... his bumper rubbed hard right over the passenger door handle & it survived without a bit of damage. (paint & door sheet-metal got a nice hack though! )

 

[RallyMaster]

Originally posted by: Captante
I must say I've had a lot of car parts break over the years but a door-handle hasn't been one of them ... this includes 4 Toyotas btw & I tend to beat on my cars.

Edit: Incidently I had a guy in a huge GMC pickup scrape the side of my current '05 Corolla S the other day ... his bumper rubbed hard right over the passenger door handle & it survived without a bit of damage. (paint & door sheet-metal got a nice hack though! )

Beat what on your cars?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Umm.. it was just the plastic portion that broke right? I might be understanding this wrong, but when it happened on my Accord, I bought that part for $10 or something shipped from eBay and changed it out myself, all it took was a flathead screwdriver IIRC?

 

[Evadman]

The door mechanism on my Zuk would stick open if the day was above freezing and the night was below. I am pretty sure water got in the linkage in the door and it froze overnight. the door would open just fine in the morning, but when I closed it, it would not latch. I had to hold the door with the heater on full blast and about 10 minutes later it would latch.

this was only an issue in the late fall and early spring. In the middle of winter it was fine.

 

[andylawcc]

speaking of door handles, pardon my divergence...

but the biggest automotive turnoff I ever experienced was the door handles on the MDX. omg, they felt like a toy.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster

Originally posted by: Captante
I must say I've had a lot of car parts break over the years but a door-handle hasn't been one of them ... this includes 4 Toyotas btw & I tend to beat on my cars.

Edit: Incidently I had a guy in a huge GMC pickup scrape the side of my current '05 Corolla S the other day ... his bumper rubbed hard right over the passenger door handle & it survived without a bit of damage. (paint & door sheet-metal got a nice hack though! )

Beat what on your cars?

It helps protect the finish!

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: Captante

Originally posted by: RallyMaster

Beat what on your cars?

It helps protect the finish!

you have enough to cover more than the emblem?

 

[redgtxdi]

Dunno about your external door handle problem, but I can tell ya' what your inside problem is.

There are plastic "break" elbows inside connecting the metal rods that allow you to open your door from the inside/outside. These elbows are actually *meant* to break. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

You can get the plastic piece for about $5 from your local Toyota dealer. What you'll want to do is get your door panel off, find the busted plastic elbow (typically yellow) and bring it into the dealer to match it up. Then, you'll see how it goes back in (may be a little tough to maneuver in there, but you can definitely do it yourself) and once you change it out, I promise, you'll never have to change it again.

 

[ArJuN]

weve got 4 toyotas, door handles work fine...u prolly got a lemon

 

[andylawcc]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
You can get the plastic piece for about $5 from your local Toyota dealer. What you'll want to do is get your door panel off, find the busted plastic elbow (typically yellow) and bring it into the dealer to match it up. Then, you'll see how it goes back in (may be a little tough to maneuver in there, but you can definitely do it yourself) and once you change it out, I promise, you'll never have to change it again.

informative reply FTW :thumbsup:

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Dunno about your external door handle problem, but I can tell ya' what your inside problem is.

There are plastic "break" elbows inside connecting the metal rods that allow you to open your door from the inside/outside. These elbows are actually *meant* to break. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

You can get the plastic piece for about $5 from your local Toyota dealer. What you'll want to do is get your door panel off, find the busted plastic elbow (typically yellow) and bring it into the dealer to match it up. Then, you'll see how it goes back in (may be a little tough to maneuver in there, but you can definitely do it yourself) and once you change it out, I promise, you'll never have to change it again.

:beer:

Thank You

 

[BornStar]

I had two driver's door handles break on my '92 Camry. The plastic just snaps in your hand. I declined to fix it the second time because there was still plenty to open the door with.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I actually sat in a Scion tC the other day and was not impressed in the slightest. The plastics seemed far worse than what was in my Chevy truck.

 

[DougK62]

I've never even been inside a Toyota because whenever I grab the door handles they break off.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
There are plastic "break" elbows inside connecting the metal rods that allow you to open your door from the inside/outside. These elbows are actually *meant* to break. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

Am I the only one that's ?

Then, you'll see how it goes back in (may be a little tough to maneuver in there, but you can definitely do it yourself) and once you change it out, I promise, you'll never have to change it again.

If it broke once, and you're replacing like with like, surely it's just as likely to break again?

 

[radioouman]

Friend's '92 Corolla had the door handle elbows break too. I changed one out for her for about $30 in parts...

 

[digiram]

My brother has a 96 Camry, and the door handle is broke off from it as well. Gotta open the passenger side door to get in.

 

[mitaiwan82]

never had this problem on a '96 Corolla (or any car I've driven extensively)

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: DougK62
I've never even been inside a Toyota because whenever I grab the door handles they break off.

Best response yet. :thumbsup: :laugh:
Although I'm surprised to hear of the OP's problem because the one thing I've learned here is that Japanese cars are perfect. So confusing.