Help - Drivers side door will not open from the inside but works fine from the outside...

[wundaguy]

Hey all,

Earlier after having arrived home from a shopping trip i went to get out of my 2008 Vectra C and found that i couldnt!

The drivers side door handle went a bit limp as i pulled on it to get out but the door didnt open. I then tried again and the whole handle now pulls with very little effort or force and the door still refuses to open. The only way i can get out of the car is to climb over the gear stick into the passenger side and then open the passenger door.

Strangely though i can open the drivers side door from the outside with no problems.

I am assuming part of the opening mechanism has detached itself (or worse broken!)

Does anybody have any suggestions on how i could possibly fix this problem? Is there a how 2 on dismantling a drivers side door to see what the problem is?

Any help or suggestions on this matter would be greatly appreciated as i don't fancy climbing into the passenger side of the car every time just to get out!

[bobssignum]

The door release mechanism is basically a cable attached by a led lug and held in place by a plastic retaining clip , either the retaining clip has broken or become disconnected or the lug at the end of the cable has broken (rare) .
Best just remove the door card and have a look fairly straight forward , remove screw,s at bottom of door card and prise retaining clips off and with window wound down lift off door card

[wundaguy]

Thanks for your suggestion, I have removed the door card and seen the cable and clip that you were talking about. Unfortunately the retaining clip is attached perfectly with no breaks or problems and the lead lug is also still in place. I have tested the inside handle and it pulls the wire perfectly as it should. I am therefore led to believe that the problem isnt with the handle or cable but must be at the actual door lock housed within the door.

However I do not have any idea how to access that to see if i can locate a problem. Presumably the plastic sheet cover that sits over the inside of the door has to be ripped/removed and then the door lock itself needs to removed from out of the door....

Any further ideas? Please Help!

[Mark-R]

just rip the plastic cover off and have a look to see if the cable is in place

[Kingacx]

Just changed a door an full set of internals around on my signum,the white covers held In place with 2 torx screws,with that removed pull the door handle,an then at the end of your door ,under a black screw cover undo till the handle clicks out,then slide to the rear,once the handles of then undo the 3 screws on the lock on the end of the door,an the screw under the handle.the key lock part will also just slide out,then the rest of the lock mechs

Once out have a good look,or just replace an keep your key//lock barrel

[DIV62]

I have a similar problem, the door won't open from the inside. lever limp. Thanks for the post will now go and try to fix mine. Been opening the driver window and reaching out to open from outside. Thanks