I am trying to figure out how to open my wife's passenger rear sliding door on her 2007 Mazda5. It won't open from the outside or the inside after a recent snow/ice storm. The outside handle literally came off in my hand. I managed to get the inside door handle cover off from the front passenger side with the seat all the way forward and up, but not before some of the plastic pieces snapped off. I knew this would be a nightmare with temps in the low 20s. Whatever linkage that operates the latch is completely not working, and I am unable to remove the door panel until the door opens. How do I release the door latch?
HELP! Sliding door won't open; door handle fell off.
- Thread starter Geeshik
- Start date
I figured it out. There is a cable toward the bottom of the latch assembly when you get the inner door handle cover off. If you pull that cable, it releases the door. As my luck goes, nothing that I did from the inside or outside of the car would open the door with the handles (inside or outside). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j36LFKlFuHY
I will have to look at this another time as I have to get up for work early in the morning. I am going to go thaw the doors on my truck so my wife can use that tomorrow.
I will have to look at this another time as I have to get up for work early in the morning. I am going to go thaw the doors on my truck so my wife can use that tomorrow.
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I can open the door if I roll down the window and leave the interior panels off. I just reach through the window and push the lower cable forward. We will be doing this until I determine what parts I need and get them ordered. It doesn't make sense to have the whole car down for that amount of time. We use it every day. Do I just have to heat up that tarry stuff and pull the inside apart to gain access to the inside of the door where the parts and pieces of the handle fell? Also, The handle looks ok for the most part. It might be able to go back in, but I was wondering if the end toward the rear of the vehicle is supposed to be a circle, or if it has a slot that is supposed to lock into something. Right now mine looks more like a slot; like it clips on to something inside the door. If I don't have to order the handle, it might save us quite a bit of money.
Does anyone have any photos or video of what the door looks like beyond the plastic parts that bolt to it on the inside metal shell? If I could figure out what parts I need without having to completely remove the door, that would be great, though it looks easiest to mark the bolts where the door attaches to the car, remove them, and take the door inside where it is warm and lay it on a blanket to do the work so I have easy access to everything. It is such a pain to do anything inside the car.
Does anyone have any photos or video of what the door looks like beyond the plastic parts that bolt to it on the inside metal shell? If I could figure out what parts I need without having to completely remove the door, that would be great, though it looks easiest to mark the bolts where the door attaches to the car, remove them, and take the door inside where it is warm and lay it on a blanket to do the work so I have easy access to everything. It is such a pain to do anything inside the car.
Tonight after my wife got home, I removed the sliding door. Bear in mind, I had already removed the cover for the inside door handle, the upper window trim piece, and the inner door panel.
1. The white plastic panel that rolls up the wire for the power windows had to be removed. There were five 10mm shoulder bolts that held it in place.
You also need to disconnect the connectors for the door lock and window switches. Do this carefully by hand or with a small screwdriver.
2. The clips that attach the wiring for the power windows and locks had to be removed. With a trim removal tool, I carefully pried 4 of them off of the plastic inner door panel. Once they were all out, the white piece with it's wiring can be placed inside the car.
3. I marked and removed the bolts/brackets to pull the door off of the car with a silver sharpie. (My wife's Mazda5 is black.) Now for this step, I removed the two 12mm bolts from the front lower slide assembly, leaving the arm attached to the door. I moved the front lower slider forward out of the way and put a rag around the arm so it could still rest and slide a little bit on the door sill if it needed to.
There were also two 12mm bolts on the rear of the door, along with a 12mm nut. I removed the two bolts from the rear of the door completely, but I saved the nut on the back slider for second last as it has a stud that is useful for holding the door up. It can be loosened though, so you can easily twist it off by hand when you are ready to remove the door.
I also left one of the two 10mm top bolts in the arm that holds the upper support for the top slider in. I had my wife remove the top bolt while I held the door (you definitely need two people to do this).
I picked up the door and set it down on a tarp that I had folded up on the floor beneath the door. The door isn't too heavy, but it is awkward to carry. I would guess it weighs about 40 lbs.
4. We put a couple of old blankets on the floor of the kitchen and I brought the door inside and set it down with the inside facing up.
Then I carefully removed the inside handle. I think there were 2 10mm bolts that hold it and one or two #2 phillips screws.
There is a rod that goes to it that you can rotate the handle off of to remove it from the door.
5. Next was the little cable that attaches to the green connector for the handle mechanism.
I carefully pried it and rotated it free, and afterward I pried the cable out of it's plastic hold down notch.
Then I was able to remove the handle mechanism and rotate it up out of the way still attached to the cables. I was careful not to stress the cables, and I put a few paper towels down on top of the window glass before I set it down to avoid scratching the window or it's tint.
6. The window motor was next. There were three phillips/10mm screws that held it in place. Once they were backed out, I was able to pull the motor assembly out of the regulator cam.
7. I had mistakenly thought that the large black plastic panel was sealed with that strip of tar-like rubber that you usually have to heat up or remove on a hot day to get it to come off. It is actually a regular type of rubber gasket, which is nice. On this panel, there are numerous 10mm bolts that hold it down.
I removed all of them, including the two 10mm nuts that hold the window track in place. There was also one odd plastic rivet that I used the trim tool to remove.
Once I did so, I was able to push the cable through the plastic panel, and carefully pry it up to remove it from the metal of the door. That got me to the point where I could troubleshoot what was going on with the door handle.
First thing I noticed was that on the front part of the part where the handle goes through the door, there was a broken ear on the plastic that holds the die cast pivot for the latch rod.
That rod goes down to a pivot that attaches to the cable with the green connector that I had had to work through the large black plastic panel I had just removed. One side of the pivot has a roller/weight attached to it. At first, I also did not see the latch rod or its pivot at all because it had swung down inside the door area below where I could see it. I found it and rotated it up to see how everything actually works. I made a video and I will post it on youtube kind of showing how the thing operates in case anyone else has this issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Bj6sibxoM This raised a big question for me though, as I noticed my latch rod has a pretty significant bend to it. I am curious if it is supposed to be totally straight or not. My wife mentioned having some issues with it releasing even when it was nice outside after the door had been locked. I see also that many of the pivots on the main handle assembly are really sloppy and worn out. I think I will be trying to replace that whole mess with a newer, tighter assembly. I am also going to replace the belt molding for the door's window because I noticed it has many cracks that water could be getting down inside the door through. So there you have it, with pics... The install is the reverse of removal. You can actually do it by yourself if you take your time and are careful.
1. The white plastic panel that rolls up the wire for the power windows had to be removed. There were five 10mm shoulder bolts that held it in place.
You also need to disconnect the connectors for the door lock and window switches. Do this carefully by hand or with a small screwdriver.
2. The clips that attach the wiring for the power windows and locks had to be removed. With a trim removal tool, I carefully pried 4 of them off of the plastic inner door panel. Once they were all out, the white piece with it's wiring can be placed inside the car.
3. I marked and removed the bolts/brackets to pull the door off of the car with a silver sharpie. (My wife's Mazda5 is black.) Now for this step, I removed the two 12mm bolts from the front lower slide assembly, leaving the arm attached to the door. I moved the front lower slider forward out of the way and put a rag around the arm so it could still rest and slide a little bit on the door sill if it needed to.
There were also two 12mm bolts on the rear of the door, along with a 12mm nut. I removed the two bolts from the rear of the door completely, but I saved the nut on the back slider for second last as it has a stud that is useful for holding the door up. It can be loosened though, so you can easily twist it off by hand when you are ready to remove the door.
I also left one of the two 10mm top bolts in the arm that holds the upper support for the top slider in. I had my wife remove the top bolt while I held the door (you definitely need two people to do this).
I picked up the door and set it down on a tarp that I had folded up on the floor beneath the door. The door isn't too heavy, but it is awkward to carry. I would guess it weighs about 40 lbs.
4. We put a couple of old blankets on the floor of the kitchen and I brought the door inside and set it down with the inside facing up.
Then I carefully removed the inside handle. I think there were 2 10mm bolts that hold it and one or two #2 phillips screws.
There is a rod that goes to it that you can rotate the handle off of to remove it from the door.
5. Next was the little cable that attaches to the green connector for the handle mechanism.
I carefully pried it and rotated it free, and afterward I pried the cable out of it's plastic hold down notch.
Then I was able to remove the handle mechanism and rotate it up out of the way still attached to the cables. I was careful not to stress the cables, and I put a few paper towels down on top of the window glass before I set it down to avoid scratching the window or it's tint.
6. The window motor was next. There were three phillips/10mm screws that held it in place. Once they were backed out, I was able to pull the motor assembly out of the regulator cam.
7. I had mistakenly thought that the large black plastic panel was sealed with that strip of tar-like rubber that you usually have to heat up or remove on a hot day to get it to come off. It is actually a regular type of rubber gasket, which is nice. On this panel, there are numerous 10mm bolts that hold it down.
I removed all of them, including the two 10mm nuts that hold the window track in place. There was also one odd plastic rivet that I used the trim tool to remove.
Once I did so, I was able to push the cable through the plastic panel, and carefully pry it up to remove it from the metal of the door. That got me to the point where I could troubleshoot what was going on with the door handle.
First thing I noticed was that on the front part of the part where the handle goes through the door, there was a broken ear on the plastic that holds the die cast pivot for the latch rod.
That rod goes down to a pivot that attaches to the cable with the green connector that I had had to work through the large black plastic panel I had just removed. One side of the pivot has a roller/weight attached to it. At first, I also did not see the latch rod or its pivot at all because it had swung down inside the door area below where I could see it. I found it and rotated it up to see how everything actually works. I made a video and I will post it on youtube kind of showing how the thing operates in case anyone else has this issue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Bj6sibxoM This raised a big question for me though, as I noticed my latch rod has a pretty significant bend to it. I am curious if it is supposed to be totally straight or not. My wife mentioned having some issues with it releasing even when it was nice outside after the door had been locked. I see also that many of the pivots on the main handle assembly are really sloppy and worn out. I think I will be trying to replace that whole mess with a newer, tighter assembly. I am also going to replace the belt molding for the door's window because I noticed it has many cracks that water could be getting down inside the door through. So there you have it, with pics... The install is the reverse of removal. You can actually do it by yourself if you take your time and are careful.
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All of the parts our car needed, part numbers, and the rough pricing I found for the '07 Mazda5 passenger rear sliding door:
Control (the latch mechanism thingy) #C23572380E - $125
Handle (outer door handle assy) black #C24372410KPZ - $55
Handle link (part that attaches to handle in door) #C2357242YA - $46
Belt Molding (part at bottom of window on exterior) #C23550660C - $20
They are ordered now through QuirkParts.com. They were the best pricing I could find; a little lower than the estimates above.
Control (the latch mechanism thingy) #C23572380E - $125
Handle (outer door handle assy) black #C24372410KPZ - $55
Handle link (part that attaches to handle in door) #C2357242YA - $46
Belt Molding (part at bottom of window on exterior) #C23550660C - $20
They are ordered now through QuirkParts.com. They were the best pricing I could find; a little lower than the estimates above.
I was able to temporarily repair the door handle by cutting off the dogs that slide into the plastic handle base (the base that goes toward the front of the car), and drilling/tapping with a 6 - 32 tap. I re-installed the pot-metal piece afterward with some 6 - 32 screws I found in the garage. I also saw that there was nothing to hold the back of the door handle in place on the other handle base because there is a little plastic tab that was broken off, so I wrapped a rubber band around where the slot in the handle goes over the pivot post. After that, I reattached the control rod and reassembled the door in reverse order before re-installing it back on the car. I did it myself this time as my wife was gone with our kids. I carefully set the door on the tarp again and tilted the back up to get the rear mount stud through the hole in the bracket. Then i installed the nut loosely before re-aligning everything with the marks that I had made on the door. That part actually went pretty quickly. Now the door works in the event of an emergency, but I think I tightened the screws a little too tightly into the pot metal because the handle seems to come back a little slower than before. I also think there might have been a spring that wrapped around the post where I drilled, but I was unable to find it if there was one.
So yesterday my son said he had an early Christmas present for me and handed me the handle from the sliding door :-( Mine still works from the inside, like thaxman, so I hope a screw just got loose. Or I might have messed something up when I replaced the solenoid several months ago. Thanks for the post.
You are welcome, kw_da. After receiving the parts today (quite a long wait!), I can now verify that the handle assembly for the sliding door should have a spring on it. It wraps around the post of the pot metal piece and hooks behind the tab that broke off of mine on the one side.
I can also verify that the rod that attaches to the handle should have some slight bends along its length if anyone is wondering. My wife reports that her door is working satisfactorily at the moment. It hasn't given her any issues, but we have had little to no precipitation this week. If you order a door handle, make sure you look up one that is the correct color for your car. The part number I listed for the door handle is for one in black. Also, the note I made about the zip-tie is more of a question. I wouldn't do this unless you were sure it wasn't going to interfere. A fine wire might also be a better choice; anything to keep that plastic from increasing the gap as it seemed to do even on the new handle when the handle was pulled.
I can also verify that the rod that attaches to the handle should have some slight bends along its length if anyone is wondering. My wife reports that her door is working satisfactorily at the moment. It hasn't given her any issues, but we have had little to no precipitation this week. If you order a door handle, make sure you look up one that is the correct color for your car. The part number I listed for the door handle is for one in black. Also, the note I made about the zip-tie is more of a question. I wouldn't do this unless you were sure it wasn't going to interfere. A fine wire might also be a better choice; anything to keep that plastic from increasing the gap as it seemed to do even on the new handle when the handle was pulled.
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Is this piece one part number? Like your car, on my car, the part that is in the door with the spring broke. I 'm having trouble trying to figure out which part I need to order. Does the handle come with the 2 pieces (ends) that attach to the door?
My entire door handle came off, I can only find part of the piece that attaches to the link rod in the door. I think the spring broke off and is in the door someplace.
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Wishmaster
Member
- :
- 07 Galaxy Gray AT Mazda5 GT
Wow that looks like quite a lot of work just to get to the handle!! Couple of questions for you... I broke one of my sliding door handles off from the outside the other day (cold temps + frozen stuck door + little bit of frustration = pulled too hard and the handle came off in my hand).
1. Do you think it's at all possible to replace the handle from the outside?? Actually relooking at your post and it seems pretty obvious this is not do-able... any advice and/or suggestion would help though.
2. Not totally sure about which parts I'll need... the handle and the handle link or just the handle?
3. Difficulty in doing what you did... I'm a pretty handy guy around the house / reno wise... haven't done much of my own mechanic work but I am confident in changing my own oil, did my own rear sway bar bushings, etc... so little things. Is this do-able and how long did it take you?
Thanks!! And great work getting this sorted out!!
1. Do you think it's at all possible to replace the handle from the outside?? Actually relooking at your post and it seems pretty obvious this is not do-able... any advice and/or suggestion would help though.
2. Not totally sure about which parts I'll need... the handle and the handle link or just the handle?
3. Difficulty in doing what you did... I'm a pretty handy guy around the house / reno wise... haven't done much of my own mechanic work but I am confident in changing my own oil, did my own rear sway bar bushings, etc... so little things. Is this do-able and how long did it take you?
Thanks!! And great work getting this sorted out!!
I'm in the process of doing this. I believe all I need is the handle, so I just ordered it. I could open my door so I didn't have to take the door off the car. I took the door apart to see the problem & put it back together until I get the part.
1) You cannot replace from the outside - there are 2 bolts that are only reachable from the outside that hold the handle on.
2) I have the same question. In addition, you'll also need the panel push pins to replace the ones you break when you take the door panel off.
3) It took me about 1 hr or so to get the handle off, will be faster the next time. I didn't have to remove all the panels and bolts, just removed enough bolts to bend the plastic panel down so I could access the handle. Took me longer to reassemble since my memory is bad and I was interrupted. I only had 1 screw left over
I'll have to figure out where it goes once I get the handleWishmaster
Member
- :
- 07 Galaxy Gray AT Mazda5 GT
I'm in the process of doing this. I believe all I need is the handle, so I just ordered it. I could open my door so I didn't have to take the door off the car. I took the door apart to see the problem & put it back together until I get the part.
1) You cannot replace from the outside - there are 2 bolts that are only reachable from the outside that hold the handle on.
2) I have the same question. In addition, you'll also need the panel push pins to replace the ones you break when you take the door panel off.
3) It took me about 1 hr or so to get the handle off, will be faster the next time. I didn't have to remove all the panels and bolts, just removed enough bolts to bend the plastic panel down so I could access the handle. Took me longer to reassemble since my memory is bad and I was interrupted. I only had 1 screw left over
Thanks for the info... think I'll go ahead and order the handle and just jump in. Ya I can open my door as well so it sounds like it shouldn't be that difficult, just time consuming. Let me know how it goes... I'll probably do mine after the Christmas holiday.
I found that quirkparts.com had the lowest prices (including shipping) - thanks to Geeshik, but they can't get the part until after the New Year - so I'll have to wait too. I've removed my door panel several times and replaced the door actuator, so I've been in the door several times. This handle replacement requires a bit more disassembly than the actuator replacement. I'd suggest buying some door clips before hand so you can replace the ones you'll break taking off the door panel.
Wishmaster
Member
- :
- 07 Galaxy Gray AT Mazda5 GT
Thanks for the advice and help, will do.
I am going to try and replace the handle tonight as this is the first time availability of the car and my energy have coincided. I only ordered the other parts because my belt molding was cracked in several places and was probably letting water into the door, and the other mechanical parts and pieces were very worn out for the latch. You may only need a handle. Also, I am probably going to try to do it tonight without removing the door if I don't have to. My regrets for your similar misfortunes with the handle. I am glad that I could be of some help.
I never did find the spring. Even with the door off of the car, the window out, and everything apart, I rocked the door back and forth and all over and nothing came out. I even tried my little claw tool and a magnetic pickup tool. Wherever it is, it is stuck and hidden well.
The handle comes as an assembly with everything in the handle picture; including the spring.
I never did find the spring. Even with the door off of the car, the window out, and everything apart, I rocked the door back and forth and all over and nothing came out. I even tried my little claw tool and a magnetic pickup tool. Wherever it is, it is stuck and hidden well.
The handle comes as an assembly with everything in the handle picture; including the spring.
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Well, first off, I have to say that if you are not removing the door, you probably want to remove the window because it will drive you nuts trying to hold it up while you are working unless you have a second person to hold it for you. This can be done by removing a little rectangular black plug in the side of the door, rolling the window down until the 10mm bolt that holds it in place shows in the rectangular hole (a hair more than 2/3 of the way), removing said bolt, and pulling the window up and out of the door. (Be careful not to drop the bolt into the inside of the door.)
I can't remember for sure, but you might also have to remove the belt molding and/or the 10mm bolt towards the rear that holds the rear window track in place. The last time I had the window out was when I tinted it. To put the window back in, it should rest on a little tab and you should be able to line it back up to get the fastener in ok. After an hour of struggling and a sore back, I finally managed to get the black panel back in place and everything lined back up and tight. That, so far, has been the hardest part of the job. The door is still on the car though, so at least I won't have to lift that on.
That said, for those of you who just have to change the handle, I thought afterward that maybe two 1" holes could be drilled in the door panel (behind the main control mechanism). You can sorta see where the handle bolts are shining a flashlight down through the gap by the window once the door trim panel is off. After that, if you are careful enough with a magnetic 10mm socket and some electrical tape around it to form a makeshift locking extension (6-10" should get you to it), you might be able to get the bolts for the handle out that way. If you try this, the heads of the bolts on my handle had a deep dish set into them, so a magnet might not have enough pull to keep it and it could fall into the door. The worst case scenario there would be that the bolts fall down inside the door and get stuck somewhere you might not be able to get them out even with the door panel removed, but the savings in time and frustration might be worth a try. Afterwards, a 1" plug or some black duct tape over the hole would keep the wind and moisture from getting into the car. The only other trick would be to get the actuator rod undone and reconnected through the hole you drill. Food for thought. There might be someone willing to give it a shot. Heck, next time, I would be willing to give it a shot at this rate! I think Home Depot sells magnetic driver bits for drills that come in 10mm. It would have been nice if Mazda had engineered a smaller sub-panel that could be removed for door handle issues.
Another note on the handle. When installing the new one, put the rear of the handle in first, and then you hold the front base and pull back on the handle to get the metal pivot to go straight out to fit it through the hole. This was easier with two hands, but I did it with one so I could take a photo.
I can't remember for sure, but you might also have to remove the belt molding and/or the 10mm bolt towards the rear that holds the rear window track in place. The last time I had the window out was when I tinted it. To put the window back in, it should rest on a little tab and you should be able to line it back up to get the fastener in ok. After an hour of struggling and a sore back, I finally managed to get the black panel back in place and everything lined back up and tight. That, so far, has been the hardest part of the job. The door is still on the car though, so at least I won't have to lift that on.
That said, for those of you who just have to change the handle, I thought afterward that maybe two 1" holes could be drilled in the door panel (behind the main control mechanism). You can sorta see where the handle bolts are shining a flashlight down through the gap by the window once the door trim panel is off. After that, if you are careful enough with a magnetic 10mm socket and some electrical tape around it to form a makeshift locking extension (6-10" should get you to it), you might be able to get the bolts for the handle out that way. If you try this, the heads of the bolts on my handle had a deep dish set into them, so a magnet might not have enough pull to keep it and it could fall into the door. The worst case scenario there would be that the bolts fall down inside the door and get stuck somewhere you might not be able to get them out even with the door panel removed, but the savings in time and frustration might be worth a try. Afterwards, a 1" plug or some black duct tape over the hole would keep the wind and moisture from getting into the car. The only other trick would be to get the actuator rod undone and reconnected through the hole you drill. Food for thought. There might be someone willing to give it a shot. Heck, next time, I would be willing to give it a shot at this rate! I think Home Depot sells magnetic driver bits for drills that come in 10mm. It would have been nice if Mazda had engineered a smaller sub-panel that could be removed for door handle issues.
Another note on the handle. When installing the new one, put the rear of the handle in first, and then you hold the front base and pull back on the handle to get the metal pivot to go straight out to fit it through the hole. This was easier with two hands, but I did it with one so I could take a photo.
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I just replaced my handle too. If just your handle came out, you don't need to remove the door or the window or all the mechanism that attaches to the door. You can just remove the interior door panel, interior handle and screws from the top part of the interior plastic panel. See picture below with bolts removed:
Then you can just bend the top of the plastic panel back to access the 2 bolts that hold the handle in (I used a small 1/4" socket set to get the bolts off). See below:
Thanks for all the info that people provided. It took about an hour to do & I added some sound deadening on the outside door skin. Just don't drop any bolts/nuts inside the door otherwise you need to take everything off. I never did find the broken bits inside the door
It seems that this will be a common failure in the coming years - it's a plastic bit that just breaks.
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Wishmaster
Member
- :
- 07 Galaxy Gray AT Mazda5 GT
I just replaced my handle too. If just your handle came out, you don't need to remove the door or the window or all the mechanism that attaches to the door. You can just remove the interior door panel, interior handle and screws from the top part of the interior plastic panel. See picture below with bolts removed:
Then you can just bend the top of the plastic panel back to access the 2 bolts that hold the handle in (I used a small 1/4" socket set to get the bolts off). See below:
Thanks for all the info that people provided. It took about an hour to do & I added some sound deadening on the outside door skin. Just don't drop any bolts/nuts inside the door otherwise you need to take everything off. I never did find the broken bits inside the door
It seems that this will be a common failure in the coming years - it's a plastic bit that just breaks.
Oh wow, thanks for this... I'll definitely be doing this soon!
If you try my method of bending the top part out - make sure to leave the window all the way up. Good Luck
