Maybe broke Driver outside door handle ?
 

My door handle got so tight I could not open it even though it was unlocked. I guess I pulled up too hard and it became very loose and does not open the door now.

I open the unit up and saw nothing suspicious.

Has this happen to anyone? My actual handle has not broken off, its intact.

Do I need a new door handle or is it just the inside assembly? Any idea where I can get used handle?

Thanks!

hey this just happened to me last week...except i broke this piece you pull. Chances are what you have done is maybe pulled the handle off its hinges? I just bought a whole new handle assembly off partstrader for 60 bucks and am gonna get my mechanic to install it. Good luck man. -Jeff

My driver's side exterior door handle came with the car, but in the glove box. The plastic was broken. I glued it back together with JB Weld and installed it into the door handle assembly. I had all of the parts including the tiny mounting screws and the pin. But it still wouldn't open the door. The handle assembly seemed to be too loose to force the rod down far enough to disengage the door lock. I took all of the slack or looseness out of the system by bending a stop and making sure that it fetched up solidly against the plastic in a small groove that I filed. Works fine now.

I think that these handle assemblies should be lubricated every few years or they will wear and create some looseness. Eventually, they are so loose that pulling hard won't disengage the door lock. Then, you pull it a little harder and the plastic handle breaks.

Good luck with yours.

Steve

Thank you both....

Whats partstrader?

The handle tends to brake. The hinge points wear until the top of the handle is rubbing then eventually it catches and you snap one side of it (inside the handle near the hinge). I bought another used one but it is already rubbing so I can't imagine it will last all that long. I would recommend a new one from Mazdatrix (i thin around $75).

I am working on a fix for the handle but It's not at the top of my to do list.

I had this happen to me 3 days ago on my FD. It got really tight all of the sudden and I thought it was going to break off if i tired to open it. I finally got the balls to pull on it and it opened =). I did this for like 3 days then, one time it pulled on it and the whole handle flew across my garage! So now i have to open the passenger side to get in! Im gonna look for a new piece, how much do they go for new?

I ended up ordering from the dealer. They will run about 212 after tax. Installation is easy, takes a few minutes. It can be a little tricky, just remember how you dissasemble it.

Just a hint, if your handle is stuck like mine, don't pull up like I did, it will break it. I found that you can dis-assemble the door handle and remove it, then you will notice a spring at the bottom with a screw holding the spring in place, you can losen that up and your door handle should be fine. I recommend oiling it monthly or so. Was an expensive lesson I had to learn.

BTW...if its not installed exactly right, when you pull up on the handle it will unlock door even if you lock it with the key.