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Both Streetka Door Handles Broken - Help!


Joanna81
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The passenger side door handle on my streetka stopped working a couple of days ago so that it wouldn't open from the outside, but opened fine from the inside. I was planning to get the door handle looked at over the weekend however I have just tried to get into the car and the driver's side handle has also broken - which means that I can't get into the car! The handles both feel as though there is no tension - as if something snapped inside.

Can anyone help on what I can do to get into the car, I have tried locking and and unlocking the car but it's made no difference? Is there a way I can get in via the boot?

Also if anyone else has had this problem with the door handles it would be great if they could let me know what's caused it. Very frustrating but at least it happened when I was at home not miles away!!

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Hi Joanna

Can't help with your problem, but really hope someone answers you, cause I am fearful that exactly the same thing will happen to mine. At my last service I asked the mechanic to look at my door handles. I am so careful when opening the car, it feels as though they are very brittle and they will snap.Please let me know if you find any help

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It does sound like the linkages or cables have gone.

Can you open the boot from outside with the key?

Shinning through the car is not the most Ladylike approach, also if you do get in to drive please make sure you unlock the doors for your own safety.

I have included an exploded diagram of your locks (suitably labelled) so you can orientate yourself.

TBH it sounds like the outer handle links may have snapped or at least become unhooked.

post-28494-0-72712700-1398305079_thumb.j

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I got the RAC out in the end to open the doors - they managed to slit a metal hooked rod down to reach the handles. Going through the boot wasn't an option as it's a convertible.

Then it was a trip to the local scrap yard to source two new handles from an old KA and Fiesta which my husband fitted very in about 30 mins so not a big job once the doors were opened. There is a little plastic loop on the inside of the outer handle and I was just very unluckly that it snapped on both doors at the same time.

Apparently this is a common problem as they are quite brittle and the handles are one of the first things to go at scrap yards - it only cost me £10 for the new handles but I have read of some people being charged £200+ by their garage to supply and fit new ones.

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I do know the answer to this as we had a Street and I knew of the problem and one of our handles was stiff so I decided to investigate.

Basically if you take the door card and membrane off you will see that the rod from the door handle has to travel some way along the door (being a wide door) and it disappears into a plastic box above the speaker that is sealed to the door for the inner release handle. Due to a design error when you pull the handle the bit inside this box can't move freely (the box isn't quite big enough) and so puts strain on the door handle.

As the door handle is only connected by a plastic bit this stretches and eventually breaks.

I cured this by unsealing the plastic box above the speaker and pulling it away slightly. You can see the whole thing move when you life the handle. I then sprayed loads of 3-1 oil inside the box and handle where anything touches. This had the immediate effect of making the door handle lift easier and cured the problem. In all the time we had the car the problem never returned and I never had to replace any door handles.

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Thanks Rick. I will have a look at that. What is the door card?????Is it very difficult to remove the door membrane from the door, or should I get a helpful small garage, as the door handles was a problem I raised with my Local Ford garage and they said they could do nothing!, They really must be the worst possible dealer in the country, as they also said they cannot replace my cracked back window. I have a soft top and have taken the advice of another forum member and have ordered this on line.

I do sound a wimp don't I. But I know nothing about cars other than I love mine to bits

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ha ha don't worry if you are not sure get someone to help you. The door card is the panel you see when you sit inside the car and behind that is the membrane that is a waterproof sheet. If I wasn't 250 miles away I would show you !

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