NHTSA Complaint #10717238 — 2005 FORD ESCAPE

THE DRIVER'S FRONT DOOR BEGAN CAUSING PROBLEMS. OCCASIONALLY, IT DOES NOT OPEN, PERIOD. ADDITIONALLY, THE LOCK MECHANISM IS INOPERABLE. I REMOVED BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S FRONT DOOR PANELS TO INSPECT, COMPARE AND FINALLY DETERMINE THE ISSUE. THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM, WHICH A FRIEND TEMPORARILY FIXED. IT--THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE--AFTER TWEEKING, WORKED FOR A WHILE. FAST FORWARD, 2015, I CANNOT OPEN NEARLY 3 OF MY DOORS. ONE WILL NOT OPEN AT ALL (REAR PASS.) THE DRIVER'S FRONT DOOR IS DOING THE SAME THING THE REAR DOOR HANDLE--IT LOST TENSION AND WON'T OPEN AT ALL. AFTER LOOKING IT UP ON YOUTUBE, I DETERMINED THE LOCKING SYSTEM IS THE CULPRIT. IN ORDER TO REPAIR THIS INOPERABLE DOOR HANDLE SITUATION, APPARENTLY I NEED TO PULL THE INTERIOR PANELS, REMOVE THE EXTERIOR HANDLES AND REPLACE THEM ENTIRELY. CURRENTLY, I HAVE THE DRIVER'S DOOR PANEL REMOVED BECAUSE IN THE EVENT THE HANDLE DOESN'T WORK AT ALL, I'D HAVE TO CLIMB OVER FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE JUST TO DRIVE MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE.