2006 Ford Focus outer drivers door plastic handle broke loose from inside where the mechanism is supposed to grab hold of latch & release/open door. Cannot open door from outside. What is the part or parts number I need to order? Also, about how much would it cost for me to take it somewhere to get it fixed? Thank You

Close/wind up the window. Remove the inside door panel. Be careful with power window switch and door speaker wiring connectors. Disconnect them before pulling the door panel away. Remove any plastic covers that may be glued to the door. Have a look at the door handle from inside the door. You will have some idea as to how to remove it. Usually door handles are secured by screws from the inside. Locate and remove them. Remove linkages to the door handle then pull handle form outside.

the plastic clip that holds the door release rod on the latch is either broken, or fallen off, to fix this you need to remove the inner door panel, there will be screws along the door handle puller, and inside the little door cup, also on the inner door handle there's one, if you have mechanical windows there's a clip that holds that handle on, remove it with a small flat head screw driver, ( watch out they tend to fly off ) once the screw is off the door handle, pop it out towards you, and remove the rod and clip attached to it, once all the screws are removed,, take a putty knife, along the bottom of the panel and pop out the clips that hold this in place slide the panel up to get it off the window rail at the top of the panel,, now once inside your going to see a sheet of plastic, peel it back , look inside the holes in the door for a rod thats come off ,, once you locate the outer door handle,, you will see where the clip and rod go on one end or the other,,

You can open up the inside panel of the door and adjust the tension in the cable that opens the door from the outside handle.

Here's how I repaired mine. Go inside and remove the plastic 2" square plastic cover. By pushing on the lever inside this area, the latch will release. Push on the door at the same time, when the latch is pushed. With the door open, remove all four screws from the plastic panel. Now pry carefully the big plastic panel off the door. There are plastic snaps holding this on, all around the edges. Now there is another metal cover over the latch mechanism under this panel. Remove this. You now can see into the latch area and put the handle back into the slot where it came out of. You'll see that the ends of the handle can be put back on the round bar, but to hold them in place, I attached 2 nylon ties on one end. You can also purchase a metal push on retainer from the local hardware store. Mine has been repaired for 8 months and had no trouble. Ford used no retainer on these handles and after prolonged use, they bend and the handle can be pulled off. A twenty minute job. Your wife can even do it.
Fred C

remove inside door panel, remove bolts/screws of old door handle, install new handle

i have a LR3 land rover i hear the tailgate release but it does ot open. i have tried every thing. unlock and lock. need help

the door handle is either broke or a part of it has slipped loose, either way, you'll have to remove the inner door panel to get to it, this is not difficult, a few screws and the panel is retained by push in type plugs that can be pryed loose. the entire door latch assy is held in by screws and is serviced by replacement, the difficulty come with very tight area to work in, and is irritating and time consuming, if you are not good with tools i'd suggest a good mechanic or body shop. always get a quote!!

Remove the inner door panel and check to make sure that the linkage rod that goes between the outer handle and the latch is connected. It's possible that the plastic end clip broke.

Door handle seems loose and not connected? Then the plastic clip broke inside the door. Take off the door panel, 3 screws, and door lock cap and plastic insert around inside door handle. pry around the bottom first, and go up, when you reach the top, pull up, please be carefull to not break any more plastic. you will see a squarish opening midway up the door toward the latch. reach in and pull a rod toward the opening. You see a broken piece of plastic on the tip? if so take it off and get the replacement part for it at an autoparts store, install the new one and your set. I have broke to many of these so i ended up bending the end of the rod and using a nut to hold it in.:]

Mine just did the exact same thing. The latch may be moving freely because it is not hooked to the latching mechanism anymore. In my case, the handle had broken where the handle hooks to the rod that operates the mechanism. Go to the Ford dealer and buy a new handle. Here in S.C. it was $24. You can't get this at the parts houses. Start by removing the plastic "Ford" cover that is over the liscense plate lights. You then have to remove the aluminum rivets that hold the handle to the tailgate from the outside and remove the broken latch. Remove the pull handle loop on the interior side of the tailgate (2 screws), unsnap the inside plastic tailgate interior panel, and pull down the black plastic sheeting that is underneath the panel to make access to the mechanism inside of the tailgate. There is also a hard plastic cover that you will see that needs to be pulled loose to open another access hole. Install the new tailgate latch handle by sliding back into the mounting holes and attach with two 10-32 screws and nuts. The new handle will come with a new yellow rod attachment piece on the handle. You will see inside of the tailgate a small rod hanging down, most likeky it will have the same rod attachment piece as the one on the new handle. Note the position of the yellow piece on the rod, as you will connect the new piece in the same place. Once the rod is hooked up, relubricate the metal mechanism with a light machine oil, replace the black plastic cover, replace the black plastic sheeting, (secure with a small amount of duct tape), replace the tailgate interior panel, replace the pull handle loop, shut tailgate, replace "Ford" cover over lights, and you're done!