On my 2003 sportage the driver door opening lever will not return fully flush but stays out. Is there a cure if the door panel is removed to expose the opening mechanism? Thanks Peter

You must remove the door panels and check for a disconnected lock release rod.

Check the switch in your driver's door jamb. It will be a small button that pushes in when the door closes, or else a small plastic lever that does the same thing. If this is broken, it will complete the circuit and make your interior and seat-belt lights go on, as if you door is open.

You don't need to remove the panel. Just spray the latch on the outside with the door open. I would use liquid wrench and open & close the door at least 20 times after it's soaked for a half hour. Don't be afraid to slam it. Also, one time I had to let it soak in overnight before opening/closing it multiple times again.

no need to remove the door.. just open the screws of the inside concole , opening handle and lever .. take out the console and u will see the screws to open the mirror.

It's usually the window winder that presents the problem . Remove all visable retaining screws ie; Grab handle , Internal door opening lever , Button on top of panel (if applicable ) etc . The majority panel are a pop snap on type . Remove the winder lever withthe aid of a shoe lace or thin piece of cloth material, The winder is retained by a horse-shoe shaped spring clip. .... Pull the shoe-lace/ material in the opposite direction of the winder retainer clip and it will easily come off, but it is a spring clip and may fly off so be careful. Good luck

simple! lever off from the bottom the cover on the the inner door pull, remove the 2 x torx 30 bolts behind it and the whole lot just pulls of from the bottom, lift the bottom away and then the whole thing upwards as its hooked over the door at the top

I installed speakers in my door panels.
Pop up the window controlls unplug switches,
remove plastic screw hiders to expose phillips screws
remove screw from door latch lever
pull out on door panel, then lift up
its not too hard good luck
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I had this problem on my 2003 explorer and took WD40 and gave the lock mechanism a good dose where it meets the clasp on the door jam. Then open and close the doors a couple of times to get them working. They get gummed up and sometimes have a tendency to stick.

I just fixed this same problem. It happened to me 3 different times in a month so I got good at it. Before you dive into removing your door try this. Pull the door handle and release it letting it snap back several times. The problem is a half open door latch that won't let the door unlock. Do this as aggressively as you can to attempt to get the latch to return to its original position. Check the door lock between flicks.

Ok, if that didn't work, here is how to remove the door.
1. Remove the screw behind the door latch, you will have to pop the plastic cover off first.
2. Remove the rubber insert in the door handle
3. Remove the screw that is now visible
4. Now remove the window/lock control module, the back is free but the front has a plastic lip so lift the back up and pull towards the back of the van.
5. Remove the clips that attach to the lock and to the window controls (these can be a pain)
5. (Optional) Remove the bracket that held the window/lock control module

At this point your door is basically free, it is only held in place with plastic clips that can be easily forced off. If your door were open you would simple pull the bottom of the door out (hinged at the window) and lift it off. But since we can't pull because the door is closed we have to force it out.

From here it is pretty simple. Move the seat all the way back and tip the seat way back. Lift the door panel straight up. You will be breaking 2 plastic clips from the rear part but once you do it just pulls out. This is not that easy because the space is limited but just keep pulling and force the rear end of the door panel past the b-pillar. Once you do this it is free.

Have fun and try to keep the black gook from getting everywhere.

Oh, to fix the door lock just oil/grease it and manually move the mechanism several times.