Why is the car door handle not retracting smoothly?
2 Answers
It may be due to an improperly positioned cable clip or significant friction between the vehicle's door handle lock and the lock post, causing the handle to not retract smoothly when opening or closing the door. Here are some explanations regarding car door handle retraction issues: 1. Improper positioning: The solution for an improperly positioned cable clip is to use a T-20 spline to remove the small cover of the door handle, open the door, locate the small hole on the door edge, and loosen the inner screw with the T-20 spline (be careful not to remove it completely). This allows the small cover of the door handle to be manually adjusted. 2. Excessive friction: The solution for excessive friction is to apply a screw loosening agent to lubricate the door lock post. Lightly spray some screw loosening agent on the post and also apply some to the door lock area to achieve a lubricating effect.
My car had the same issue before, the door handle was really hard to retract. At first I thought it was frozen due to cold weather, but later found out it was a lubrication problem. The door handle pivot area easily accumulates dust, and dry friction causes it to stick. Try spraying some WD-40 into the pivot gap and work the handle back and forth about a dozen times - that should help significantly. If the car's been used for several years, the internal spring might be rusted or lost its tension, then you'll need to remove the interior trim panel to replace the spring. Also, when washing the car, avoid spraying water directly into the door gaps - moisture can cause the cables to rust and jam. If you can't fix it yourself, go to a repair shop early. Don't wait until the handle completely jams and you can't open the door - that would be really awkward.
