Info - Proper Removal Procedure for Door Trim Panel to Avoid Damage

Door trim panels are being damaged due to improper removal procedures. When removal of a door trim panel is necessary, follow the service procedure below.

Removal Procedure

1. Lower the window




Important: Take care not to damage the door skin with the trim tool in the next step.

2. Remove the reflector lens with a trim tool (refer to the illustration above).



3. If the reflector lens does not come off in the previous step, insert a screwdriver into the hole at the rearward edge of the lamp housing. Holding the screwdriver, use a door trim removal tool to depress the top and bottom clip (closest to the rearward end of the housing). Refer to Step 10 for housing removal from the door trim pad.



4. Turn the housing 90 degrees outward (refer to the illustration above).
5. Remove the one bolt behind the housing of the reflector.
6. Remove the rubber closeout pad inside the bottom of the armrest wood handle.
7. Remove the two bolts in the handle. Use needle nose pliers to remove the bolts from the trim pad after they are completely loosened.



8. Insert a door trim tool, J 38778, into the slot provided in the trim panels shown in the illustration above.



9. Pry the door trim panel away from the door, moving rearward to the back of the door, then forward to the front speaker. When the panel is sufficiently loosened, grasp with both hands and lift it up and towards you. The top of the door trim pad has a metal retainer that holds the door trim pad to the top of the door (refer to the illustration above).



10. This metal retainer has three downward flanges that hold it to the top of the door (refer to the illustration above).
11. With the door trim removed, the courtesy lamp housing can be extracted from the hole in the back of the door trim pad. Rotate the lamp over on its side and lift out of the hole.
12. Disconnect the harness.

Important: The female portion of the retainer can be cracked behind the surface of the door where it is not visible. If the trim has been removed three or more times, always replace the retainers.

13. Inspect both male and female retainer halves for damage or wear. Replace as necessary.

Installation Procedure

1. Connect the electrical connector behind the speaker.
2. Lower the door glass.
3. Line up the retainer pins to the grommets in the door. The pins are long enough to reasonably stay put while the top of the door is installed.
4. Set the hanger bracket at the top of the door to the door inner flange. Ensure that all three sections are snug on the flange.
5. Lightly hit the three locations at the front of the door and then the four locations at the rear of the door with the palm of your hand.
6. To prevent collapsing the rivnut, hand start the bolt behind the courtesy lamp.

Tighten
Tighten the nut to 10 N·m (89 lb in).

7. Install the two handle bolts.

Tighten
Tighten the bolts to 6 N·m (53 lb in).

8. Install the covers over the bolts.
9. Plug in the courtesy lamp.
10. With the reflector lens back on the courtesy lamp housing, push straight in with the palm of your hand to seat the lens.