Exterior Door Handle Inoperative

When servicing the vehicle with the VIN you entered, the following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the described symptoms.

Some customers may comment that the exterior door handle is inoperative on their 2002-2003 Oldsmobile Alero or Pontiac Grand Am. This condition may be caused because the rod clip on the door latch rod was not fully seated during production. To correct the condition, firmly re-seat the rod clip. To access and repair this clip, follow the procedure listed in SI Document ID number 798690 (2002-03 Oldsmobile Alero) or Document ID number 632146 (2002-03 Pontiac Grand Am). Replacement of this clip is not required. However, if it discovered that this clip is broken, the part number for this piece is 16609280.

Please follow this diagnosis process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed. If these steps do not resolve the condition, please contact GM TAC for further diagnostic assistance. This diagnostic approach was developed for the vehicle with the VIN you entered and should not be automatically be used for other vehicles with similar symptoms.