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The flimsy construction of the Eclipse interior door handle is a common problem. There are many reported cases of the door handle breaking if pulled too hard.
The handle is bound to break again so when I ordered my replacement I came up with a simple solution to strengthen so it doesn't happen again.
Replacements are about $23.00 and available on E-bay or through your Mitsubishi dealer part # 7221A069HA or alternate part # MN177391HA for the left hand (drivers) side or # 7221A070HA or alternate part # MN162104HA for the passenger side.
The handle is composed of two parts that snap together with some clips. Separate the two halves with a screw driver with the handle (can be done with handle still on the car). After, use a metric socket wrench to remove the handle from the door panel. There are also two small screws ; one each near the bottom and top that screw in with the heads coming from the interior of the door panel. You have to remove the door panel to get to the heads, but I did not bother. I simply punched the butts of the screws out from the plastic handle and let them fall.
When I got my new handle I took two part Epoxy (i.e JB Weld ) and filled the cells surrounding where the handle is most likely to break; all around the hole where it mounts to the door as well as smearing a layer on the inside of the bolt hole.You can use a bit of tape to cover where the epoxy might ooze out until it drys. After that dried I flipped the new handle to strengthen the other side, the part that faces in towards the door. Let the parts dry overnight.
After I installed the handle and snapped the two halves together I took one final precaution. I took four beefy cable ties and strapped the two halves together ! I used white ones that I had lying around, the cable ties also come in black. Make sure you get ones long enough to go around the entire handle, and pull them as tight as you can with a needle-nose pliers. This gives the handle more rigidity and I expect the darn thing should last until the car is junked ! Well I love my Eclipse, and plan on keeping it for a long time ! Let me know if you found this repair useful, any questions or comments !
The handle is bound to break again so when I ordered my replacement I came up with a simple solution to strengthen so it doesn't happen again.
Replacements are about $23.00 and available on E-bay or through your Mitsubishi dealer part # 7221A069HA or alternate part # MN177391HA for the left hand (drivers) side or # 7221A070HA or alternate part # MN162104HA for the passenger side.
The handle is composed of two parts that snap together with some clips. Separate the two halves with a screw driver with the handle (can be done with handle still on the car). After, use a metric socket wrench to remove the handle from the door panel. There are also two small screws ; one each near the bottom and top that screw in with the heads coming from the interior of the door panel. You have to remove the door panel to get to the heads, but I did not bother. I simply punched the butts of the screws out from the plastic handle and let them fall.
When I got my new handle I took two part Epoxy (i.e JB Weld ) and filled the cells surrounding where the handle is most likely to break; all around the hole where it mounts to the door as well as smearing a layer on the inside of the bolt hole.You can use a bit of tape to cover where the epoxy might ooze out until it drys. After that dried I flipped the new handle to strengthen the other side, the part that faces in towards the door. Let the parts dry overnight.
After I installed the handle and snapped the two halves together I took one final precaution. I took four beefy cable ties and strapped the two halves together ! I used white ones that I had lying around, the cable ties also come in black. Make sure you get ones long enough to go around the entire handle, and pull them as tight as you can with a needle-nose pliers. This gives the handle more rigidity and I expect the darn thing should last until the car is junked ! Well I love my Eclipse, and plan on keeping it for a long time ! Let me know if you found this repair useful, any questions or comments !
