Do you mean you’ve always been able to open driver’s door using inside lever, but now that doesn’t work, and you have to open using outside lever? hmmm … I expect you’ll probably have to remove door panel to figure out what’s sticking or broken. Before doing that, you might open the door and watch which parts move when you operate the two levers, outside & inside. May provide a clue to what’s wrong or what needs some lube.
Just guessing of course, diy’er, never had that problem and no experience with rx350.
Exiting, always opened the driver door from the inside handle.
Must admithat it has been opened many more times thanormal because the RX has been abused for years making medical deliveries.
Did not hear anything break, buthe handle now moves freely.
Door stillocks and unlocks.
The back door is not opened much. Wonder if a part can be taken from that door’s mechanism?
I think all the doors should easily open from the inside, if only for safety reasons. I wouldn’t purposely do something that would prevent a door from opening, could create liability issues.
Good point!
Have never had anyone sit in the back seat behind the driver. Maybe few times in the right back seat. (Back seats used so little that I considered removing them to lessen weight and make room for more blood boxes.)
If car accidentally goes into river or lake, don’t want to limit occupants on which doors they can get out of the car while underwater. It may be the case that only one of the doors is available for egress b/c something wedged up against the others. Often car land at bottom of river on side, which prevents exiting from the down-facing -doors.
The tv show Mythbusters" did a segment on what occupants face if car goes into water. Quite eye-opening.
The inside door handle broke on my Corolla one time, but I could still open the door from inside by tugging on the handle b/c handle was still attached to the cable that operated the door latch.
I took an oath I wouldn’t answer any more of your “questions” Robert, but I will suggest that you spend at least a half hour sitting inside the car, discussing the repaint job, seat covers and detailing you plan for the car. It will then drop its grudge against you, and if you’re especially lucky it will give birth to a new Toyota Corolla while you are not watching.
But X gets plenty of TLC. Has fancy rich red, white and blue das blinken lights, gets to passtopped vehicles, go through red traffic signals, drive on the opposing side of the road, park anywhere, kept warm and cozy in the garage with sheet over the hood and skillet warming her underside.
I wonder why car’s inside door-handles seem to cause so much grief to the owners? I mean car parts seem otherwise pretty robust, engine, transmission, differentials, cv joints, etc. all much more complicated moving-part contraptions. The 4 most time-consuming diy’er problems I’ve had on my Corolla over the past 30 years, 1. starter motor, 2. inside door handles, 3. headliner, 4. unexplained borderline-high HC emissions. Not complaining, just saying.
This has been going on with Toyotas for ages. Both inside and outside door handles. The dealer prices for the plastic can be extreme. It’s easy to put a new handle in.
I don’t even know if this is a Lexus, Toyota or what, but you should have one of those tools to break a window and cut a seat belt. This time of year where you are though you’d just land on ice and could walk to shore.