the drivers door on my Runner will not open. inside, outside, no dice. I've taken the seat out and the panel off the door, and have been screwing with it all day. the lock/unlock works---i can see and hear it moving. but the damn thing will just not open. i took the other side apart and looked it all over. from the exterior, the mechanism seems to be fine. the lever moves freely. it seems like something inside the mechanism has come loose or something. if I could just get the door open, I will just replace the whole shebang, but I can't get the door open!!! the bolts holding the mechanism to the door can't be accessed with the door closed.

any suggestions other than cutting the door from the outside and taking the mechanism apart piece by piece?

Seriously, take it to a dealership before cutting anything. You dont want to do any more damage than there already is. They may be able to take the lock actuator apart while its attached. You could possibly break the actuator case open and release the latch that way.

yeah, I wasn't actually planning on cutting anytime soon. and I went to the dealership today. the guy told me to keep locking and unlocking it and hope it works at some point. there seems to be no way to open it without breaking it apart. taking it apart properly is not an option because of the location of the clips and a screw, which are inaccessable while the unit is in the door.

I also have an 03 Limited V8 with the same problem. I just came back from the dealer and they told me it has something to do with the airbag and it'll cost over $500 to fix. I'm planning to take it elsewhere for a second and third opinion. It's only my driver door that doesn't work....all other doors open with the key fob or manually. The driver door lever won't budge.

Airbag? Maybe the door lock actuator. I agree with getting other opinions.