i have a 2001 ford ranger that has both exterior door handles broke and i need to find a way to open one of the doors.

 

do you have the back sliding glass? I've gotten into mine that way before and popped it open when i locked my keys in.

 

no

 

If you have a sliding back window you may already have this taken care of. If you do not you might want to read on.

I've not dealt with a Ranger in regards to broken handles but this is a common problem with old Volvo 200 series, which I had to break into in order to open a door. The handles are very similar in design, with you having to pull the handle up in order to disengage the latch that holds the door closed. If you lift the handle all of the way up, look under the handle and you should be able to see a metal rod that is about 1/8" thick. Try reaching under the handle with a pair of needle-nose pliers (needle-nose vise grips if you have them) and grasp the rod. Depending on how Ford engineers set up the system, you then either need to pull up on the rod or push down to disengage the latch. It helps to push in on the outside of the door itself to take a bit of the pressure off of the latch.

As you will see, it is a simple yet effective design. I wish you luck and hope that you do not have to do this out in the cold.

 

was able to find the latch on the inside of the door and push it down and it came open. the palstic peice that holds the rod into the latch broke. not sure how to fix that

 

Other than replacing the broken component, no other way to fix it. You may be able to go to a local pick-n-pull yard and get the parts for much cheaper than brand new.

 

If you haven't replaced this yet my advice is to buy new handle parts instead of throwing in used ones. Over time the plastic gets brittle and you could easily be right back to where you started in no time. It's more expensive to buy new from the dealer or a parts house but if you fix it right the first time you won't have to fix it again. This is the voice of experience....