How To Replace A Rear Hatch Handle In A 2000 Rx300

[SRX]

I recently posted a question asking advice on replacing the rear hatch handle on my 2000 RX300. To those of you who responded or read the post, I thank you. I finished replacing the broken handle this morning. Here are the directions in case you have this problem.

Since the rear hatch would not open, the repairs were initiated from inside the vehicle.

Remove the privacy shield over the rear luggage area and fold down the seats.

Pull the carpeted panel off the lower hatch (held in place by 5 nylon fasteners). Working from the lower corners of the carpeted panel worked well.

Pull the top plastic panel off the hatch (held in place by 12 nylon fasteners). Again, working from the lower corners worked well. Put both panels out of the vehicle to give you more room to work

I continued to work from inside the vehicle, but if you prefer, you could pull the hatch release mechanism at this point to open the hatch and work on the replacement while standing.

Next, remove the two bolts (10 mm) holding the rear hatch key lock in place using care not to drop the bolts inside the hatch. No need to release any of the wiring for the lock.

Dealerships refer to the painted panel above the license plate which the lock fits into on the outside of the hatch door as a garnish. I was told the garnish is frequently broken in the process of removing it and the part costs $218.00 to replace. In my experience, it is difficult to imagine this garnish would ever be broken unless the person doing the repair is extremely rough and impatient.

Next, remove the three (10 mm) nuts holding the garnish in place. One of these nuts in partially hidden behind the rear wiper assembly, but can be removed using an open end wrench without removing the windshield wiper mechanism.

You will notice two white nylon clips which also hold the garnish in place. By compressing the "wings" of these clips with a flat blade screwdriver and pushing the clops out, the garnish will come free. You might consider asking a person to hold the garnish from outside the vehicle as it falls free. There is a license plate lamp wire attached to the garnish, so it will not fall to the ground, but rather dangle by this wire.

Now that the garnish is free, turn it over and remove the two rubber washers holding the door lock to the garnish. The replacement part is #69023-48010 and cost me $84.50 with tax. Check a couple dealerships ... another wanted $101.20 for the same part. Put the new door handle in place and begin to reverse your process to complete your job.

Took me about an hour and a half to complete the repair, including running to pick up the new part. Hope this is helpful to some of you in the future. I am certain the repair is similar on all older model RX's and maybe even the newer ones. Didn't tear apart my 2005 RX to compare.

[Mikie220]

SRX - THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!!  I just broke the tailgate latch on my 2000 RX 300 and this was a life saver and money saver.  Perfect instructions, worked like a charm.  Lexus dealer wanted $181 for the part and to fix the car an addition $300 in labor! Ordered the NOS part from eBay, got it in 2 days, took me about an hour at most to do the replacement.  I'm the original owner of my RX and am trying to keep it as new.

Thanks again!

Mike in Pasadena California

[Tom More]

Thanks for the post. My hatch won't open and I suspect some sloppy loading might have helped create the problem , the nature of which I am uncertain of at this time. 

[JabobJEFF]

Here's a video on how to replace the handle...

 

[NEWHART]

Thank you fir your post.No total cost was mentioned, but I am wondering whatyou spent.

My mechanic is charging me $204 to replace my 2000 rx300 rear latch. I don't have the tools or feel competent to do this project.  My wonderful car is now at 257,747 miles. I'm wondering if I should continue repairing it...or look for a replacement. 

 

 

[Bykfixer]

It really depends on two things. 

First, if the drive train as in motor and transmission have been driven mostly highway miles or not. Some say every city mile is like 10 highway miles. So if the car has been mostly highway driven and maintained properly with oil changes, timing belt replaced etc then it may run another 250k miles or more. 

Suspension would be another aspect. If you have it serviced at a good shop or a dealer they will advise you if things look like they may be needing replacement.

For many once those creature comforts like electric locks or navigation system begin to play out they decide to move on. When things like door handles begin to break it's just a sign that it's a 21 year old car. So it kinda comes down to if you want a constant monthly payment with piece of mind a warranty covers the repair or can the occasional $500 repair be tolerated?

[JabobJEFF]

Hi NEWHART,

total cost for the handle was $10-15 that I bought on Ebay. This was probably one of the easiest things I've replaced on a vehicle. I definitely would not pay $200 for someone else to do this. If you've never dealt with much DIY work before, this would be a great starter project to build your confidence. Not to mention the wisdom you would gain from your learning experience to help you with future projects. All you need is a basic $20 socket set that includes extensions, and you will be able to do this. I personally used attachments for my drill gun to hold my sockets, which can help make the project go quicker. but a simple socket set will work just fine. Good Luck!

[Mcdowepn]

Don't spend $200!!! I just replaced mine on a 2000 RX300...bought for $10.88 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YC1XZT7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You have to pull the inside panels off the back of the trunk...bottom first, then top.  simple enough.  Then you need a 10mm wrench or socket to undo three specific nuts that are holding the panel that contains the latch to the trunk.  It's not easy...but definitely doable if you have the wrench/socket.  Once you have that panel off then you just have to remove two plastic washers that keep the latch handle in place.  Swap it out and then just put everything back in the reverse order.   

[JLH.404]

Thank you, SRX!  My wife's 2002 RX300 has a similar problem, and the Toyota dealer quoted me $900!  Although I'm mechanically handy, I don't really enjoy working on cars and would rather pay to have stuff done, but I knew this was ridiculous (I'm in Connecticut, an expensive state) and so I'm gonna do this myself.

I'll update when I have it completed successfully (cross fingers).

[JLH.404]

Thanks to the posts by SRX and JabobJeff I was able to replace the hatch handle.  I procured the part on Amazon, following the link posted by Mcdowepn.  Thanks to all of you!

The handle works great now, and what a savings.  (In full disclosure, I hit one snag when, when I was loosening the bolts, the socket dropped into the panel. 😞 )

[baah]

I just got a free Rx300 with everything going for it that someone dumped!