How To Replace Front Door Handles 2007-13 GMC Yukon Denali

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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks!

This is a 2007 Yukon Denali. This procedure is pretty much similar for Yukon Denali as well as the Sierra Denali, Yukon and Sierra SLT series, and Chevy Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban LTZ series. As you can see here, our handle broke at the front mounting point, and the chrome is bubbling up. This is the original handle. This is pretty common for these vehicles. Whether you're looking to replace them because they're broken, or maybe you want to upgrade to black handles from chrome handles, you're going to need new handles from 1AAuto.com, a small and regular size flat blade screwdriver, 10mm socket with a ratchet and extension, and you'll need either need a door panel clip tool or you can make a putty knife work to pry the door handle off. If you're doing the driver side, you also may need a pick tool additionally.

Disconnect the battery. You want to open up the driver's door. The hood release lever has a safety latch. Move it to the right, and then lift the hood up. The battery is near the rear of the engine compartment on the passenger side with a 10mm nut on top of the negative battery cable. We'll loosen that 10mm nut, pull the battery cable up and off, and then put it to the side so it won't contact the terminal again.

Open up whichever door you want to remove. There's a little square clip on the door lock that you want to pry out with a small flat blade screwdriver. Then use a small flat blade screwdriver to pry that panel out. Then there's a little panel in behind the door handle that you pry out. This is the same for either front door, and then you'll see there's a 10mm bolt there and two behind the door pull. Use the small flat blade screwdriver, pry out that square clip, pull that up and off, and then use a rag to help protect the paint and pry out the triangle that's at the top of the door. It pulls straight off, and then use a 10mm socket and ratchet with an extension and remove the three bolts. Use a screwdriver and a rag just to protect the door panel. Pry up on the switch panel, work your finger underneath, and pull it straight up. You pull it some, and then pry up in the front. The clips are located right at the front and right at the rear, and the harnesses are all connected with a connector that has this little tab that you press. Pull the connector down and out. You need to release the clips that hold the panel in. I've got a door panel clip tool and a rag again to protect the paint.

Work the panel clip tool underneath and around the clip, and then I'm going to put the screwdriver between the clip and a rag and pry out on the clip tool. You can hear it pop the clip out and I'll just repeat that. I usually try and get the first four on the back side and once you get those, then you can usually work your hand underneath to a point where you can feel where the clip is, and then pull firmly, and you'll release the clips. If your door panel has never been removed before, you'll need to remove the water shield from the door panel. There's a black clip, you can see there, that I'm trying to pry out. There are usually three or four of these on each panel, so you try and pull the clips out, or you can pull on the water shield and either pull the clip out of the same time or pull the water shield from around clip. Again, there's usually three or four of these on each panel. If your door panel has already been off though, a lot of times, they've already been removed. Now, pull the door panel up and out, and it's connected with the door handle cable. Looking in behind, there are couple of tabs that hold the handle cable in to the clip. Release the tabs, and then you can pull the cable out, and then out in the ball like that, and your door panel is separated.

Carefully pull your water shield back, and be careful not to rip or tear it. You'll want to pull it down far enough so that you can reach up in there to access the bolts, as well as sometimes you'll drop a bolt, so you want to be able to reach down into the bottom of the door just to recover anything if you need to. It's held on by two 10mm bolts, so you can see through the hole. There was one there where the arrow points, and then, moving back, there's a plug that covers this hole. Once you take the plug off, you can see the bolt right there, 10mm socket ratchet and extension, and you look in there and remove those two bolts. Now, the front one on my handle is broken, so you're going to see later I try and get it out there, but then I realize that the bolt is just spinning. I'll take the rear one out. Then you can reach right up there and grab a hold of those bolts so they don't fall down.

To remove the handle, you pull it forward a little bit, and you pull the handle out so it comes down and out. Then you just twist it up and off the rod, moving it back and forth, and then angle it up and off the rod. Like I said, the front one on mine, the plastic had broken, so I'm just going to grab hold of the plastic, pull it off the nut, and it's out. On the driver side, you'll run into a little bit of a difference here. Everything up to this point is pretty much the same, but basically on the driver side, the lock cylinder is connected to another rod. You can see that red clip, and you see that rod just popped out of there. It doesn't usually happen that way, but what you can do is if you can get a little screwdriver in there, you can remove that rod from that clip. The other thing that you can do is if you can't get the rod out of the clip, there is a clip that holds the lock cylinder in place, and I just removed the handle the same way.

I'm just showing you if the handle, if your rod's still stuck in there, the clip that I'm removing right now, you can get a pick in there while the handle is still in the door. You get a pick in there and pull the clip off that I'm pulling off right now. Once you pull that clip off, if you pull it off with a pick while the handle is still on the door, then you can slide the lock out and get the handle off.

The original handle on top, our new handle from 1A Auto on the bottom just with the plastic on it. All the armatures is the same and the mounting points are all the same. It's going to fit just like the original.

Install the new handle. To avoid fingerprints, I left the plastic on there, but I make sure I pull it from the mounting surface and then down onto the door latch rod and twist it into place. Then you have to just push the rod down a little bit and put the handle into place. Then, there's a hook more towards the rear that you want to hook in and then slide it back, and you might need to give it a little tap just to get it into place. Now, you can reach in and start the two 10mm bolts that hold the handle in place. 10mm socket and ratchet with extension, and tighten up those two 10mm bolts. Be careful not to over tighten as you could break the handle again. Then put your water shield back in place, and then run a little test to make sure your door is unlocked, close the door and open, and you can that protective plastic.

To reinstall, there are two larger clips at the bottom that you put into the door, and it will support the door panel while you reinstall the cable. Insert the ball of the cable into the handle, and then move it around and clip it into place. Make sure that you pull up all the harnesses through the opening. Then you lift the door panel up and push it back and down onto the window ledge clip. The entire top of the door goes in the clip, and then once you have the window ledge secured, then lock in the clips all the way around. Make sure you pull the door lock up and put the door lock knob back in. Slide it down on there, and then push the clip. Put the mirror insulator back in place. I like to load bolts into the socket and then put them into place. I'll just fast-forward here as I put all three of them in and tighten them up. Put the triangle back in place, the panel behind the door handle, and the panel behind the door pull. All the harnesses are color-coded and they only plug in one way. Re-plug those in, and then put the switch panel back in place. Reconnect your battery, then you should be all good to go. Put the negative battery cable back on the post, and 10mm socket and ratchet, and extension, and tighten it up.

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