Rear door (hatch) won't open

My rear door has never quite functioned properly since I bought it, there is small gouge in the metal as if someone backed into something idk bought it used, the handle opened just the window for a about a year then that stopped working so my friend (big guy) turned the handle really hard and spun it around 360 degrees then the hatch opened!!! but it stopped working a week latter untill he cranks the handle again all the way around. What's wrong with my hatch? anybody familiar?

i ended up taking the handle off 2 bolts from the inside. yes i trashed the inside plastic cover doing it. but now i stick my finger in the hole to the left slight down up gets the glass . to open the gate i pull the rod that goes from center of gate to drivers side and it opens
uploading pics now.. lol


no handle

inside view. if i could change font size i would.. lol zoom in to read it

video of glass

another note.. how to remove the handle without trashing the plastic cover. so the glass will open.. propane torch. the handle is plastic heat it up just a little bit and the studs will pull right out. just enough heat to soften it up the studs are pressed into the plastic handle similar to a wheel stud.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the pictures, I'll try it the first spare chance I get!

Hello, I've got a similar problem on a '96, looking for a fix. I've ended up doing the same as described, I can turn the outside knob left and it opens the window, can reach in and pull the bar to open door.

One TIP - I managed to get the inside cover off making only a small crack in one spot, not too bad - the key step is, after removing the 6 (or so) small plugs that go around the upper part of the inside cover, and the two screws holding the strap handle on, I realized I needed to remove the cover plug around the lock button, right of center. pried it out with a small screwdriver. Look down inside and you'll see a small phillips head screw - remove it and that's the last thing holding it down. Mine shimmied off easily after that. ALSO - Under it there was a plastic cover over mine, guess it's a dust protector - I peeled it off around the edges and it came off in one big piece, guess I can put it back on when/if I get the door fixed. Still can't figure out exactly what's not working after removing the outside knob, etc. etc. Good luck!