The vehicle has never had heavy use in the cargo area, typically groceries or similar items.
Until two nights ago the door has worked perfectly. At that time I opened the back door of to get something out and closed it normally with no problems. Last night when I went to get something from the back I found the outside handle in the license plate light cover stuck in the depressed position and the door would not open. I got inside and attempted to use the inside handle to no avail. I then tried locking and unlocking the vehicle as well as starting the engine. (Note the lock fob/post inside the door moves up and down normally when the doors are remotely locked and unlocked). In any event, nothing I can think to do has worked. All other doors and locks etc. on the vehicle work perfectly. There is nothing in the cargo area causing any outward pressure on the door.
Any ideas as to how I might repair this without donating $1,000 to my dealer?
Is there a way to bypass the handles and manually open the the door?
I figured it out…. It was a lubrication problem. I simply used a putty knife to pry the handle back to open, then opened the door and lubed the lock mechanism with WD40. I also shot some WD40 into the exterior latch (where it passes through the body) to lube the actual handle and now it works perfectly.