The handle broke on my rear hatch on my 2004 Sequoia. I see what the problem is and can open it with the suggested curved wrench. I'm afraid to tackle the rear door panel. Any help in getting the rear door inside panel without breaking it?
Thanks in advance,
David

The handle broke on my rear hatch on my 2004 Sequoia. I see what the problem is and can open it with the suggested curved wrench. I'm afraid to tackle the rear door panel. Any help in getting the rear door inside panel without breaking it?
Thanks in advance,
David

You won't break it. It's helpful to have some kind of non-metallic wedge tool to get under the edges of the plastic panel and trim pieces.
1. Remove plastic trim piece above hatch rear window by pulling it away from the hatch to release the (four or five) plastic panel clips.
2. Remove plastic trim piece on either side of hatch rear window by pulling them away from the hatch to release the (three) plastic panel clips. The bottoms of these trim pieces are interlocked with the panel cover but you can carefully work them free.
3. Remove plastic cover from hatch strap.
4. Remove 10mm(?) bolt from strap bracket and remove strap.
5. Use your wedge tool (improvise) to make a gap between the bottom of the hatch panel and the hatch. get your fingers into the gap and pull the hatch panel away from the hatch. It takes a bit of force to get the clips to release but once the first one releases the rest will be easier.
6. When all the panel clips have released, push the bottom of the plastic hatch panel up to disengage the top of the panel from the hatch.

What milbro said. Yes, 10mm bolt to remove grab handle. The bolts to remove the metal panal from the inner door panel are also 10mm.
I've had to take the panels off countless times to nudge my wiper motor to get it working again!

1aauto.com part number 1ABTH00049 is a metal replacement for the plastic piece of crap that always breaks. Just a suggestion for a replacement while you are in there. I replaced mine several years ago with the metal one and have never replaced it again.

I took a narrow putty knife and covered the blade with masking tape, to make a took to pry the panel off without scratching anything. Once you get the panel lifted in one spot, you don't need a tool to finish removing it.