How to remove your door panel on the 05 Highlander

Tools you need:
Philips blade screwdriver
Flat blade screwdriver

1) First, remove the small triangular piece that covers your outside mirror screws. This is located directly behind where your outside mirror attaches to the car, or in the upper, front part of your door.

This just pops out with a little pressure. It is held in place by little tabs.

2) Now, notice the round button looking thing near the front of the door trim (where the door is hinged to the car) Insert your flat blade screw driver inside the ring and gently pry outward so the circle in the middle pops out. Now pull this clip out.

3) Now, look into the cup behind your inner door handle. You will see a little square. Gently insert your flat blade screw driver into the square and gently pry outward and the little square flap will open. Behind there you will see 1 Philips screw.

4) Using your Philips head screwdriver, remove this screw.

5) Now you need to remove the plastic cup behind your door handle. To do this, you need your flat blade screw driver.

6) Gently slide your flat blade screw driver underneath the edge of this plastic door handle cup in the lower left hand corner and press in a little bit. (Note in the picture where the tab holes are located on the plastic door handle cup) You are trying to disengage these tabs from the door. There is one on the top and one on the bottom.

7) Now, we need to remove the door cup. This is the part you grab when you close the door. There are 2 clips that hold this piece onto the door. Luckily for you, when I first tried to remove it, I broke a piece off of mine so now you can see what the clip looks like and where exactly it is located.

8) To remove this piece, slip your flat blade screwdriver underneath one end of the plastic door cup and press inward with a little pressure upward. This should unlock the tab and pop the end of the door cup you are working on upward. You can then pull the door cup out.

9) Now you will notice a Philips head screw behind the door cup. Using the Philips head screwdriver, remove this screw.

10) Now we need to remove the window switches. To do this, we need to slide our flat blade screwdriver underneath the top end of the switch panel. Pressing gently inward and upward should pop the top half of the window switch out. Then you can remove the whole switch.

11) Once you have the switch out, remove the wire plug by pressing on the little white tab where the wire harness and the switch meet and pull back at the same time.

12) We now need to remove the courtesy light at the bottom rear of the door. In order to do this slide your flat blade screw driver between the lens of the light and the door. Gently pry outward to pop off the lens.

13) Now, slide your flat blade screwdriver between the white housing of the light and the door and gently pry outward. This should release the metal tabs on the light housing and pop the housing out.

14) Now, unplug the wire harness from the light housing using the same technique we use for the plug on the window switches.

15) Now you just need to slip your fingers between the door and the door panel at the bottom of the door and pry toward yourself. You will hear a pop noise and the door panel should pull out towards you.

16) Now run your fingers all around the outer edge of the door to pop out the other tabs holding the door panel onto the door. Once you have popped all of the tabs, gently lift the door upward to remove it. The reason you pull upward is because there is a lip at the top of the door where the door panel hangs onto.

17) To replace the door panel, reverse these instructions.

To reinstall the door panel, reverse the above instructions.

NOTE: Make sure to plug the window switch panel and the bottom courtesy light back in when putting everything back together. It is an easy thing to forget to do.