The driver's side rear door will not unlatch at the bottom when the handle is pulled. The top latch works ok. Problem is, how do I get the door open to remove the panel. The handle is retained by what appears to be pop-rivits. I'm hesistant about drilling these out, fear of not finding a way to reinstall the handle. Any help would be appreciated

 

try gently prying off the inner door panel...

there should be a rod or cable going to the latch and it either is disconnected or broken

you should be able to pull on the rod or cable to release the latch

good luck!