Door Closure Question

[ChiefRider]

After a relatively long period of reliability, it seems my X5 wants me to be a bit more involved in its maintenance...

The driver's door has become balky. It operates just fine from the interior door handle. The exterior door handle when first engaged does nothing; if I push the door more firmly against its stops, the exterior handle will now work. It does this now every time.

Knowing that these issues only proceed one way, I have it parked in the garage with the door open, window glass fully up and the battery disconnected in preparation for the next steps.

My question is this: What is the culprit here- A stretched actuator cable? The door handle carrier is apparently intact.

Thanks for the help!