REAR actuator vs handle cable?
 

I need some gurus help...

- The Left Rear door cannot be opened, whether from outside or inside.
- When I use the remote, I can hear the noise from the actuator clicking.

I have replaced door actuator in other cars, so I am familiar with this issue, however, I have 2 questions:

1. How do you remove the trim panel with the door closed?
Perhaps removing the rear seat bench may help?

2. Is this a bad actuator vs cable coming off (that connects inner door handle)?

Does the lock/unlock knob at the rear of the door indicates whether the actuator is actually unlocking the door? It will be in the up position if the door is unlocked and in the down position if the door is still locked. The actuator is a part of the door lock mechanism.

Here's a link to a picture.

RealOEM.com

The knob is always in the down position.

Correction: the knob goes up and down when I hit the remote but the OUTER and INNER handles have no effect.

Then I read somewhere on the internet that one needs to sit in the rear seat, pull on the INNER handle and hit the remote. I did this a few times and now the doors opens from both outside and inside.

Weird, but the problem seems to be SOLVED for now!
I may need to lubricate the lock actuator later!
What is weird is: the LR door is rarely used but is the one with issues.

The catch mechanism was probably stuck from infrequent use. Spray some lubricant on the catch mechanism.

Hmm, filed for future reference.