How To Remove A Door Panel On A 2023 To 2025 Toyota Prius

Welcome to the Bozi Breakdown.  TTAC Creator Bozidar “Bozi” Tatarević is a Bosnian-American racing mechanic, writer, and technical consultant born in Sarajevo in 1986. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1995, he learned English in elementary school and eventually turned his passion for cars—fostered by his father Slav—into a full-time career. Laid off from a tech job in 2008, Bozi began wrenching professionally, eventually launching a shop and car export business with his family. His technical message board posts led to a writing career with outlets like TTAC, Motorsport.com, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering.

In 2018, he made his pro mechanic debut at Watkins Glen and now works as a tire carrier and mechanic for Vasser Sullivan Racing in IMSA, with 10 wins and a 2023 GTD Pro title. Bozi also consults via his agency Podium Prime, with clients ranging from race teams to media production companies.

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A transcript of the video, summarized by AI and edited by a human staffer, is below.

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Transcript:

Removing a door panel on a 2023-and-newer Toyota Prius requires locating a few hidden fasteners, so let’s walk through the process step by step.

Start at the armrest pocket, which has a sliding cover. Using a plastic trim tool, slide the cover downward to expose the first bolt inside the pocket. Remove this bolt.

Next, move to the interior door handle. Use a plastic trim tool to carefully pry off the small plastic cover behind the handle. This will reveal the second bolt securing the door panel. Remove that bolt.

Now move down to the window switch area. Again, use a plastic trim tool to gently pry up the window switch assembly. Disconnect the two electrical connectors and set the switch assembly aside. This exposes the third and final bolt holding the door panel in place. Remove this bolt and set it somewhere safe.

With all three bolts removed, you can begin separating the door panel from the door. Start at the lower corner near the speaker grille and work your way along the bottom edge, popping the clips loose one at a time. Once the lower portion is free, sit in the doorway and lift the panel upward to release the top edge, making sure the panel doesn’t fall to the ground.

With the panel partially removed, use a plastic trim tool to release the retaining clip at the top that secures the door lock and door handle cables. Once you have enough room to work, disconnect both cables by sliding them out and rotating them free from their mounting points. This fully frees the door panel.

At this point, you can access any internal components inside the door, such as the speaker or other hardware.

Reinstallation is the reverse of removal. Begin by reconnecting the door lock and door handle cables. Align the door panel and feed the window switch wiring back through, then press the panel clips firmly back into place. Reinstall the three bolts removed earlier, and finish by snapping all plastic trim covers back into their original positions.