Driver's side "Grab Handle!?"

[ag02m5]

No airbags in there?

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[Johnny 5]

Yeah maybe it's a choice between the safety of the aibag or the convenience of the grab handle ? If so, I'm all about safety but I hope we can have both....

 

[Johnny 5]

Well I got my new Ranger Raptor 10-16-2024. I'll post pictures later. I went to order my tonneau cover this morning at parts counter at my dealer and while the parts guy was printing up my invoice I asked him if they make a left handed A pillar grap handle in Europe, would he be able to order me one. Whala! It surprised him because the picture only showed the right hand one but he found the part numbers for a left hand one next to the right hand ones. This invoice has all the parts needed and I'm pretty sure it is for the black one. The 4 pages of parts are all the parts, but in different colors, configurations, etc. I just posted them in case somebody wants them for cross-reference. At this time, I'm not purchasing one of these, but if somebody wants to do it first, go for it and post. Im guessing that you have to remove the airbag to put the bracket on that you bolt the handle to. The reason the US ones don't have this is because we have stricter crash test standards than do the other countries and the side impact crash test is only done on the driver's side of vehicles. If it's doable only without the airbag, I think I'm keeping my airbag.

 

[DIYPSCM]

An aftermarket company did this for the Tacoma... Tacoma left side handle

It's very complete right down to including a riv-nut gun. I did it on my '23 & it really was a mirror image of the passenger side, looked like factory. On the Tacoma it has a side impact curtain, not an airbag. It deploys vertically so the handle isn't in the way.

I very quickly forgot it was there & continued to use the steering wheel for a handle lol. It DID make climbing up on the step to clean windows easier.

What works for me on my Lariat...

Set one of your 3 seat memory buttons to be all of the way down & back. Getting out is easy from there onto the side rails, getting in you slip right over the bolster.

 

[Johnny 5]

An aftermarket company did this for the Tacoma... Tacoma left side handle

It's very complete right down to including a riv-nut gun. I did it on my '23 & it really was a mirror image of the passenger side, looked like factory. On the Tacoma it has a side impact curtain, not an airbag. It deploys vertically so the handle isn't in the way.

I very quickly forgot it was there & continued to use the steering wheel for a handle lol. It DID make climbing up on the step to clean windows easier.

What works for me on my Lariat...

Set one of your 3 seat memory buttons to be all of the way down & back. Getting out is easy from there onto the side rails, getting in you slip right over the bolster.

Thanks for the exit strategy!

 

[jazpdx]

Mr Raptor 1996. These people are on to something. If you do not like it, quit reading it. Im 6' bout 195 on a good day and dont know how to get my head in the door. All you other guys and gals please keep working on a solution. Thank you

 

[MAV]

So I've spent a little time on this, and I think I know some things, and I know I don't know some other things. Going through the parts list, here's what I think I know:

• There is a valid part number for a bracket that fits the driver's (LH) side. From some of the discussions here and on other threads, North American Rangers do not come with this bracket installed, but from all of the Ford parts sources I have seen thus far, part number N1WZ-26312A49-D is correct for this bracket for the driver's side (N1WZ-26312A48-C is the separate and distinct part number for the passenger [RH] side). This bracket is attached to the A-pillar with bolt W720168-S439, so the question is whether NA rangers have the hole drilled/tapped in the A-pillar on the LH side. Seems reasonable to assume this would be the case since the part is sold by Ford, there should be a prepared mount point to attach the part.

• There are multiple part numbers for the A-pillar trim under callout 03598. There seems to be two part numbers per side (LH, RH) for three trim levels, XL/XLT, Lariat, and Redback (Raptor), an early part number, and then a superseding part number after 8/01/2024. The latest part numbers for the LH A-pillar trim as of this writing are:

N1WZ-2603599-DB - XL/XLT​

N1WZ-2603599-ED - Lariat​

N1WZ-2603599-EC - Raptor​

Since these are the only LH part numbers for all three trims (after the supersession on 8/1/24) for North American Rangers, it is unlikely that they contain the molding for the handle to fit.​

• There is only one callout for the handle (31406) under two part numbers (KB3Z-2131406-AB - ebony, KB3Z-2131406-AC - gray) which means there is only one handle manufactured for NA Rangers, assuming it is a RH part only (not specified in the part description).

Those are the main three parts needed to make this conversion work. Other than the bracket, I do not believe any of the trim pieces are available in the NA market. I will continue to look to see if I can find any ROW Ford parts distributors and research their part numbers as well.

 

[Arsenall11]

I had it smart when I dropped the head liner, no dice! No mounts and an airbag.

 

[MAV]

I know there's an airbag. There's one on the RH side too. I think it fits under the bracket on the RH side and should be similarly situated under the new bracket mounted to the LH side. The question is whether there's a bolt hole for the bracket to mount on the LH side.

 

[Arsenall11]

I know there's an airbag. There's one on the RH side too. I think it fits under the bracket on the RH side and should be similarly situated under the new bracket mounted to the LH side. The question is whether there's a bolt hole for the bracket to mount on the LH side.

Nope

 

[Johnny 5]

Nope

Do you have a picture of both sides so we can put this to rest finally?

 

[Arsenall11]

Do you have a picture of both sides so we can put this to rest finally?

I don’t but on the passenger side there is a bracket the handle attaches to, on the drivers side there are two plastic T clips that mount to the A pillar and help hold the pillar cover in place. It’s a bitch to get hooked up after removal.

 

[Raptor1996]

It's almost like the USDM Ranger Raptor is not designed to have a grab handle on the drivers side. Maybe it's for small overlap crash survivability or something... this will remain a mystery until the the dust of our bodies have become lost to the sands of time...

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