As noted above by rande in 2010, my passenger side inside door handle also does not return to it's neutral position. So good to know this is a common problem. I already had the door panels off anyway, so, being a glutton for punishment, I took the whole mechanism out. It was just bugging me and I'm into this to learn a few things, so I decided to try to fathom how it works. My wife, who barely will ride in the car because there's no passenger air bag, is reluctant to be trained.
The process means that the window had to come out but I did that before when I replaced the window regulator on the other side. I've attached a few pictures of the thing. There are springs at both ends and the entire piece seems to be in excellent shape, although very dirty and greasy. I was originally thinking that the problem must be at the inside handle end but if I hold the bulk of it and turn the handle, it does return. So, I think that end must be meeting some resistance at the other. It IS rather gunked-up. Would anyone agree that perhaps it just needs a good cleaning and re-lubricating? Or are there any other ideas?
I also wonder why only the passenger side is affected. Are the mechanisms the same? Or perhaps I'm unconsciously pushing the handle back after opening the door?
I know this doesn't really belong in this thread but after reading posts by vf31rhill, I replaced the window regulator with one of the modern aftermarket devices without the wires. THAT was a learning experience! It works great but it immediately became apparent that the window would not descend all the way - just a bit (maybe a 1/4 of a inch) of glass is showing. No big deal but is that to be expected? I remember noting that it was the design and size of the parts at the bottom that kept it from letting the window go all the way down.
Thanks in advance for any advice. I hope the pictures will be of help to others...if they want to bother getting into it. I LOVE this stuff!