Searched all over for info on this but I can't seem to find any. I can't for the life of me figure out how to get those black trim rings that go around the door handle to stay in place! They slide in, but I can't figure out how to secure them and they just fall off if I close the door. What am I missing?

 

They should have 4 tabs on them. The 4 tabs slide onto the actual door handle frame that is bolted to the door.

Ignore the arrow:
DSCN0570.jpg?t=1261794603

Just push it in and slide it to secure it.

 

once the tabs break off your screwed. try epoxy. once that fails then move on to small screws. only way.

there's more than one way to skin a cat!

 

Last time I was at the junkyard, I grabbed both of them out of every dakota on the lot! Gotta have extras of the hard to find parts!

 

ooooh. good call. next time i'm in a yard i'll pick up a couple. while your at it pick up a couple stereo front kick plates. hard to get them to match but if you look at my truck i got light blue kick plates on a red interior.

 

Those are integrated into the door panels on the '91+ dakotas. They aren't removable!

 

on the 89 you can pop them out, i replaced them with 88's. this is why i'm saying there is a lot of differences between the 87-91 and the 92-96.

 

I am missing mine too. I need to go to the junk yard and find some.

 

Well mine were missing when I got the truck, and the cutouts look exactly like the one in the picture you posted. I went to the junkyard and picked up plenty, all of them look the same and have all four tabs in place. They slide in but don't stay. I don't get it?
Edit: Mine is a 94 Dakota.

 

What 95 318SLT was talking about in that quote is about the door speaker grills. Not the trim piece that is in the pic.