I recently replaced a door release lever in a microwave from 2006. The part is made of some type of hard plastic. The business end of this part is much smaller that the rest of the part. It has to withstand a considerable amount of tension. If this part were made of some type of metal, I would have not had to replace it. The replacement part was only $3 (shipped), but most people wouldn't bother finding the part and opening the microwave. They would have just went to walmart and picked the cheapest microwave on the shelf. https://files.catbox.moe/86328z.jpg Red circle is the fulcrum for the lever.