The rear door (hatch) on the T4R that I just bought is stuck closed, with an inoperable lock mechanism. It's a 1998 model.

From what I can find, there's one 10mm bolt that holds it (where the pull strap is), and the rest is snap-pins around the perimeter. Has anyone found a way to get the inner panel off with the door closed?


thanks

Since I started this thread, I'm gonna tell others how I was able to get the panel off.


Well, it took me about an hour, but what I did was:

Remove one 10mm bolt that holds door grab-strap

Fabricate a 22 gauge 3"x5" piece of sheet metal into an "L" shape, so I could slide it between the interior side panel and the inside hatch panel, to where I could hook it under the edge, then pull with pliers to start the snap fastener pulling.

The piece of sheet metal I cut had to have only about a 3/8" lip on the sheet metal, or it wouldn't clear the space I had to work in. I tried with a 3/4" lip, a 1/2" lip, and finally the 3/8" lip.

Once I was able to pull about 12"-18" of the panel loose, then I finally could get my fingers around it and pull to pop the rest.

Now, the fun starts, as I'm gonna remove the inner door metal to get at the lock and mechanism.



thanks

I had this happen in my Sequoia but it's basically the same situation. You are correct that there is only that one bolt to remove. What worked for me was slipping a small pry bar (between the tailgate and the panel) in one of the lower corners and pulling really hard to pop some of those clips free. Eventually you can slip your hand behind the panel and pop all the clips. Then you just have to push the panel up to get it totally free. May help to roll the window down when you get to that point