I should've mentioned; the T4R did not come with any key fobs. The vehicle was super dirty on the inside so I can only imagine the locking mechanism inside the hatch is coated with dust/dirt.

You mentioned the hatch switch being stuck, which has nothing to do with the locking mechanism other than sending voltage to it, inside the hatch where the locking mechanism is maybe far cleaner than the interior being that it most likely was never opened and exposed to the uncleaniness of the previous owner/s, so I'm guessing it's not an issue unless it has rusted.

Being as the individual is in Wisconsin, I could definitely see the rust being the issue. Ask me how I know? Originally a Minnesota truck and now in Iowa, but not a lot of rust just surface rust on the frame, but the hatch quit working one day. The motor would make noise but nothing would actually happen. Replaced the part in under 30 mins and now I have an operable hatch. So yeah although it is “not exposed” think of driving down the road in the rain/snow and the water gets caught and goes under the tailgate and into the lock mechanism. The entire mechanism was completely rusted from the inside. Anyways just my .02 I would just replace the entire mechanism.

Sorry should have tagged you, but see post above and let me know if you have any questions since I had the exact same issue and just fixed it this past weekend.

A problem I encountered is water getting into the rear door, not sure if the window was opened slightly or if it has a seal issue. Finally I tried my fingers under the bottom to pull of the door as I pulled the handle too and it opened. It seemed to be making some noise when I pulled the handle but wouldn't open without the extra pull, then water dripped from the latch.

I found 2 drain plugs and pulled them to find sand, wet red New Mexico sand plugging the holes. I cleaned some out with a screwdriver, but it really didn't drain and until I took a drive then opened the hatch and some wet sand had come out the holes, it's getting late, so other than having soaked the latch with liquid wrench, I left the drain plugs out and will look into it more tomorrow. Rear hatch does seem to be functioning normally now.

Going to add this link from the other thread for the handle rubber replacement, seems it might be a good idea to replace it before it gets bad, the current first review has some install tips;

Trunk Switch Button Replacement Cover
The original cover is prone to melting in hot climates and harden in cold.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I replaced both the latch and the switch in my 2006 and it still wouldn't after initially replacing them. The latch died first, but the switch still activated the motor inside the latch. Then my battery and alternator went, so I went a couple weeks before replacing the latch and switch. Disconnecting the battery for a few minutes then letting it sit for an hour or so got it to work!

Anyone know the liftgate latch motor part number for a 5th generation? The 4th genny doesn't fit.

I recently installed a rear camera and new radio/navigation. I did unplug the connector to the latch motor to access behind the ECU to route cables but after re-plugging it in the rear door would no longer open without the manual release inside. The window still functions but i have yet to test the wiper and the wiper fluid.

Also there is no sound coming from the door when the button is pressed (i.e. no motor trying to open or close when it is lowered). I wonder if I severed a wire somewhere while trying to get the camera wire up the door side to the grommet?

After you finished the work does your wiper work correctly and does the window work correctly using the key in the hatch?

You could try and do the window reset by using the dash switch, roll the window all the way down and then roll it all the way up holding the switch in the up position and continue holding a few seconds after it's all the way up, I know with you disconnect the battery you have to do this to get all the functions to work incorrectly again so it would be the same if you bumped a connector and it temporary disconnected it, so it could also fix the hatch not working, if this doesn't work try doing the same for the driver's window, when I changed my battery just doing the driver's window made the rear work correctly again.

If none of the above work you most likely have a loose connection/plug.

I just fixed it, all i had to do was unplug the battery for 20-30 seconds then plug it back in. So I'm assuming all it was was that I needed to reset the rear ECU after unplugging the door motor.

Thank you for the quick reply and helpful info!

I hope by now you got your gate open. This thread problem was a different generation latch. Yours it totally mechanical. Like I said I hope you solved your problem already.

Had anyone with a rear latch problem ever heard of the ECU having a battery. I've got my latch working perfectly with the 4runner on. Once I turn off the the ignition the hatch will not work. If I turn the key on and cycle the rear window everything operates normally and continues to until I turn the ignition switch off. It's like the ECU does not remember the reset of cycling the window. Any ideas?

I’ve been having the same problem regarding the rear hatch, if I unplug the battery and plug it back in and “normalize” the rear window it works for a few mins then stops and the window must be unplugged.
I called a dealership and the guy was pretty helpful, he gave me the normalizing method used at that shop. (Unplug the battery for about 30 seconds which the hatched closed, window up, then plugging back in, rolling the back window down then back up, holding the up bottom for s few seconds, locking and unlocking the rear gate). He also told me if that doesn’t do it there is a Ecu or two that could be loosing memory... can anyone speak on this or give me some tips moving forward.

Add me to the list,
rear hatch doesnt open, rear wiper and windows works ok,
wll try the battery reset n see

Same issue exactly. Was this solved? Is it a failing main battery, possibly? My voltage is low on my main and I think it might be causing this. Reads around 12.3...