The 4th Gens rear hatch latch what a poor deaign.

JuniorPigeon,
Shoot me a pm and I can facetime you and show you how it operates and where it is. Not hard to find if you open you hatch and pop the middle cover off. Looking inside the cover you will see the latch mechanism.

I was able to figure it out in 20 minutes and that included rigging the cord to it for an emergency pull (ie failure of hatch to open).

If my power was out of the hatch wouldn't pop I could grab the cord and pop it in under a minute. My groceries would then go in the back and I wouldn't be complaining online.

I think Toyota chose this hatch design to show potential buyers it had luxury. Toyota has since noticed how much grief it can cause people who don't wrench on their own cars and switched back to a more basic tried and true mechanical latch.
 
randy88fj62 said:
JuniorPigeon,
Shoot me a pm and I can facetime you and show you how it operates and where it is. Not hard to find if you open you hatch and pop the middle cover off. Looking inside the cover you will see the latch mechanism.

I was able to figure it out in 20 minutes and that included rigging the cord to it for an emergency pull (ie failure of hatch to open).
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you. If it's that easy I'll just pop the cover myself and see what I can come up with first. I'm very comfortable working on it, I really just haven't gotten into it because most of the posts I found online were contradicting each other.
 
JuniorPigeon said:
I'm on your side on this one. I think it's a pretty poor design from a practical standpoint and arguably the worst part of the 4th gen in my opinion. It was a solution to a problem that didn't exist.

Even if only a handful of people have issues with it, far fewer do with a traditional latch. Like on, I dunno, a 5th gen.

If this kind of thing happens to me when I make my drive to Tuktoyaktuk I would be far up a creek without a paddle. Or anyone with drawers in a remote area for that matter.
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I am glad someone agrees with me i never really looked at the rear hatch when i bought my 084Runner, it just was something i thought would open and close like others, until i started reading about the cost of those closing motors when they were failing, i started not using the hatch storage much.

But when i started getting that black sticky junk Toyota used to hold the cover on the hatch's latch, i really understood that there was a lot really wrong with the whole hatch's locking system.

It's funny when you read the many failures that have happened to Toyota 4Runner owners, just read them right here in this forum and people just keep defending Toyota.

Maybe they just don't understand a good Designed and Engineered product.:sobbing:
 
I pulled the latches out of both my 4Runners, then cleaned, lubed, and reinstalled them. They work great now, and should be good for another 15 years.

Ralph, can you give us rubes an example of what you consider a "good Designed and Engineered product"?
 
Shiftless Joe said:
I pulled the latches out of both my 4Runners, then cleaned, lubed, and reinstalled them. They work great now, and should be good for another 15 years.

Ralph, can you give us rubes an example of what you consider a "good Designed and Engineered product"?
Click to expand...

A simple handle that you put a key into to lock or unlock, then if it's unlocked you twist handle counter clockwise to unlock hatch.

Then to lock the handle you twist it clockwise and with the key lock the handle.

The handle could be designed to just lock with the clockwise twist of the handle.

Simple and about fool proof as it can be.

And as old Bucken Billy Ray always says in his chainsawing video's "Be Kind"
 
Yes, my latch has caused me nothing but grief! It went from not wanting to close to being seized and I scant get it open. I went to my local Toyota stealership and they want $380 for the latch and $500 for labor! That is ridiculous and help would be greatly appreciated as I haven’t used my hatch in what seems over a year now!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
this 4th gen is my first suv, so maybe i don't get the appeal of it, but i find the electronic rear hatch to be an unnecessary feature. i am always babying it when opening and closing it and i just don't really trust the whole thing. having the inside emergency release hidden in the rear panel feels like a poor design to me too.

for those who prefer the electronic door closer, what do you like about it?
 
TSGT4R said:
Yes, my latch has caused me nothing but grief! It went from not wanting to close to being seized and I scant get it open. I went to my local Toyota stealership and they want $380 for the latch and $500 for labor! That is ridiculous and help would be greatly appreciated as I haven’t used my hatch in what seems over a year now!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I am glad a few people who read this thread agree with me that the Design and Engineering, of the hatch opening and power locking closing was a total failure of Toyota.

And as we see the Toyota stealer dealer non service Dept. are raking in gobs of money, from the many who trust them for fixing Toyota's failures.

Toyota long ago should have recalled this failure and fixed it.:reddance:
 
Ralph Blake said:
Yes it has and it's a shame Toyota has done nothing to get it fixed and fixed for the many people who have trusted Toyota, and now find they are just on their own to pick spending $350 Plus the labor at their Toyota dealers service Dept. or do as many have done glued something to the underside of their latch's.

I understand it's not a major safety issue, but it's enough for me to not again buy a Toyota product.
Click to expand...

you must have a blessed life if this is such a big problem!
 
TSGT4R said:
Yes, my latch has caused me nothing but grief! It went from not wanting to close to being seized and I scant get it open. I went to my local Toyota stealership and they want $380 for the latch and $500 for labor! That is ridiculous and help would be greatly appreciated as I haven’t used my hatch in what seems over a year now!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

learn to DIY, not that difficult. take back the power!
 
Ralph Blake said:
If the Engineers and Designers who worked on the 08 Toyota 4Runner hatch, had really given any thought about how and when getting that hatch opened we today would not be having problems with it.

There are a few who have said they don't see a problem with the way the hatch works, to them i say i am happy you like it and thats all i intend to say.
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I've never had an issue with my '06's rear latch, no gooey rubber button cover like some have had, and the mechanism works every time. Unless the battery is dead, which had happened a couple of times before I gave in and replaced a battery well past its time that I had been nursing along. That made it hard to get to my NOCO jump starter in the back, but I just unclipped the cargo cover on one side, folded a rear seat forward, reached back and grabbed it, and jump-started it, and headed to the auto parts store for a new battery.

The 5th gen has no such problem, just like any vehicle like a 4Runner or Landcruiser made to venture far offroad out of reach of service ought to be built. Built with critical pieces such as this made out of stout mechanical bits not prone to failure because of electrical issues.

I agree with you in principle regarding the latch itself, but I'm not going to write Toyota off wholesale for one design quirk that they had for one generation of one product.

*edit* Also, keep in mind that people who have issues with a part are the ones that get motivated to go online and complain loudly about it, and anyone else that has the same issue, and there are always others because nothing's perfect (except the Ford Explorer HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! whatever...) will add to the conversation and magnify it and make it sound like the entire fleet of vehicles has the very same issue. The vast majority of us who have not had any issues with the latches on the tailgates of our 4th gens whatsoever (with good batteries anyway) haven't started threads about "The 4th Gens rear hatch latch what an awesome design". Same thing regarding the transmissions, the V6s, the V8s, the headlights, the sunroofs, the mufflers, the... If something just works, it simply doesn't get brought up until someone notices that it's hit 300,000 miles or more and has only needed routine maintenance, then you hear "Well yeah - it's a Toyota".
 
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4x4Runnr said:
I've never had an issue with my '06's rear latch, no gooey rubber button cover like some have had, and the mechanism works every time. Unless the battery is dead, which had happened a couple of times before I gave in and replaced a battery well past its time that I had been nursing along. That made it hard to get to my NOCO jump starter in the back, but I just unclipped the cargo cover on one side, folded a rear seat forward, reached back and grabbed it, and jump-started it, and headed to the auto parts store for a new battery.

The 5th gen has no such problem, just like any vehicle like a 4Runner or Landcruiser made to venture far offroad out of reach of service ought to be built. Built with critical pieces such as this made out of stout mechanical bits not prone to failure because of electrical issues.

I agree with you in principle regarding the latch itself, but I'm not going to write Toyota off wholesale for one design quirk that they had for one generation of one product.

*edit* Also, keep in mind that people who have issues with a part are the ones that get motivated to go online and complain loudly about it, and anyone else that has the same issue, and there are always others because nothing's perfect (except the Ford Explorer HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! whatever...) will add to the conversation and magnify it and make it sound like the entire fleet of vehicles has the very same issue. The vast majority of us who have not had any issues with the latches on the tailgates of our 4th gens whatsoever (with good batteries anyway) haven't started threads about "The 4th Gens rear hatch latch what an awesome design". Same thing regarding the transmissions, the V6s, the V8s, the headlights, the sunroofs, the mufflers, the... If something just works, it simply doesn't get brought up until someone notices that it's hit 300,000 miles or more and has only needed routine maintenance, then you hear "Well yeah - it's a Toyota".
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My sweet STIHL Chainsaws say hello.:horn:
 

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Ralph Blake said:
Yeah i gotta way of doing this.:playball:
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Are they good for cutting out of ice and all? 2-strokes easy to start in 0° weather? Electric start propane / natural gas gennys are a blast though. That, a gas furnace, and I can watch TV and surf the net and wait out pretty much any deep freeze.

Is this on-topic too?
 
4x4Runnr said:
Are they good for cutting out of ice and all? 2-strokes easy to start in 0° weather? Electric start propane / natural gas gennys are a blast though. That, a gas furnace, and I can watch TV and surf the net and wait out pretty much any deep freeze.

Is this on-topic too?
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One under the bench is a non easy start Stihl cm211 W 16" bar one on table has a De-Comp valve it's a cm261c-m Micro Processor fuel/air adjust has a 18" bar. Both have started in close to zero weather.

Nothing like bucking firewood in the cold if needed.

I have Nat. Gas also a Blaze King President wood stove it has a Cat. I also have a nice big Honda Generator if power go's off.

OFF TOPIC Alert::target:

Just thought i would give people something to think about, while trying to think of ways to defend Toyota.:trophy:
 
Why did you buy your 4Runner? Ever wish you'd spent, and continue to spend, your money on a Tailblazer or an Exploder? I mean I'm just trying to get an understanding of the hatred.
 
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4x4Runnr said:
Why did you buy your 4Runner? Ever wish you'd spent, and continue to spend, your money on a Tailblazer or an Exploder? I mean I'm just trying to get an understanding of the hatred.
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Had a 2003 Kia Sorento ex wanted it, not a bad truck but Kia would not honor even small problems, traded it off for the 08 4Runner Toyota made me the best offer.
Now besides the hatch it's been really a good truck, but the hatch has soured me on Toyota.
 
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