09 Sr5 Rear electronic hatch not latching

[Bigcee]

Oh boy, it's happened. That rear hatch won't latch. It seems to pull closed and you hear it try to latch, but if you introduce cabin pressure by getting in the driver's side or simply pull on the hatch again, it will open or at least give you an indicator light.

I think my wife has been shutting it kinda hard and hurting it.

What do I do now or look for?

Thanks!

 

[MikeinNH67]

Oh boy, it's happened. That rear hatch won't latch. It seems to pull closed and you hear it try to latch, but if you introduce cabin pressure by getting in the driver's side or simply pull on the hatch again, it will open or at least give you an indicator light.

I think my wife has been shutting it kinda hard and hurting it.

What do I do now or look for?

Thanks!

Ton's of threads on this. Below is a Youtube on how one guy fixed it but ultimately you probably need a new latching mechanism. Cheapest I've seen is on E-bay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsXnrD7XEls

 

[Syr4RinNC]

So sometimes it’ll be misaligned but that’s usually after removing something like replacing the struts or the entire hatch - check the hinges at the top, the struts, see if you can help it close/ latch

Next step is see if you can clean the latch if something is in the way or lubing it if it got rusty

Otherwise, yea you’ll have to do some exploratory surgery

 

[Bossman]

Rear Hatch Won't Stay Closed - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

Latch problem on back hatch - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

rear hatch door latches then unlatches

DIY lift gate lock assembly

 

[Burt]

I had same problem on my '08 only when it was below freezing temps.
With hatch fully open, I sprayed a generous amount of WD40 directly into latch.
Been 4 years now with no problems.
Hope this helps...