DIY lift gate lock assembly

[arkbadger]

You'll need a whole new rear latch assembly. Here's probably the cheapest source at this time:

Amazon.com: Genuine Toyota Parts 69110-35090 Rear Gate Latch: Automotive

I really appreciate the help.

as it turns out I decided to not do it myself. A lot of the reason was because I don't have the took to remove the "pins" on the rear cargo door and was worried that it would constantly rattle after I fixed it so I decided to go to the mechanic.

well, he just called and told me it wasn't the latch assembly, it was the touch pad sensor that had shorted out and that part was only $60 and he could get it today.

I love my mechanic, it's not too often you find a good, honest one but I sure did. I took my old Tacoma to him for probably 10 years and now I've had my Runner for a couple years and won't take it anywhere else.

 

[Net Tender]

Thank you so much for this post. 2006 4runner had this same problem. First wouldnt open...then wouldnt latch once I got it open. Stealership swore it wouldnt be the issue but after i read this I was certain it would be the case. Had them quote the repair 820.00 cdn. Ordered the part 235.00 cdn. Fixed tonight in 30 minutes.

I did the trick of putting key in back and cycling the locks a couple of times for the computr to recognize.

Thanks again for all the help and savings.

 

[dmalis12]

I really appreciate the help.



well, he just called and told me it wasn't the latch assembly, it was the touch pad sensor that had shorted out and that part was only $60 and he could get it today.

I'm having a similar problem. Went to open my gate and nothing. motor doesnt' try and window doesn't roll down with key pad. Window will roll down from inside the truck. Has anyone had this. It seems most of the issues are with the motor and the replacement is the answer. Haven't had a chance to check fuses. Anyone experience this where it may not be motor? The above thread got my interest because I can't even hear the motor try and he mentioned it ended up being a short in the gate switch. Do you happen to have the part # for the switch?

 

[BigNuge]

I'm having a similar problem. Went to open my gate and nothing. motor doesnt' try and window doesn't roll down with key pad. Window will roll down from inside the truck. Has anyone had this. It seems most of the issues are with the motor and the replacement is the answer. Haven't had a chance to check fuses. Anyone experience this where it may not be motor? The above thread got my interest because I can't even hear the motor try and he mentioned it ended up being a short in the gate switch. Do you happen to have the part # for the switch?

Try pulling your battery cable for 10 seconds. Mine has done it one time in the last 18 months, did the battery cable pull and it has worked great since. I'll replace it when the battery cable reset doesn't work...lol

 

[MidwestT4R]

Just replaced this switch on my 2004. Mine would make noise but would not stay latched. With the door open I ended up using a screwdriver to simulate the latch it connects to when I shut the door. The locking mechanism would engage and pull shut around the screwdriver, but a light pull would open it back up. I suspect something just wore out or broke in it.

Got the replacement part on eBay for 164 bucks delivered. OEM Toyota. The dealership quoted me 294 bucks plus tax for the part. No thanks. Here is the link.

Toyota 6911035090 Trunk Trunk Part Trunk Lock Actuator Motor 69110 35090 | eBay

One note: I disconnected the battery before replacing the lock assembly and when I got it all back together I did the reset procedure suggested earlier in this thread. Turn on the ignition and then down and up with the drivers door mirror, then sunroof, then rear window holding each at the end for a couple of seconds.

Worked like a champ.

 

[rumfoord]

Just wanted to say thanks for the post, purchased from amazon and was a piece of cake it install. Remember to disconnect the 2 bottom cables from the ECU at the bottom right of the door while working. Don't do the battery thing sounds like a potential headache, this works just fine. Replace the unit plug it in and then plug the 2 ECU cables back in. Took about 15 mins, however, if your situation is anything like mine it could take some extra time to just get the door open.

Had to remove the whole plastic enclosure from the old unit, zip tie the small release lever up (thanks for the tip wherever I read that) and douse with rust remover wd40. Let sit for a bit and apply pressure or bash the bottom of the door with your feet from the inside, it will slowly begin to work it's way out, takes some perseverance, don't give up! My case I suspect was fairly bad due to the amount of rust, was worried it might be something that wasn't doable on my own, but was! Good luck.

 

[KyleD]

Having some trouble getting the rear latch open. I've tried pulling the smaller of the two levers to no avail. No matter how much rust remover I put on it and how hard I pull, it won't budge. I suspect that the latch mechanism may be rusted solid. Does anyone know how to access the latching mechanism without having the gate open? Is it possible to get to it by removing the bumper?

 

[cruiserborealis]

Motor up for grabs

I had a problem with the locking mechanism for the longest time. It would lock and immediately release again. Something wrong with the sensor. I finally gave up and ordered a new unit from Toyota. When I removed the old lock I took it apart and salvaged the motor which looks and works like new. So, if anyone out there feels inclined to repair a lift gate lock with a burnt motor, feel free to contact me. I am willing to part with it for $30 plus shipping.

 

[ScotA]

I just replaced the mechanism in my 07. It latches fine, the wiper, key slot int he liftgate, and defogger are now working again. The opening switch still does not work. It was flakey before, I have a new one on the way. The thread helped a lot, thanks!

I installed a string with a little wooden ball to manually release the lift gate. I can get to it easy by removing the access panel.

Now for a few sour grapes. I bought this vehicle used about a month ago. It has 100K miles. I paid 14K, and didn't not balk. I am past wanting to work on cars. In the past I bought $3K cars I expected to fix things. People seem to think that Toyota are the most reliable car out there. I drank the Kool-Aid. This particular car has had several issues in the past month alone. It has a problematic electrical system. The lift gate is the worst.

As for the lift gate door handle, the idea of replacing a traditional mechanical mechanism with a fickle electronic one is plain stupid. If I can not get it to work reliably I will fabricate a manual handle to pull the release lever. And why to they insist on a switch that turns to black tar an stops working. I have black glueie junk in the carpet now. It appears that they invented a "Rube Goldberg" solution to the simplest mechanism and built it with junk parts.

After the holidays I will sell it. A Chevy Tahoe Z78 will suit my needs better. I will not be upset when it needs repair, I expect that from American cars and pay a price for them that takes in into account.

 

[dkyleb]

I had a problem with the locking mechanism for the longest time. It would lock and immediately release again. Something wrong with the sensor. I finally gave up and ordered a new unit from Toyota. When I removed the old lock I took it apart and salvaged the motor which looks and works like new. So, if anyone out there feels inclined to repair a lift gate lock with a burnt motor, feel free to contact me. I am willing to part with it for $30 plus shipping.

I just replaced the mechanism in my 07. It latches fine, the wiper, key slot int he liftgate, and defogger are now working again. The opening switch still does not work. It was flakey before, I have a new one on the way. The thread helped a lot, thanks!

I installed a string with a little wooden ball to manually release the lift gate. I can get to it easy by removing the access panel.

Now for a few sour grapes. I bought this vehicle used about a month ago. It has 100K miles. I paid 14K, and didn't not balk. I am past wanting to work on cars. In the past I bought $3K cars I expected to fix things. People seem to think that Toyota are the most reliable car out there. I drank the Kool-Aid. This particular car has had several issues in the past month alone. It has a problematic electrical system. The lift gate is the worst.

As for the lift gate door handle, the idea of replacing a traditional mechanical mechanism with a fickle electronic one is plain stupid. If I can not get it to work reliably I will fabricate a manual handle to pull the release lever. And why to they insist on a switch that turns to black tar an stops working. I have black glueie junk in the carpet now. It appears that they invented a "Rube Goldberg" solution to the simplest mechanism and built it with junk parts.

After the holidays I will sell it. A Chevy Tahoe Z78 will suit my needs better. I will not be upset when it needs repair, I expect that from American cars and pay a price for them that takes in into account.

How the hell can you get this thing open? I'm baffled. I have the whole latch mechanism torn apart inside the gate, and can't get it to function. I've been spraying PB blast and other stuff in there for a while now and am having ZERO luck.

 

[SnowyPeaks543]

Awesome write up

This forum helped perfectly! Same issue here, '04 Limited. Once we took it all apart - we saw that it was caked with desert. A nice thick layer of red sand was all over everything in the white plastic.

Thanks for including the part numbers! Super helpful!

 

[ttyR2]

As far as maintenance, what are the lube points for the hatch lock mechanism? Just spray some lithium grease in there?

 

[acronin2]

Thank You

Thanks again to @oblivions for the great write up. My latch assembly bit the dust this weekend, ordered a new one on Amazon for $157 and installed it in less than 30 min. As an FYI, I disconnected the negative terminal, and unplugged both harnesses going into the bottom of the rear ECU, after install I plugged everything back in and the latch worked no problem. All I had to do was reprogram the auto-function for the rear window, driver side window, and sunroof, using the directions given earlier in this thread.

Also, what was the point of the black shoelace that was attached to the new unit? I just untied it, but I'm curious.

 

[daviddep]

Reset Fixed it!

I also had to re-set the power latch after disconnecting the power lead to it. My rear window jams up due to one of the clips on drivers side rusted and broke.

After I plugged power back to the One Touch, dead in the water!.

I didn't disconnect batter, just all the plugs going into ECU to be sure.

At first, it would latch, but no power when trying to Unlock. So I played around withe the power door locks and turning car on and off, and POOF, it recognized it!

Thanks for the posts!!

 

[Techsan]

Thanks to everyone for their contributions. Just replaced my latch & took me a grand total of 25 min from start to finish. I went with the latch on Amazon Prime for $168. Feels great not to give the dealership my money!

 

[My4RUNNERS]

Don't remove the string... thread it, instead

Remove the string before install

The string on the new latch/actuator is an improvement over the previous model. Threaded the string up thru the window well. Now, there's a way to open the tailgate that has an inoperable latch... This way, the whole panel does not need to be removed to get the door open in an emergency. ...js...

 

[My4RUNNERS]

New Latch/Actuator Viability Test - ?


My liftgate hatch lock stopped working, too. The part was replaced but didn't work. I'll try the resets mentioned earlier, but, in the meantime, does anyone know how to test whether the latch module is actually viable? If the resets do not work, I want to test the new module for viability before exchanging it.

Thanks

 

[97BlackAckCL]

The string on the new latch/actuator is an improvement over the previous model. Threaded the string up thru the window well. Now, there's a way to open the tailgate that has an inoperable latch... This way, the whole panel does not need to be removed to get the door open in an emergency. ...js...

No issue with keeping the string, however the directions that I received with my replacement part said to "remove and discard the string before install"

 

[My4RUNNERS]

No issue with keeping the string, however the directions that I received with my replacement part said to "remove and discard the string before install"

Mine had no instructions. The black string was neatly wrapped and banded and already attached to the lever that opens the latch. I assumed it was meant as a way to open the door in an emergency.

 

[Maka4runner]

My liftgate hatch lock stopped working, too. The part was replaced but didn't work. I'll try the resets mentioned earlier, but, in the meantime, does anyone know how to test whether the latch module is actually viable? If the resets do not work, I want to test the new module for viability before exchanging it.

Thanks

mine stopped working completely. I couldn't open the rear gate.
I tried pressing the release button: nothing
I tried using the key: nothing
I tried pushing the gate and/or jarring it: nothing.

I read this post to unplug it from the computer in on the lift gate. from what I remember, I unplugged three plugs. (all plugs going into the computer)
hit the unlock button on my remote several times
hit the gate window (down) button on my remote
let it sit for ~15minutes.
plugged everything back in and !!viola!!
it worked again.
I hope it doesn't give me anymore issues. if so, I guess Ill have to swap out the motor.