Faulty Rear Hatch

[JPWendtinc]

Leaving my In-laws on Thursday night I loaded my dogs in the back, and closed the hatch. I heard the latch motor run like usual. The dome light went out and the dashboard indicator was off. I got down the street, and when I accelerated on to a busier street, the hatch opened and the dogs fell out. I could not get the latch to catch at all. My wife had to ride in the back with the dogs, who are both okay, and pull the interior handle to keep the hatch closed. When I got home, I soaked the latch and hook with WD40 and it now works like a charm.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a bigger issue here or is it just a 7 year old electronic latch maintenance once a week lubrication thing?

 

[Acidmeld]

You have and electric motor on a mechanical latch. Since you can hear the motor id say its working properly. Sounds like the mechanical part just stuck. This definitely happens more when its cold out. Remember that a warmed up engine does not mean the rest of the car is warm. I lube my hatch latch when i lube everything else (latches, hinges, window runs, etc) every few months just as standard maintenance. WD-40 keeps water from freezing in the latch.
If youre still worried just give the door a tug to make sure it wont come loose. If it continues to act up you may have a part failure.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

This happened to me a few times before my motor went bad, just keep an eye on it

 

[Dawg4Runner]

Poor dogs! Glad to hear they're ok.

 

[JPWendtinc]

Well, failed two more times over the long weekend. The latch is all rusty and gunked up. in the interest of safety I am going to replace it. Of course it's only available as a complete assembly from Toyota. $350. Ouch!