Help!!! Rear hatch won't open.

[fourwd1]

Merging 4 threads on the same subject.

 

[anonymousgromers]

I still haven't got mine open I think maybe if I can get to those three bolts from the inside that should work without having to cut into my tailgate.

 

[toybox]

I still haven't got mine open I think maybe if I can get to those three bolts from the inside that should work without having to cut into my tailgate.

There are two levers inside the back of the door. The one closest to the rear or outside is the manual unlatch. I pulled up on it and at the same time gave it a good shove with my shoulder and it opened up. Not sure if you've tried that yet.

You won't be able to get to those from the inside or while the door is closed.

 

[AuSeeker]

There are two levers inside the back of the door. The one closest to the rear or outside is the manual unlatch. I pulled up on it and at the same time gave it a good shove with my shoulder and it opened up. Not sure if you've tried that yet.

You won't be able to get to those from the inside or while the door is closed.

Joe with all due respect, your first paragraph is great advice about the "manual unlatch" or latch release lever....but what good is that advice when you then say.....

"You won't be able to get to those from the inside or while the door is closed."

I mean most are reading this topic because they can't get the hatch opened to begin with, so any advice should be to help tham to get the hatch opened.

I do know that others have posted on the forum in other topics that they were able to pull the hatch cover and get to the release lever from the inside while the hatch was close, and even you said....
"I pulled up on it and at the same time gave it a good shove with my shoulder and it opened up."... so how were you able to...open it up...IF you couldn't get to those levers from the inside...and...if the hatch was closed???

 

[Terminator03]

Joe with all due respect, your first paragraph is great advice about the "manual unlatch" or latch release lever....but what good is that advice when you then say.....

"You won't be able to get to those from the inside or while the door is closed."

I mean most are reading this topic because they can't get the hatch opened to begin with, so any advice should be to help tham to get the hatch opened.

I do know that others have posted on the forum in other topics that they were able to pull the hatch cover and get to the release lever from the inside while the hatch was close, and even you said....
"I pulled up on it and at the same time gave it a good shove with my shoulder and it opened up."... so how were you able to...open it up...IF you couldn't get to those levers from the inside...and...if the hatch was closed???

I was also very confused about this as well!

 

[YetiX]

Joe with all due respect, your first paragraph is great advice about the "manual unlatch" or latch release lever....but what good is that advice when you then say.....

"You won't be able to get to those from the inside or while the door is closed."

I mean most are reading this topic because they can't get the hatch opened to begin with, so any advice should be to help tham to get the hatch opened.

I do know that others have posted on the forum in other topics that they were able to pull the hatch cover and get to the release lever from the inside while the hatch was close, and even you said....
"I pulled up on it and at the same time gave it a good shove with my shoulder and it opened up."... so how were you able to...open it up...IF you couldn't get to those levers from the inside...and...if the hatch was closed???

He means you won't be able to get at the three bolts which hold the latch mechanism in place until you open the hatch. You can definitely access the levers through the cover to open the hatch.

 

[AuSeeker]

He means you won't be able to get at the three bolts which hold the latch mechanism in place until you open the hatch. You can definitely access the levers through the cover to open the hatch.

That makes sense, but at first read I was confused, so I'm glad I mentioned it, that way now that you pointed out the missing link so-to-speak that no one else will be confuse as well.

 

[toybox]

Joe with all due respect, your first paragraph is great advice about the "manual unlatch" or latch release lever....but what good is that advice when you then say.....

"You won't be able to get to those from the inside or while the door is closed."

Sorry I wasn't more clear but as YetiX said, I meant the 3 bolts on the latch itself. The manual release levers are accessible through the rear lift gate panel.

 

[anonymousgromers]

Well shit... haha I'm gonna have to cut into it then eh.

 

[MT Runner]

I had an issue come up this weekend with my rear hatch.
I took the interior panel off and put some Noico sound deadening material in there. Everything went smooth, I was by no means a bull in a china closet. But just the nature of being in there, I know I felt my hands rub on some cables here and there. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but once I finished it back up and closed the hatch, I can’t get it open again.

Pressing the button in between the license plate lights to open does nothing. Not even the sound of it trying to open.
So I assume I accidentally disconnected something while I was in there.

Does anyone know what/where that connection would be that would cause the open mechanism to have absolutely zero response?

Is there a chance I put sound deadening material over something that I shouldn’t have? Any kind of sensor or something in there? I don’t think that’d be the case. I put it all on the outer sheet metal and used a metal roller to get it smoothed out.

I haven’t tackled getting the rear panel off yet. I’m frankly dreading that because it sounds like I’ll have to crawl into the back and start messing around, that part is what it is though.

 

[AuSeeker]

I had an issue come up this weekend with my rear hatch.
I took the interior panel off and put some Noico sound deadening material in there. Everything went smooth, I was by no means a bull in a china closet. But just the nature of being in there, I know I felt my hands rub on some cables here and there. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but once I finished it back up and closed the hatch, I can’t get it open again.

Pressing the button in between the license plate lights to open does nothing. Not even the sound of it trying to open.
So I assume I accidentally disconnected something while I was in there.

Does anyone know what/where that connection would be that would cause the open mechanism to have absolutely zero response?

Is there a chance I put sound deadening material over something that I shouldn’t have? Any kind of sensor or something in there? I don’t think that’d be the case. I put it all on the outer sheet metal and used a metal roller to get it smoothed out.

I haven’t tackled getting the rear panel off yet. I’m frankly dreading that because it sounds like I’ll have to crawl into the back and start messing around, that part is what it is though.

After you finished the work and then closed the hatch did the motor work to pull the hatch closed and 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.

 

[MT Runner]

After you finished the work and then closed the hatch did the motor work to pull the hatch closed and 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.

The motor did not pull the door all the way in, I closed it pretty lightly expecting that to happen. I had to kind of put my shoulder into it to get it to latch close at that point. I couldn’t get it open or closed with it half-latched like that, so I figured it was better to be at least all the way latched.

The window and wiper do work properly. I have an aftermarket fob for my remote start, so I cant tell if the button will roll the window down.
I’ll try the window reset thing. Thank you!

 

[AuSeeker]

The motor did not pull the door all the way in, I closed it pretty lightly expecting that to happen. I had to kind of put my shoulder into it to get it to latch close at that point. I couldn’t get it open or closed with it half-latched like that, so I figured it was better to be at least all the way latched.

The window and wiper do work properly. I have an aftermarket fob for my remote start, so I cant tell if the button will roll the window down.
I’ll try the window reset thing. Thank you!

When I asked if the rear window worked, I was asking when using the key in the key lock on the rear hatch, not the fob window button.

Another member had a similar issue but he did in fact unplug the connector on purpose when installing a rear camera, he was able to get his working again by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it to reset the hatch ECU, if this works you will have to reset both the hatch window which reset the window as well as the wiper, you'll also have to reset the driver's window, also if you have a sun roof it will have to be reset as well.

 

[the mighty elbo]

OK here's my issue - read through this thread but can't isolate the solution.

Rear hatch won't open - no sound, nothing. Disconnect negative on battery (both a few mintues and overnight) / reconnect, cycle the master (driver door lock) three times) and will open smoothly. Close the hatch and hear the latch closing and then like 2 seconds later here another motor sound higher inside the hatch (locking?). Rear window and wiper work fine- Won't open again (no sounds or responses) until I disconnect the battery (tried both neg and pos as well).

So I take it to garage- and they say they lubed it and "cleared the code" multiple times and then it worked for a month. Go to desert. Get back and think I'm smart guy for spraying WD-40 into latch to clean out all the red dirt. Stopped working again. Think I dissolved their lube with the WD-40?Open it again and lube generously with white lithium. Disconnect/reconnect the battery multiple times to try and recreate garage. Nothing.

Also - I can't unlock it with the key (counter-clockwise) in the hatch but the window down (clockwise) works fine

So I just bought a OBDII - Scanner / code clearer as mentioned on this site. No code found...

Any thoughts? Thank you!

 

[AuSeeker]

OK here's my issue - read through this thread but can't isolate the solution.

Rear hatch won't open - no sound, nothing. Disconnect negative on battery (both a few mintues and overnight) / reconnect, cycle the master (driver door lock) three times) and will open smoothly. Close the hatch and hear the latch closing and then like 2 seconds later here another motor sound higher inside the hatch (locking?). Rear window and wiper work fine- Won't open again (no sounds or responses) until I disconnect the battery (tried both neg and pos as well).

So I take it to garage- and they say they lubed it and "cleared the code" multiple times and then it worked for a month. Go to desert. Get back and think I'm smart guy for spraying WD-40 into latch to clean out all the red dirt. Stopped working again. Think I dissolved their lube with the WD-40?Open it again and lube generously with white lithium. Disconnect/reconnect the battery multiple times to try and recreate garage. Nothing.

Also - I can't unlock it with the key (counter-clockwise) in the hatch but the window down (clockwise) works fine

So I just bought a OBDII - Scanner / code clearer as mentioned on this site. No code found...

Any thoughts? Thank you!

I'm not sure what if any code/s the garage would have cleared, the hatch motor not working will not trigger a code, WD40 is not a true lubricate, it is formulated to disperse water/mositure, hince the "WD" Water Dispersant, the 40 was the 40th try to get the formula right.

That all being said I would say the hatch motor is shot and needs to be replaced, a few have gotten their's to work again by lubing it but many didn't have any success lubing or it stopped working shortly thereafter and needed to replace the motor in the end.

Turning the key counterclockwise and holding it should...unlock hatch (if locked) and then lower the window, then turning the key clockwise should lock the hatch and then raise the window.

Does the hatch lock and unlock with the remote and or when locking/unlocking the doors using the key in the driver's door and also using the main lock switch on the interior of the driver's door?

If you're not hearing the hatch lock or unlock at all not matter which method you're using then the hatch lock actuator could be bad and not unlocking the hatch which will not allow the hatch motor to work.

 

[the mighty elbo]

Seems like the hatch is locked and won't unlock with the FOB / driver's door lock. I did read in this thread something like "remember to unlock the hatch with the key in the hatch cuz that initializes the lock" So I can't unlock the hatch or roll down the window with the key cuz the key won't turn to the left. It will turn to the right to lock / roll down the window. And when I do this all the doors lock but will unlock with the FOB. Could it just be a stuck lock assembly? Any thoughts on trying to lube that?

I don't know these small motors that run operations like the hatch but when it works (every time I disconnect the battery) it works smoothly without any hesitation / off-noises etc. But then close the hatch, hear the latch engage, and then a second later, hear it lock.

 

[YetiX]

Seems like the hatch is locked and won't unlock with the FOB / driver's door lock. I did read in this thread something like "remember to unlock the hatch with the key in the hatch cuz that initializes the lock" So I can't unlock the hatch or roll down the window with the key cuz the key won't turn to the left. It will turn to the right to lock / roll down the window. And when I do this all the doors lock but will unlock with the FOB. Could it just be a stuck lock assembly? Any thoughts on trying to lube that?

I don't know these small motors that run operations like the hatch but when it works (every time I disconnect the battery) it works smoothly without any hesitation / off-noises etc. But then close the hatch, hear the latch engage, and then a second later, hear it lock.

Sounds to me like your motor is sticking. What you're describing is pretty much what I went through. I ended up replacing the latch motor which was an easy job. Zero issues since.

Also, you don't need to disconnect the battery (and lose all your radio pre-sets, etc.). All you have to do is pull the R-ECU fuse in the fuse box under the hood. I pulled it for 30 minutes, reinstalled, locked and unlocked the truck via the remote, and all was good.

Good luck.

 

[the mighty elbo]

Sounds to me like your motor is sticking. What you're describing is pretty much what I went through. I ended up replacing the latch motor which was an easy job. Zero issues since.

Also, you don't need to disconnect the battery (and lose all your radio pre-sets, etc.). All you have to do is pull the R-ECU fuse in the fuse box under the hood. I pulled it for 30 minutes, reinstalled, locked and unlocked the truck via the remote, and all was good.

Good luck.

Just seems weird if the latch motor is bad that every time I disconnect the battery it works flawlessly once and then is totally unresponsive (locked?). I've done this maybe 30 times and its exactly the same every time.

Anyway... thanks for the input! This forum rocks

 

[YetiX]

Just seems weird if the latch motor is bad that every time I disconnect the battery it works flawlessly once and then is totally unresponsive (locked?). I've done this maybe 30 times and its exactly the same every time.

Anyway... thanks for the input! This forum rocks

That's what mine did. My reasoning was that it was so gummed up inside, it would work once but was so hard to cycle it would trip the ECU. All I know for sure is that once I replaced it, it worked flawlessly and has ever since.

 

[earthrealm]

Add me to the list.mine quit working about a wk ago. All attempts to get it open by pressing on the toyota emblem while simultaneously hitting the lock or unlock button..didnt work.

What worked was the 10min battery disconnect.i dodnt even reinitialize any shit, i tugged on the rear latch opener...n it opened straight up.

My take on the cause of the issue..is aged rear windscreen weather stripping that lets large amount of water into the rear hatch door, gumming things up...mine is shot to hell����
Would replace this $40 dollar to forestall any future reoccur3nce

found this 2 videos, it pretty much explains everything.how to clean and repair the old unit

YouTube

YouTube