Rear hatch lock

[Raloy]

The rear hatch lock on my 2008 will not work when the temperature is near freezing. Is it the outer, rubber that causes the problem or the lock itself?

 

[ZebRuaj]

Can you hear the lock actuator working? That can go.

The rubber handle can go bad too. Mine got super soft in the summers and frozen in the winter. It prevented the rubber cover from hitting the switch when frozen making it unable to open. It's an easy swap. The cover can be found on ebay and amazon.

 

[TowMeOut]

If you hear it making a racket like it's trying to open then the switch is fine. I'd imagine it's the mechanism. Toyota seems to have used some kind of lithium grease that hardens with age. The T-case actuator freezing up is a prime example.

 

[Burt]

My '08 had exact same issue a couple winters ago. I just soaked the hatch latch with WD40. No problems since....