Rear Hatch Mechanism Frozen During Cold Weather

[scw1991]

Curious to know if other T4R owners experience this during ambient temps from 10 deg to -20 deg. Hatch release mechanism works flawlessly otherwise.

If it's common, then I can live with it, but if it's supposed to operate at these low temps or even lower, then I'll look into repairing it.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[ZebRuaj]

There's a few other threads about this.

Mine was nonfunctional yesterday afternoon at -3*F. The rubber was hard and the mechanical button underneath it seemed to have froze. I was able to massage the button to work and it worked the rest of last night.

This morning at -10*F, I couldn't get it open to grab the ice scraper. Good thing its a SUV with a wide open trunk.

The rubber cover didn't feel gummy over the summer (another known problem), so I do not believe water was able to get behind it. I'll look into swapping in a new button assembly if I notice anything after this freeze is over. Other threads say the rubber cover is swappable also and cheaper than replacing the whole button.

 

[scw1991]

Thanks for the prompt response ZebRuaj. Much appreciated.

Yes, the rubber simply hardens at these low temps. Of course, everything else that's rubber based material residing in the garage does the same thing. I went to use an air hose the other day and it was extremely stiff and thought it was going to simply crack while trying to bend it.

My rubber cover is quite tacky to the touch during the summer months. But, it has not cracked, so I've just left well enough alone.

 

[ZebRuaj]

Still doesn't give us much of an answer tho.

I wonder if its more serious or just the rubber being rock hard that is preventing the button from engaging.

 

[scw1991]

Maybe I'll remove the rubber pad and give it a whirl. I'm hoping the mechanical switch itself is not frozen.

I'd say it's a slight safety concern however since it requires the hatch to be open so you can access the hole to insert the special rod for spare tire removal in case of a flat.

 

[ZebRuaj]

I'll see if I want to take a peek at the rubber this weekend. Suppose to be back into the teens here. It's going to feel like a heat wave.

Let me know what you diagnose.

 

[NeutronJon]

I had mine for 4 years in Northern NY. Multiple sub-zero winters and I never noticed a problem. Mine also has not had the gummy summer issue.

 

[RunnerAK]

Two 4Runners in AK here; we've never had this issue even in subzero temps.

 

[Bossman]

Never had this hatch release issue through eight Canadian winters (in the temperature range the OP specified) with my 03 Limited.

 

[ZebRuaj]

So mine feels like it's the rubber. If I massage it, I can feel the electronic button behind it and force the button to activate.

Looks like I know what I'm doing when the weather warms up.

 

[stsmytherie]

I had this exact problem with my new-to-me 2007 a few weeks ago.

Symptoms in cold weather and solution were the same as in the melted button threads. Warming up the rubber slightly with a heat gun fixed it temporarily, as did ambient temps over freezing.

I bought a replacement switch assembly, but out of curiosity (and not wanting to take apart the hatch unless necessary in sub-freezing temps), I found a replacement for just the rubber part on ebay. You need the offset screwdriver, too. Super simple procedure except that I had to carve off the melted rubber from my old switch with a utility knife.

The replacement switch rubber on the old switch assembly has worked flawlessly in temps down below 0F so far.

 

[scw1991]

Thanks to all for the input. Greatly appreciated.

Just purchased this kit off Amazon for $20. This rubber pad must be a common issue as it is used on quite a few Toyota makes/models.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J4NAGP2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[scw1991]

Tore into it at lunch today. Definitely not an easy 5 minute swap. It took me a total of about 30 minutes to remove, thoroughly clean, and re-install. Hope this helps

After removing assembly, I disconnected the blue switch in order to clean it at the work bench. The rubber was melted onto the plastic bracket both front & back.

It took about a half hour to scrape the majority of melted rubber off with a small flat head screwdriver. Dipping a rag in some gasoline enabled me to cut through the remaining melted rubber quite easily. Gasoline is one hell of a good cheap solvent.

The new rubber piece fit into place without any issues. Note: the rubber has a small lip molded into the underside, that mates up against a lip in the plastic bracket. Thus it fits onto the plastic bracket in only one direction.

Blue switch snapped back into the bracket and clear cover snapped back into place ready for re-install.