Rear Hatch struts to strong

[ZandT4R]

I have an 07, and my Fiance has a really hard time closing the hatch, it is just hard for her to pull down. Has anyone changed the stuts out to lighter ones? I realize they are strong because when the glass is down it balances out the weight, but she never puts the glass down with the hatch up, so she struggles every time to put it down. So if you changed them, what did you use? I already searched and didnt come up with much...thanks for the help guys!

 

[greasefingers]

I doubt if anyone has actually changed the struts on a 4th gen runner

 

[ZandT4R]

i dont think her height is the issue. I think it is strength, she is a hair taller then me (~5'9"), I am about ~5'8". Even I struggle with it sometime....

 

[drmorbius]

Does she use the strap to pull down? I noticed its much easier that way.

 

[lawwailok]

i wish toyota should put the automatic lift gate setup in all their SUV, regardless of which brand (lexus, toyota), it doesn't mean if the SUV is a few thousand dollars less shouldn't deserve one. a 4R limited is about same price as RX but RX has it 4R doesn't. just a thought.

 

[ZandT4R]

Does she use the strap to pull down? I noticed its much easier that way.

Ya she uses the strap.....I may try to lube it up or something first....

 

[Avet14]

i wish toyota should put the automatic lift gate setup in all their SUV, regardless of which brand (lexus, toyota), it doesn't mean if the SUV is a few thousand dollars less shouldn't deserve one. a 4R limited is about same price as RX but RX has it 4R doesn't. just a thought.

im not sure if i'm thinking of the same thing or not but our 99 Landcruiser had a split hatch where the top half would flip up and the botton half would flip down like on a pickup truck, i thought this was far easier than the 4R's but ofcourse it didn't have the ability to lower the rear window.

 

[mole177]

either you got a bad set of struts or you guys need to start lifting weights.

 

[jharris2]

Does she use the strap to pull down? I noticed its much easier that way.

Personally, I find that using the strap is awkward. Instead, I use the edge of the tailgate -- it's easily within reach and you get better leverage. Just be careful not to scratch the tailgate with jewelry.

 

[tkr128]

If it's a problem, you can have her roll down the rear window first and then close it once she has the liftgate closed. It's a lot easier to close the hatch with the window down.

 

[drmorbius]

Personally, I find that using the strap is awkward. Instead, I use the edge of the tailgate -- it's easily within reach and you get better leverage. Just be careful not to scratch the tailgate with jewelry.

Both ways are a pain! I'm going to try it with the window down, it sounds like it has possibilities.

 

[RamThis]

My wife and I are both about 5'8" and we dont have any trouble with it. Sure it's a bit stout at the breakover point from where you stop pulling and have to switch to pushing to close it, but it's not that bad. You guys need to eat your wheaties LOL. Or put a winch behind the back seat and hook it to the strap!!!!

 

[jeober]

Gas struts (also known as gas stays) are strong at normal temperatures because the OEMs size these to maintain gate open down to -40^. The nitrogen gas charge pressure follows ideal gas law properties.

Over the years this charge slowly leaks such that eventually you will have to replace the struts if you keep the vehicle long enough.

The gate is indeed hard to close but Toyota has designed the gate's counterbalance with almost no over-center gravity moment (requiring the electric cinching latch to engage primary latching) and this all makes for a very easy opening gate -- don't you agree?

 

[ZandT4R]

If it's a problem, you can have her roll down the rear window first and then close it once she has the liftgate closed. It's a lot easier to close the hatch with the window down.

Ya this is what I told her to do, but she always forgets.....

 

[Uneek]

i wish toyota should put the automatic lift gate setup in all their SUV, regardless of which brand (lexus, toyota), it doesn't mean if the SUV is a few thousand dollars less shouldn't deserve one. a 4R limited is about same price as RX but RX has it 4R doesn't. just a thought.

The new Highlander's got it as an option. But I'm with you, if Toyota is going to offer that on the Sienna, the next 4Runner should have it. Since this first showed up on MY2004 RX330s and Siennas.

 

[toto]

I'm surprised that Toyota is expanding the use of the auto hatch motor to more models. I had it on the RX, and the big drawback to it is the amount of force needed to open and close the door because it's so heavy. All of your power windows have that automatic pinch protection safety feature so that they stop if they encounter resistance before they're fully closed. (That's why you have to reset windows and moonroof after disconnecting the battery.) Well, apply that principle to a motor that's strong enough to lift the tailgate. It doesn't transfer very well, because you need a really strong motor. Lexus had a TSB on the 04 to replace the door computer because it was too sensitive and didn't always operate. It sounds like a cool idea and people want to buy it, but I didn't find it very useful as it opens very slowly to try to be cautious. Once it's moving, it's going to keep going, whether there are kids, walls, shopping carts, or whatever in the way.

 

[Uneek]

Once it's moving, it's going to keep going, whether there are kids, walls, shopping carts, or whatever in the way.

When I played with the power hatch on the RX and Sienna, both did have some sort of safety reversing sensor on them when closing, didn't experiment with opening the hatch. However, when it's closing, it will give you a good bonk on the head before it'll reverse, probably no means safe if there are children around. I didn't intentionally let it hit me in the head, I held the door with my hand as it was closing. :

 

[jeober]

I have a number of patents in this field and Uneek has it right.

Power liftgates sense obstacles by using motor current deviation algorithms and pinch strips. Either can reverse the gate direction. The gate weighs 80-90lbs and has quite a bit of momentum and that is why the liftgate operates at 5-7 second cycle.

Power liftgates resolve the concern of this thread. Would I pay for one? Probably not. But many would and do.