Hatch key or remote will not function

[fuelsipper]

My uncle who is in So. Cal cannot get into his rear hatch. He has tried the key and the remote. I replaced his broken plastic part on the motor for the hatch release and had trouble with it when installing it. That was a couple of months ago and 1200 miles away.

Can he open the hatch from inside the car?

[Rush]

I've never heard of anyone getting it open from the inside. You might be able to by dismantleing it from the inside, but I have no idea how you'd go about it... looks like when you replaced the plastic part, you messed something else up and it locked up the mechanism.

[Willie Williford]

Have him respond to ICN. Maybe someone is close by for assistance.

Willie

[Mario]

The manual says that if the hatch won't open when using the key normally, you can turn it even further clockwise to manually undo the latch and, while still holding it there, open the hatch.

[aisbell]

Originally Posted by Mario

The manual says that if the hatch won't open when using the key normally, you can turn it even further clockwise to manually undo the latch and, while still holding it there, open the hatch.

That works only if the metal rod linkage between the key lock and the latch is installed correctly. This rod is removed when replacing the broken plastic piece, so if the rod wasn't installed correctly, the key won't open the latch.

From inside the car, you might be able remove the plastic trim piece that covers the passenger side of the area below the hatch. With that plastic trim removed, holes should provide access to the rod linkage.

[fuelsipper]

He is in San Pedro, CA. I'll see about getting him signed up on here. I will advise him to turn the key more clockwise and then try the latch. Otherwise, maybe if there is no one near that could help, I might take a trip south! I forget what the sun feels like in the winter........

Thank you all for the quick responses!

[BebopSpeaks]

I was unable to open the rear hatch using the key or electrics. This makes the rear half of the car unusable, so I had to fix it. I removed the trim concealing the latching mechanism. Using a screw driver, I tried to force open the latch while pressing the button but that did not work. I was unaware that the key could be turned all the way to the right to override the lock, so I applied more force (being a true hammer mechanic, duh). The latch finally opened but it was pretty messed up. I removed both the latch and the actuator. You can drive the car with the door unlatched but it opens a little when you hit a bump. After I determined that the actuator was broken, by taking it apart to find the little blue clutch thing broken, I ordered both the latch and the actuator. Installing them was beyond complicated. It has to be done in a specific sequence that I discovered by trial and error (I don't have a manual). It would have helped to have smaller hands. If anyone else has done one of these installs I'd like to hear about it.

[aisbell]

Originally Posted by BebopSpeaks

If anyone else has done one of these installs I'd like to hear about it.

Too bad you didn't read this thread. If so, you could have ordered a replacement for the small broken plastic part for ~$5 instead of buying the entire actuator mechanism. But you can read that thread to learn how others completed this repair.