grinding noise rear liftgate latch fix
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: s.f. bay area
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grinding noise rear liftgate latch fix
For two days, my liftgate would not lock. I would get the dredded red liftgate symbol on my display and the red indicator light would stay illuminated on the liftgate switch. It was making a grinding noise which didnt sound good at all. I searched the forums and couldnt find anything except for people recommending to take it to dealer. Not wanting to go the dealer route, I decided to replace it myself.
Latch = $251. + 20 Minutes + T30 torx + flat head screwdriver = fixed
it didnt take any time at all to fix it. I took a couple of pics but it was so simple that pics were not needed.
i first removed the thin trim around the latch. The trim is just pressed into place with metal clips. The clips are situated towards the back portion of the trim and not towards the passenger compartment. You will need a longer flat head to get closer to the metal retaining clips and pry them off. There are 6 all together (3 on eaah side of the latch).
I then loosened the right side plastic panel. the yellow plastic retaining buttons are not easily accessible except for two that at the bottom. You can remove these without breaking them if you pry them off slowly. I used a chisel and separated the panel from the door at the right side and pryed the panel apart. The screwdriver didnt give me enough leverage. You do not have to remove the entire panel to gain access to the manual release wire. Again, I was successful in removing this without breaking any buttons. If you have small hands, as I do, you can reach in to remove the wire that attaches the manual release. It is just a with a metal ball at the end. If you look closely at it, all you do is snap it loose towards the bottom of the door and push the ball towars the interior portion of the door to release it.
The last part is to remove the latch that is being held by 3 T30 torx bolt. These are simple enough to remove. Manipulate the latch so it slide out though the opening and remove he electrical connection.
To put it back to gether is simply in reverse.
This only took me 20 minutes in at night.
Latch = $251. + 20 Minutes + T30 torx + flat head screwdriver = fixed
it didnt take any time at all to fix it. I took a couple of pics but it was so simple that pics were not needed.
i first removed the thin trim around the latch. The trim is just pressed into place with metal clips. The clips are situated towards the back portion of the trim and not towards the passenger compartment. You will need a longer flat head to get closer to the metal retaining clips and pry them off. There are 6 all together (3 on eaah side of the latch).
I then loosened the right side plastic panel. the yellow plastic retaining buttons are not easily accessible except for two that at the bottom. You can remove these without breaking them if you pry them off slowly. I used a chisel and separated the panel from the door at the right side and pryed the panel apart. The screwdriver didnt give me enough leverage. You do not have to remove the entire panel to gain access to the manual release wire. Again, I was successful in removing this without breaking any buttons. If you have small hands, as I do, you can reach in to remove the wire that attaches the manual release. It is just a with a metal ball at the end. If you look closely at it, all you do is snap it loose towards the bottom of the door and push the ball towars the interior portion of the door to release it.
The last part is to remove the latch that is being held by 3 T30 torx bolt. These are simple enough to remove. Manipulate the latch so it slide out though the opening and remove he electrical connection.
To put it back to gether is simply in reverse.
This only took me 20 minutes in at night.
