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I need to know if it is possible to disable the lift gate switch on the door, key and foot sensor but still retain the lift gate switch operable. Reason for this is to make sure there won't be any accidental opening of the lift gate when my bikes are at the back and get a nasty scratch on the door.
Being a cyclist, I see your concern. More so, if by accident, you try to open the trunk gate from inside the driver's door.
While I don't believe nor have I seen a way to cancel these, the lift gate has a feature in that if it encounters resistance or an obstacle, it will stop and retract. For example, if it is opening and you put your hand on it as if not letting it continue, or if it touches an object, it will reverse.
When I place my bicycle on the rack which is mounted to the trailer hitch, there is barely any room between it and the lift gate. Therefore, if I were to open it by accident, it would not be able to travel so much as to gain any momentum and produce damage. The water base paint is also strong enough to withstand a nudge with your bike.
In this picture, you will see on my previous ML350 as an example, if anything, the gate would hit the handlebars which would not cause any damage at all.
Also, the foot sensor and liftgate button won't work if the key is not nearby. So if you're installing your bike rack or putting on the bikes and don't want to inadvertently open the liftgate with an accidental strap or something else crossing the foot sensor, just keep the key out of your pocket during that time.
When I have my bike hitch rack installed with bikes, I have a different issue where I will pull into my garage and forget I have bikes in the bike with wheels that could be sticking out further than my side mirrors (getting very close to hitting the sides of my garage entrance). I stick a piece of blue painters tape across the bottom of my rearview mirror over the garage opener buttons as a reminder of this when I have bikes on the back. You could do the same with the door buttons or the button on your remote.
I've opened my rear liftgate by accident with my bike on a Kuat hitch rack (tray style). The liftgate hit the bike handlebars and reversed. No damage at all.
I've opened my rear liftgate by accident with my bike on a Kuat hitch rack (tray style). The liftgate hit the bike handlebars and reversed. No damage at all.
04-17-2023, 11:57 PM
