Just had mine for a couple of weeks. When pulling the switch on the lower drivers door the tailgate opens great. To close it from that switch, I need to keep my finger on the switch until it closes. Is this normal? The manual is not clear and my last SUV just had to touch it. Small detail but I use that feature a lot.

 

Yes it's designed this way for safety and has been on all MB vehicles for at least the last 8 to 10 years.

 

It's a Federal recommendation for Power Tailgates and Power Seats - to be under manual control - so that you can "stop" at once if needed

 

My Ford Expedition has a power tailgate that is one press to open and one press to close.

In fact there are quite a few US vehicles that are one touch close.

Now there is technology in the tailgate that if it senses any resistance it will open back up.

SO it might be a federal recommendation but it definitely is not a federal requirement.

 

All my BMWs and Land Rovers have one touch open/close. So, is the Infiniti. There is no federal mandate on this feature, MB decided not to change their design and play it safe. Same reason, they still offer tethered android auto/car play on one of the most tech enabled SUV.

 

My 2015 GL450 allowed the tailgate to close with one touch. My 2017 GLS550 and 2020 GLS 580 doesn't... It's annoying.

 

Just wanted to highlight that the OP is talking about the switch on the driver's door. I imagine this button might function differently than the one on the tailgate. My wife's 2018 GLA has one touch close using the button on the tailgate. I never used any other button besides the key fob.

 

Looks like there are multiple ways to close the tailgate, including the button in the driver side door. Maybe the ignition wasn’t on?