2008 ML350 hatch latches but wont power open/close, hatch button not lit up
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i have a 2008 W164 ML350, absolutely amazing car. currently has 77k miles on it, and everything works.
when i went to drive it today, i noticed the battery was low, not quite dead, but not enough to start the engine. so i jumped it and it started right up.
but at this point i noticed the hatchback was acting up and would not open. the windows needed their usual reset after the low batt. but the hatch wouldnt even open. (i also dont know the right term- liftgate hatchback trunk boot rear door etc, so it hard to find in the owners manual/online information)
when i would hit the button on the fob, the driver door, or the rear hatch controls, i can hear the locking mechanisms unlatch but no power lift happens. after 2-3 seconds it can tell the hatch didnt open and you can hear it relatch and lock. you can even see it lock back down. no matter how many times i try, the hatch will not open.
i also have noticed the red button on the liftgate does not light up anymore either, which makes me think it could be electrical? or is the door in some sort of safe mode?
i am not really sure where to start with this diagnosis, as i am unsure as to HOW the power liftgate works- is it an electric jackscrew within the right strut as some posts say or is it the hydraulic pump below the spare tire? or is it the rear SAM in the right rear bay?
hoping someone may have been down this road and can help shed some light on what may have caused this and what the best plan is to fix it. happy to provide pics or video!
thanks in advance!
when i went to drive it today, i noticed the battery was low, not quite dead, but not enough to start the engine. so i jumped it and it started right up.
but at this point i noticed the hatchback was acting up and would not open. the windows needed their usual reset after the low batt. but the hatch wouldnt even open. (i also dont know the right term- liftgate hatchback trunk boot rear door etc, so it hard to find in the owners manual/online information)
when i would hit the button on the fob, the driver door, or the rear hatch controls, i can hear the locking mechanisms unlatch but no power lift happens. after 2-3 seconds it can tell the hatch didnt open and you can hear it relatch and lock. you can even see it lock back down. no matter how many times i try, the hatch will not open.
i also have noticed the red button on the liftgate does not light up anymore either, which makes me think it could be electrical? or is the door in some sort of safe mode?
i am not really sure where to start with this diagnosis, as i am unsure as to HOW the power liftgate works- is it an electric jackscrew within the right strut as some posts say or is it the hydraulic pump below the spare tire? or is it the rear SAM in the right rear bay?
hoping someone may have been down this road and can help shed some light on what may have caused this and what the best plan is to fix it. happy to provide pics or video!
thanks in advance!
Quote:
when i went to drive it today, i noticed the battery was low, not quite dead, but not enough to start the engine. so i jumped it and it started right up.
but at this point i noticed the hatchback was acting up and would not open. the windows needed their usual reset after the low batt. but the hatch wouldnt even open. (i also dont know the right term- liftgate hatchback trunk boot rear door etc, so it hard to find in the owners manual/online information)
when i would hit the button on the fob, the driver door, or the rear hatch controls, i can hear the locking mechanisms unlatch but no power lift happens. after 2-3 seconds it can tell the hatch didnt open and you can hear it relatch and lock. you can even see it lock back down. no matter how many times i try, the hatch will not open.
i also have noticed the red button on the liftgate does not light up anymore either, which makes me think it could be electrical? or is the door in some sort of safe mode?
i am not really sure where to start with this diagnosis, as i am unsure as to HOW the power liftgate works- is it an electric jackscrew within the right strut as some posts say or is it the hydraulic pump below the spare tire? or is it the rear SAM in the right rear bay?
hoping someone may have been down this road and can help shed some light on what may have caused this and what the best plan is to fix it. happy to provide pics or video!
thanks in advance!
Sorry to see noone replied to your problem. This happens at times, more often recently. I'm having exact same problem with my ML350. Just wondered if you ever got to sort it out that you can share with me. Thanks.Originally Posted by hilikusdrums
i have a 2008 W164 ML350, absolutely amazing car. currently has 77k miles on it, and everything works.when i went to drive it today, i noticed the battery was low, not quite dead, but not enough to start the engine. so i jumped it and it started right up.
but at this point i noticed the hatchback was acting up and would not open. the windows needed their usual reset after the low batt. but the hatch wouldnt even open. (i also dont know the right term- liftgate hatchback trunk boot rear door etc, so it hard to find in the owners manual/online information)
when i would hit the button on the fob, the driver door, or the rear hatch controls, i can hear the locking mechanisms unlatch but no power lift happens. after 2-3 seconds it can tell the hatch didnt open and you can hear it relatch and lock. you can even see it lock back down. no matter how many times i try, the hatch will not open.
i also have noticed the red button on the liftgate does not light up anymore either, which makes me think it could be electrical? or is the door in some sort of safe mode?
i am not really sure where to start with this diagnosis, as i am unsure as to HOW the power liftgate works- is it an electric jackscrew within the right strut as some posts say or is it the hydraulic pump below the spare tire? or is it the rear SAM in the right rear bay?
hoping someone may have been down this road and can help shed some light on what may have caused this and what the best plan is to fix it. happy to provide pics or video!
thanks in advance!
Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to this either. It happened to me before when my battery was low, and after replacing the battery it still did it. I unplugged the electrical connector to the hydraulic down by the spare tire, turned the car on and off, reconnected it, then it worked. I had the mechanic check it out, and he could not figure out why it happened either, but no codes showed up or anything. That was 7 or 8 years ago, and the hydraulic lift still works fine, so the good news seems to be that this symptom does not mean the hydraulic lift is about to break.
I have something that is not quite a theory yet...
A few weeks ago, I had to replace the electric latch on the hatch. Because the MD official part was more than $400 and difficult to find, and the knock-off was one day shipping for $40, I went the $40 route. Generally the $40 part looked just as strong as the original, fit fine and works about 9 out of 10 times. About 1 out of ten, when I unlock the hatch, the trigger to the latch works fine, but the hydraulic lift does not start lifting (I can grab the hatch and shove the hatch up by hand, and when I shut it back down, it latches ok; or I can just try it a second time and then it works.). So I think the deal is that the electric current sent to the hydraulic might be just a little off once in a while. Maybe the hydraulic lift electric trigger it is very sensitive to voltage or something like that. I am wondering whether the hatch electrical switch fires off a signal from the hatch latch to the hydraulic in order to keep from triggering the hydraulic without the latch being open.
I have something that is not quite a theory yet...
A few weeks ago, I had to replace the electric latch on the hatch. Because the MD official part was more than $400 and difficult to find, and the knock-off was one day shipping for $40, I went the $40 route. Generally the $40 part looked just as strong as the original, fit fine and works about 9 out of 10 times. About 1 out of ten, when I unlock the hatch, the trigger to the latch works fine, but the hydraulic lift does not start lifting (I can grab the hatch and shove the hatch up by hand, and when I shut it back down, it latches ok; or I can just try it a second time and then it works.). So I think the deal is that the electric current sent to the hydraulic might be just a little off once in a while. Maybe the hydraulic lift electric trigger it is very sensitive to voltage or something like that. I am wondering whether the hatch electrical switch fires off a signal from the hatch latch to the hydraulic in order to keep from triggering the hydraulic without the latch being open.
Have a look at this video on youtube. try it see if it works. I'm going to try it tomorrow some time.
Just note that he removes the fusebox to get at the connector. but I thing you can access the connector without removing the fusebox.
Btw, it's called liftgate, or rear door.
Just note that he removes the fusebox to get at the connector. but I thing you can access the connector without removing the fusebox.
Btw, it's called liftgate, or rear door.
Wow! Whoever made that video really goes all out!
I know for a fact that I did not go behind the fusebox.
I think all that I did was unplug the electrical connector to the hydraulic box that (from what I recall) is near the spare tire (on the right side toward the fuse box) then turned the car on and off, and then plugged it back in. My ML350 looks different than the one in the video, as it only has one push button on the liftgate.
My theory was to give it a 'reboot' like a computer module, because I was thinking it was stuck on bad data. All of my connectors were clean and there was nothing visual under there that suggested anything bad. Then it started working for me. I have never had a total failure since then, only the occasional failure to trigger the hydraulic lift since I have had to replace the electrical latch on the liftgate.
I know for a fact that I did not go behind the fusebox.
I think all that I did was unplug the electrical connector to the hydraulic box that (from what I recall) is near the spare tire (on the right side toward the fuse box) then turned the car on and off, and then plugged it back in. My ML350 looks different than the one in the video, as it only has one push button on the liftgate.
My theory was to give it a 'reboot' like a computer module, because I was thinking it was stuck on bad data. All of my connectors were clean and there was nothing visual under there that suggested anything bad. Then it started working for me. I have never had a total failure since then, only the occasional failure to trigger the hydraulic lift since I have had to replace the electrical latch on the liftgate.
