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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    15

    Default Tailgate stuck shut

    I cannot get the tailgate to open on my 2011 xc70. None of the three release switches will work, but I can hear a click in the dash when pressed. I also get a repeated message that the tailgate is open. Any known fixes or tips?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Pleasanton CA USA
    Posts
    486

    Default

    Do you have the motorized tailgate lifter?

    The sensor showing tailgate open is a clue. One possibility is that something is blocking the door from closing far enough to trip the door-closed sensor.
    You could try pushing in at the bottom of the door to close it tighter while activating the open switch.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    15

    Default

    It is motorized, yes. No matter how much I push or pull on the tailgate it will not budge.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Pleasanton CA USA
    Posts
    486

    Default

    My suggestion is to climb into the cargo area, and remove the molded plastic door grip (lower left corner). Then, if possible, go in with an endoscope or cell phone camera to inspect the latch mechanism. For safety, I would tape the door on the outside so that could only pop open an inch.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    15

    Default

    I will have find an endoscope, cellcamera doesn’t show anything

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    15

    Default

    It seems like the mechanism is functioning but it thinks it is open. Is there a sensor somewhere that may be obstructed?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    1,420

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by HeavyHanded View Post
    It seems like the mechanism is functioning but it thinks it is open. Is there a sensor somewhere that may be obstructed?
    The last time I dealt with a customers stuck tailgate - something had spilled in the cargo area and the tailgate seal was simply stuck. (dried chinese soup I think)

    Most other times something was caught/jammed in the latch. A piece of fabric, part of a trash bag - something that just takes a good push from the inside or a pull from the outside.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    15

    Default

    That does not seem to be the case here, and it will work once in a while. Next time it decides to open I will have to take the tailgate apart.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Pleasanton CA USA
    Posts
    486

    Default

    If you press the rear hatch closed tightly at the bottom, does the door closure sensor respond?

    You can tell the hatch thinks it's closed by using the key fob to lock the doors....if all doors are sensed closed, the turn signals echo one flash.

    Or, you can do it in the reverse order...stand at the rear door, first hit the lock doors button, then apply force at bottom of rear hatch -- when the door-closed sensor senses "shut", the turn signals flash once.
    Last edited by pbierre; 03-08-2019 at 06:11 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Turned out to be a linked wire that was causing an electrical fault.

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