2005 LR3 Tailgate Latch problems

[gtiturbolr3]

Well it happened to me too. Thanks to Rimstalker instructions I did not break any trim or plastic. I was able to fix it. However, my forearms and fingers are all scratch and bruise.

Also, step 4 is not necessarily needed depending where the parts broke. After lot of failing I notice that I just needed to pull the loose cable. I was able to pull it with my hands and that was it. OPEN.

 

[bmoreylr3]

LR3 Rear Liftgate/Tailgate Will Not Open

Problem - Tailgate & liftgate will not open due to broken cable

Solution (based on discussions with LR Technicians and my own personal experience)
1) Make an service appointment at a Land Rover Center or Independent Land Rover Repair facility. If you want to spend 3 hours having fun, save $350 and risk swearing in front of your kids then proceed as follows.

2) Climb into the cargo area and use a dremel bit to cut a hole (3” x 6 ” min of l-shape as shown) in the carpeted mat. Be careful not to cut the wires on the solenoid assembly. The hole is necessary to manually override the cable to open the latch. You can also use a utility knife to remove the carpet and cut through the plastic but a drill bit on a drill or dremel is much faster. (careful not to go too deep into the liftgate). Note, the white insulation on the back of the trim piece can be difficult as it will clog up the drill bit.

3) Remove the gray insulation by making cuts with a utility knife. This way you can get to the cable to pop the latch.

4) Cut the cable using a sharp pair of wire/cable cutters. Removing the black plastic and braded steel mesh is all that is needed. Once you can access the cable itselft you can pull it to open the latch.

5) Once the liftgate and tailgate is opened you can climb out of the cargo area, grab a cold one and start disassembling the trim pieces.

6) Using needle nose pliers carefully remove the black grommets covering the screws on the tailgate. Use a Phillips head screw driver to remove the 4 screws. Slide the trim piece up to remove the black trim piece. The rubber cover for the push button (top left) can be removed by hand. Make sure all four metal brackets remain in the proper hole position for reassembly.

7) Using a 8mm wrench carefully remove the cable attachment from the sides of the tailgate. Make sure to retract these slowly so the assembly stays together.

8) Remove the carpeted trim piece damaged to obtain access to the latch and cable system. This can be done by hand by carefully pulling at the corners or using a plastic putty knife if needed.

9) Once the old carpeted trim piece is removed you can use a TX20 and TX27 bit to remove the latch assembly on the tailgate.

10) Remove the old latch and cable by gaining access to the solenoid. Cut into the insulation to remove the two bolts and unplug the solenoid on the far right. You can reattach the insulation when done.

11) Once the solenoid is free from the tailgate remove the black plastic cover and reattach the cable on the new lock assembly. You may need to use needle nose pliers to remove the old cable which slides into the metal assembly. The cable has a 90 degree aluminum piece that slides into the solenoid assembly through a hole. When the new latch & cable are attached carefully put the plastic cover back on the solenoid and put both pieces back into the tailgate. Plug the electrical assembly back into the solenoid on the right side and use the bolts to secure it back to the tailgate.

12) Finish by securing the lock assembly (TX20 and TX27 sockets work best) and temporarily attach the cables on the talegate using the 8mm wrentch. Before securing the top trim piece and new carpeted trim piece close the tailgate and test the repair. With the tailgate and liftgate closed you should be able to open the liftgate from outside then the tailgate. If successful proceed, if not check all connections.

13) Using a 8mm wrench remove the cables from the tailgate again. Use 3M, duct tape or new insulation material to cover the area on the tailgate.

14) Install the new carpeted trim assembly. Push securely down on each grommet and inspect for any gaps. Raise the tailgate slightly to install top black trim piece over top of carpeted trim and use screws to secure in place. Use 8mm wrench to tighten the cables on liftgate and slide the rubber square piece on to cover button for tailgate release.

15) Close the tailgate and liftgate, test the system once again and go high five your spouse. Remember, if this was a Japanese vehicle it would have been engineered better not to fail.

Parts Needed from Land Rover:
LR017470 Latch – T (latch assembly for tailgate) & ESN000292SMS Panel Assembly

Tools Needed:
Needle Nose Pliers, 10mm, 8mm sockets, TX20, TX27 socket or screw driver bits, 8mm wrench, Dremel or drill and drill bit, Utility Knife and Duct Tape/Utility Tape

Photos at link below
User Name lr3
Password lr3
http://gallery.me.com/bretthmorey#100318

 

[SoCal LR3]

nicely done!

 

[tramzbmw]

I just repaired my rear hatch problem on my 05 LR3. What finally made the job easy for me was to actually cut the release cable. After cutting the cable I used my needle nose pliers to pull to then release rear upper tail gate. This method actually made my life so much easier because I purchased the replacement cable with release prior.

Another thought would be to remove the actuator screws to then access the faulty cable tip. Note: the tip that connects to actuator as desrcibed earlier is what was broke on mine.

In closing, the replacement part was only 50 dollars and well worth it.

 

[gtc]

Just did this fix tonight; it's a bit of a pain in the @ss since space is so limited. I spent 2 hours trying to get the upper hatch to release, but never managed it. Getting a screwdriver into the little hole was easy enough - took a few tries and the right size of screwdriver, but never had any luck releasing the latch.

Since I knew it was the cable (either a broken tip, or a released wire) a little searching on disco3.co.uk and I found a post about simply opening the actuator container (it can be prised open from the back) and pulling the cable with a pair of pliers. Opening the container was easy, but my mitts were just too big to do much more then touch the cable with a single finger - which did lead me to discover that the tip was broken. Luckily my wife is small and was able to quickly reach in and pull the wire up and out of the box - I grabbed it with pliers and pulled it open. Took about 2 minutes for her to figure out how to grab the wire, but significantly easier then my futile 2 hours of trying to use the screwdriver in the latch release mechanism!

I used some zip ties and a metal ring to connect the wire back to the actuator - works great, and cost me nothing but time and a bit of frustration!

Thanks to all that posted up their findings and DIYs!

BTW - a nice secondary frustration - when I read the instructions initial about removing the backing of the lower latch from under the trim, I though I read to remove the carpet from the backing - I removed a 8" by 2" section before shaking my head and re-reading. Spent an extra 10 minutes glueing it all back down before finally re-assembly! Lesson - read the instructions carefully...

 

[maxell0405]

Great info. And love mrj's manual override, although I'm not handy enough to pull that one off. I can't believe the LR3 doesn't have such a gizmo to begin with. Once the gate is open this is an easy job.

After yutzing with the latch for too long and failing, I called the dealership and a tech advised me to just cut the cable, as mentioned above. If the actuator works but the latch doesn't open you need a new latch anyway, and the cable is part of the latch, so just cut it. My 6" clippers were not up to the task but I managed to get a Dremel in there to cut the cable, which is quite beefy. I cut the cable tie and was able to pull it out far enough to put the Dremel on it.

Once I had the latch out of the gate, I saw how the lever works, so for anyone hell bent on opening the gate without cutting the cable: The lever is on the driver's side (US) of the latch, so if you feel around on the latch, once you find the hole in the bottom center, move a little to the driver's side. Take your standard screwdriver and put it handle down/blade up, vertically. There is a slight indentation in the lever where you can place the screwdriver's blade. Pull the blade towards the front of the truck or pry by pushing the handle towards the rear.. It's not really a "hole" in the latch like the TSB says.

 

[Jacedo]

Thanks for the great overview. Looking forward to trying this next weekend on my '06!

 

[ssloane]

Great write up guys, this forum has saved me thousands in DIY. Fixed this problem last night in 2 hrs. A few tips, the tennis balls worked great holding carpet back. The wifes cosmetic mirror helped, and I laid the new latch in front of me and practiced unlocking on it with a very small screwdriver. After 2 or 3 tries with new latch, opened broke one in 1 attempt. After having tailgate open all of you DIYers will have no trouble.