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View Full Version : Minivan Back Hatch Closing Problems



The S is Silent
12-25-2005, 03:49 PM
Hey guys. I know on a lot of the minivans, the back hatch has the tendancy to not close sometimes, and I just wanted to share what I found today. I wanted to put this here for anybody if they ever run into the problem and run a search :thumb:

The first thing to check is the latch pin. It's the part that the hatch actually grabs on. Sometimes, this gets pushed back and just needs to be re-aligned. Get a torx head driver and loosen it up. There should be a little bit of play in it. Pull it all the way towards you and tighten it up again. It'll move forward a good couple of millimeters, and hopefully that's enough to get your hatch to latch...if not, you need to move on to the next part....

The latch itself. You can either try to spray some PB blaster into the mechanism to get it to un-stick itself, or you can opt to pull it out like I did. Remove the handle from the hatch. Pop the pannel off, it's just held on by some metal clips. Now, the hatch latch (he he) is held in by two torx head screws on the bottom of the hatch. Take those out and get the latch mechanism out. Disconnect the wires and pull it out. More than likely, if it's like mine, it looks a little rusty and the moving parts don't want to move to much. I'll post pics once I get them off my camera. I fixed this by spraying liberally with PB blaster (or some other lubricant) until you can move everything easily, and the latch does what it's supposed to do.

Assembly is just the opposite of disassembly. There you go. Now your hatch latches correctly and you don't have to be that guy in the parking lot of the store continuously slamming your hatch to get it to close :thumb:

Stevien1
12-26-2005, 04:43 PM
There was a recall on the liftgate latches for the minivans, I think it was 87-95 model years. You can identify the revised latch by a pink paint mark on the bottom of it. If your not sure if your van has had the latch done, call your local dealership with the VIN number.

-Chuck James

The S is Silent
12-26-2005, 10:54 PM
There was a recall on the liftgate latches for the minivans, I think it was 87-95 model years. You can identify the revised latch by a pink paint mark on the bottom of it. If your not sure if your van has had the latch done, call your local dealership with the VIN number.

-Chuck James

That's what that pink dot means. I thought it was just junkyard grease marker. I guess mine was recalled. Thanks for the heads up on that.

BigAl
12-26-2005, 10:59 PM
yeah, the hatch could fly open in a collision and rear seat passengers could fly out.

The S is Silent
12-26-2005, 11:07 PM
http://photos-n-08.facebook.com/n9/8672/120/12701065/n12701065_30155457_3297.jpg

http://photos-n-08.facebook.com/n9/8672/120/12701065/n12701065_30155458_3482.jpg

http://photos-n-08.facebook.com/n9/8672/120/12701065/n12701065_30155459_3735.jpg

Those are the pictures of the mechanism.

Lee'sdaytona
12-29-2005, 08:41 AM
wonder if this would work on my dad's subaru forrester. We keep haveing to slam it harder and harder!
-Lee

JDAWG
12-29-2005, 10:16 AM
wonder if this would work on my dad's subaru forrester. We keep haveing to slam it harder and harder!
-Lee
yea usually the striker is adjustable, it gets moved back a little under time. It should be a torx bolt. Try to loosen it and move it a little. Oh and if someone wants me to check theirs for a recall PM me.

Lee'sdaytona
12-30-2005, 12:14 AM
Yeah its all better! Suprisingly, for a foreign car, it did not have torx bolts, but hex heads...but yeah its much better now
thanks,
Lee