Hoping someone else has seen this. My basic problem is that when I tried to close my trunk it won't "catch" so it says in the slightly open position that you get when you initially pop it. If I push it gently with my hands I can get it all the way down but the latch doesn't catch and stay in that position, so I get an open hatch bouncing around that I had to drive home from work with.

After trying WD40 (a solution to most problems) and having that not work, I cracked open the trunk and eventually found that the motor used by the trunk popper above the license plate and the one on the keyfob didn't seem to be working and was also applying too much tension to the control arm that releases the lock, leaving it in the open position. It's never been all that great (sometimes I have to pull on it while hitting it to open the trunk) and I took it to the dealer to fix under warranty 2 years ago but they "couldn't reproduce." The range of motion on the control arm to release the lock is also very small so I can see why it gets stuck so much.

Anyway, I was hoping someone else had repaired this issue and could offer some advice. I'm thinking I need a new motor for the latch since when I activate it now it makes a clicking noise but doesn't pull on the control arm. For now I just disconnected the motor and can use the emergency release if I need to open the trunk.

I've also got an 05 if that makes a difference. I remember there being a TSB back a couple years ago when the dealer "couldn't reproduce."

 

buy a new one cheap skate

 

Wow, thanks for the insightful suggestion. I never would have thought to "buy a new one" until you mentioned it. I'm eternally grateful.

Bump for an intelligent suggestion from someone who's actually seen/had this issue.

 

hmm, never heard of this. is the release mechanism on the motor bent a bit maybe? or if you bend it yourself would that help keep it held a bit better while still allowing you to release the hatch? Motor burnt out and not releasing? or working half time? crazy, that would really drive me nuts and P me Off. something that stupid. I feel for you. I hope its resolved and you did not have to result to bungee's. lol best of luck.

 

I don't know if you got this fixed since its been a long time since you posted. But I believe I just ran into the same problem. I took out the actuator (motor) and opened it up. It's only 6-8 tiny screws. There is a big toothed wheel that has a protruding groove/bump out underneath it. Beneath the big wheel there is also a brass ring with two arms that are suppose to wind the big wheel. The protruding bump out should stop the ring from winding and releasing the spring. Somehow I think the pressure from the weight of the hatch caused the brass ring to jump the protruding groove. Just remove the big wheel and reposition it so that you can spin it so that it tightens and releases the spring. The tiny silver tooted wheel on the left acts as the fastener to the wheels. It's better than buying a whole new actuator for over $200.00 from stealership.

 

Cool thanks for the update. Glad you were able to get yours fixed.

My problem was also with the actuator assembly, but the issue was that one of the springs had broken so the assembly couldn't function properly. I ended up biting the bullet and ordering a new assembly from Courtesy and installing it... all for a little spring.

 

I am resurrecting this thread to thank you for the write-up. My trunk latch acted up last night for the first time and I was able to fix it this morning following your instructions.

The removal process is pretty straightforward:

• Remove or lift the trunk carpet and cardboard floor
• Pull the trunk plastic liner center part up and out after disconnecting the trunk light connector
• Remove the 6 big bolts holding the entire latch/actuator assembly
• disconnect 2 electrical connectors as well as the trunk release cable so you can pull the entire latch/actuator assembly out of the car

Now the only part that confused me temporarily is that I expected the problem to be with the latch itself, but as you guys indicated, it is with the actuator/electrical unit. To open the actuator, you have to:

• Remove two Phillips screws holding the actuator to the bracket
• Disconnect the actuator rod from the latch mechanism

Now you can open the actuator by removing the 6 tiny screws. My particular problem seemed to be 2 of the teethed wheels that had somehow jumped from each other. Whatever your internal problem is, make sure that at the end the external lever can move freely.

Being in the San Francisco Bay Area, this thread just saved me at least $300.

Thanks again.

 

+1

Happened to my 2003 the other day. I followed the instructions in this thread, and I was able to fix it myself! Dealer wanted $240, and nobody in the country stocks it. So 3 weeks later, it would come from Japan.

It took me a few tries to get the wheels lined up right, but as the posts above mention... make sure the metal bar (arm) moves freely when the button is pushed. There was also a small piece of plastic that looked like it broke off and could have been jamming the mechanism.
If the arm doesn't move when you re-assemble it, don't waste your time putting it all back together. I made that mistake as the arm moved just slightly, and i tried closing the trunk. It closed, but stayed closed.

There is an emergency hatch release cord underneath the strut bar.

If you encounter this issue, follow this thread! Big thanks to all who posted here..

 

Crap. Less than a month later, it stopped working again.

We'll see if I can fix it one more time or if the actuator unit needs to be replaced altogether.

Edit: just finished fixing it again. One of the little plastic wheels inside the actuator had a broken tooth that jammed the mechanism. I pulled the broken tooth out and everything works again.

I am just not sure if missing a tooth will eventually cause another problem but we'll see. So far so good.

 

Ha... OP here. I got hit with this again today as well. On the way back from the golf course... so I'm all crossing my fingers that it doesn't pop up on the highway.

Took it apart with the instructions in this thread and it's now working again. Many thanks to everyone in this thread.

 

OK, my actuator (trunk latch) was acting up again and making horrible grinding noises. It would also not release the latch on every try which meant I had to click the button 3 to 4 times (with the grinding noise every time) until the trunk would actually latch.

I figured it was going to give up on me soon and leave me with an unlocked/unlatched trunk so I went ahead and ordered a new actuator and replaced it myself.

For those of you who are curious to know what the actuator looks like and which internal parts typically fail, here are some pictures.

First, the new actuator followed by pictures of the internals of the bad one. Notice in the bottom right corner that the quarter wheel is missing some teeth.

 

thanks for the write-up!

 

Happened to me yesterday. Only problem was it wouldnt close shut after being opened. Then i got it to close but couldnt open it ( had to use emergency latch ).so i followed the directions on this write up and had it done and fixed in less then an hour. Most of the time i was playing the gears inside trying to get it just right. Thanks!

Just a fyi, 2007 models have 7 tiny screws, the seventh one is hidden near the screw hole for the braket thats attached to it. Just in case someone doesnt see it.

 

Thank you so much for posting this.

 

Great post! The same exact thing happened to me and the directions and photos were on point. The fix worked.

 

Now question what does wire connector belong to or attach to?

 

Thanks to all the instructions in this thread. My trunk release stopped working last night. I was able to follow the instructions you all posted, and in about an hour's time this morning, my trunk latch is working.

All you need:
12MM locknut and handle
Large Phillips
Tiny Phillips

Great instructions were easy to follow. And saved me a lot of time and money. Also the headache of going to the garage.

 

I just had an issue yesterday with mine opening and not closing. I had to ride 30 mins home with the trunk unlatched. but I read what bino wrote and got it to close. haven't tried to open it yet because I am afraid it wont close again and I have to work lol. thanks guys

 

Hey people, just wanted to chime in here.

I just had this happen to me last night, and sure enough this thread is gold. Heres what I did

1. Removed lining around latch (careful to d/c trunk light)
2. Unscrewed everything.
3. Detached actuator (the white plastic box with the arm that attaches to your latch lock).
4. Opened up actuator (tiny screws).
5. Removed all gears and put them back together again

The spring should be compressed, like in yellow stealths pic. mine was really stretched, the gears were turned as far as they possibly could and could not reset to the starting position. The arm, as many have mentioned, should move freely. As you push it forward and backward (which controls the latch lock) you should see the gears turn and spring stretch and compress.

other notes

*tbsummers is correct about the tools
*the power port sailorgonzo was asking about is for the actuator, so the gears can turn when you press buttons.

thanks z people

 

Hey guys, first off thank y'all for the useful information. I just wanted to share this quick fix with you guys to avoid spending $200+.

I had a similar problem that yellow stealth had with a broken tooth on one of the gears. I cut and ground a thumb tac and pinned it into one of the lower rubber stoppers to shorten the gear pull before it reaches the broken tooth and it worked!

Sorry for the bad quality but heres how it came out.