Hi,

i have a 2006 coupe and the hatch/trunk just stopped working this morning

(it started snowing last night, and i last opened it last night to get groceries out)

this morning when i try to put my bag in, first 1 press the key fob, heard the release sound and the hatch popped up by half an inch and stuck there. i tried to pull it up, it is just stuck, i push it back down and it returned to the locked position.
then i pressed the hidden button closed to the license plate, same thing, it had the release sound, pops up by an inch, but stuck there, cant open it even with my hand giving extra force.
i thought it was just frozen/stuck cause of the snow.

but when i back home at the garages, tried multiple times again, still no luck.

read the manual, located the release inside the car (under the bar) but either it is not working, or i dont know how to use the release.... either way, it just stuck and i can only lock it by pushing the hatch back down from that half an inch that it released.

any thoughts?

 

If I read this right you tried: Pushing the key fob button WHILE pulling up? That's what I have to do when it gets cold out. If it's not working with that, you'd have to pull the latching mechanism out(I don't know how other than crawl through the hatch?) and check that out.

Sorry to hear. Cold weather sucks and I'm HOURS south of you

 

Yeah you just gotta double clutch it.

It will pop up halfway kinda like how doors have a 2 stage latch.

Pop it once, stick your fingers in the gap and pull up on the hatch while you hit the button again. It will release. I have to do it every time with my Z because I'm rarely in there and the seal sticks.

 

Lulz were had at "double clutch"------good explanation

 

what i did is i took the plastic cover off of the springs ... put a penny in each side and replaced the cover, now mine pops up without having to "finger the gap" to get it to open

 

Remove the counterweight as well as the penny trick.

 

Good question (and it's no wonder why the answer isn't obvious since few vehicles suffer from this problem).

There are two factors causing the problem you describe:

1) Additional weight on the hatch (it was snow in your case, but adding an aftermarket spoiler can do the same thing)

2) Lower temperatures reduce the pressure inside the gas shock/strut.

If you are in a colder climate or add weight to the hatch, you need an aftermarket gas shock/strut to “pop” the hatch without manually lifting the hatch. The aftermarket gas shock/strut has a larger barrel/chamber so that it supports more weight and is less susceptible to temperature variations.



The rubber-covered springs located inside the hatch also assist in “popping” the hatch open.



These springs (one on the right and the other on the left) degenerate with time. To restore the original potency, you can either replace these or do the “penny trick.” Replacement is safer because the “penny trick” can dent the sheet metal on your hatch.

I’ve replaced my springs and the gas shock/struts in my 2003 350z twice (so… about every 4-5 years). I am in a cold climate.

--Spike

 

SMH.

 

Sorry... I don't get it. --Spike

 

I've removed my weight, done the penny trick and mine still wont pop. But my struts are toast. I have a set of Z1 struts waiting to go in though.

 

^^ In my experience, the gas struts/lifts make the most difference. The hatch pops with no fuss.

New springs weren't enough. And, I dented the sheet metal in the hatch using the penny trick.

--Spike

 

shaking my head...

Like this -->

 

I just wasn't sure why you were shaking your head. I guess that it was in disbelief... but of what?

--Spike

 

Pure disbelief. Like the OP, I'm in Canada. I learned the double-button-press loading groceries in my parents' cars. Order of learning in Canada:
1)Crawl
2)Skate
3)Walk
4)Hockey
5)Ski/Snowboard
6)Snow-shoe
7)Double-button-press
8)Talk
9)Colour inside the lines