98 Pathy Rear Door/Tailgate won't open

[RyanCowan]

My 98 Pathfinder Tailgate will not open... for about a week the door would not close properly it wouldn't seem to latch and I had to slam it shut about 3-4 times before it would catch...
Now when I try to open it it won't budge. I can't even turn the key to get it to open. The rear window part opens fine but the door itself won't move. I'm assuming the I have to remove the door panel to get to the lock mechanism but I'm not to sure how to do that...
Hopefully I just have to add a bit of white grease. But Not to sure...
Any Ideas?
Thank You,
Ryan

----------------- New Edit ----------------------------

Ok.... I figured out how to take out the door panel. I've found the issue and I've greased the crud out of it. It is now locking and unlocking fine and opening now......

However I still need to slam the door really hard 3-4 times before the latch catches and keeps the tailgate closed. I sprayed white grease in there as well but I'm not sure if that made it better or worse.
Any suggestions for fixing this issue?

THank you Ryan


Modified by RyanCowan at 7:31 AM 7/6/2009

[leibniz]

I've also got a 1998 Pathfinder Chilkoot with the same problem. Back door handle lifts, but the door itself only moves a 1/2 " or less before it stops. Back door hatch just won't open. Anyone have any descriptions or links to documentation on how to get that handle and whatever else apart so that I can get in there (woth some grease?) and get it working again?

Thanks a lot.

Bill

[Slogdawg]

Joined this forum for this specific problem... My 1997 Pathfinder SE rear hatch will not open. You can hear the actuator clunk and then you can open it just an inch or so, like leibniz mentioned. Crawled inside (Not easy, I'm a big guy) and could not see any way to take the interior panel off. Am I not looking in the right place? Looked into the "latch hole" while a friend held the door open the 1 inch or so and could see the latch on the "U" bolt. Tried prying that to no avail. Don't have the remote switch. But key unlocks the window just fine and the wiper works fine. Don't think it's electrical.
RyanCowan, If you're still out there... How did you get the rear panel off??

Any help/guidance is appreciated.. One of my brake lights is out and I don't look forward to doing the song and dance when "The Man" pulls me over for it. Looks like the only way to get the rear lenses off is to open the rear hatch!!!

Looking forward to any assistance,

Regards,
Slogdawg

[leibniz]

Hey Slogdawg - did you ever get the talgate fixed? After I posted that, the tailgate on my Pathfinder magically started working again. I thought it was just a trick with the key (rear window open, then left turn to lock, or unlock) - anyway that turned out to not be the case.

My tailgate has been "locked" now since about October - all winter. I've tried repeated locking/unlocking manual and with the remote, and also locking / unlocking with the key in tailgate.

Still, I can hear the actuator and I can hear something move/slide - but the tailgate just will not open. It's almost as if the handle is not connected to the rods that move the bolt or the latch, or whatever it's connected to.

The biggest pain of all this is that if I need to get the spare tire from underneath - I'm SOL because you need to access that hole on the top of the bumper right underneath the bottom of the tailgate, to loosen the chain to drop the tire.

This has been a real pain for a long time - I would surely appreciate any assistance.

So you don't even have to register - please email bill at rsn dot ca.

Thanks!
Bill

[leibniz]

Anyone find a solution to this yet?

I have since removed the back panel (tailgate still stuck shut) and can see the lever mechanism. That appears to be just fine as it seems to be nothing more than a lever. However, still, as mentioned, despite hearing the actuator trigger clunk clunk with the remote lock, the tailgate still won't budge.

Anyone know how to reach the actuator itself? Is it possible with the tailgate shut?

The only good thing about this is that, while the panel is off, I can now fix the rear window wiper motor, which never worked since I've had this.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks!
Bill
bill att rsn dott ca

[sdwolf]

I am new to this forum and tripped across it when I recntly bought a new to me 1996 Pathfinder SE. This forum is great for solving the little issues that need to be taken care of on a 15 year old new truck.

I had the problem with the back hatch not opening. I took off the interior panel and found that over time, the locking mechanism and latch had become stuck due to dirt and dust build up. It kept the return spring, which is weak, from pulling the latch back into it's proper position. If the handle is lifted in the locked position, the latch overshot the lock and stayed there. When the lock was opened, the latch was in the wrong place keeping the latch from opening.

The solution I found was to remove the handle assembly and locking mechenism from the door and spraying it with brake cleaner, washing out all of the built up grime. After it was allowed to dry, I dusted it with dry graphite lubricant. I wouldn't use grease in an area that is subject to grime build up since grease will only hold the dirt in place. Since I have done this, the latch and the lock work perfectly.

[reichstaedt]

I have the same problem. How does one get the panel off? There are no screws or anything. Just pry it off??

Thanks!

[Towncivilian]

I have the same problem. How does one get the panel off? There are no screws or anything. Just pry it off??

Thanks!

The handle has two screws that secure it, hidden behind some pop-out covers. Remove those, then pop off the trim and try not to break any clips in the process.

[Slogdawg]

Please see my previous post from a few years ago.
Been driving with my passenger side brake light out all this time since I couldn't get the rear hatch open in order to access the screws to remove the tail-light assembly. Had a couple of close calls when 'the man' was behind me, but by luck, did not get pulled over for it. Two days ago a nice guy pulled up next to me to tell me that both tail lights were out. I regularly check my lights since I leave for work at zero-dark-thirty 5 days a week - look for it to shine against my house before I pull out. The driver side brake light was still working last Wednesday when I last checked. Been planning a week long camping trip this week for quite some time and definitely don't want to drive without any brake lights!! So, I was forced to do whatever necessary to get this fixed pronto!
Did the Google search which brought me right back here. Thanks to those of you who have posted since my first request, I was able to remove the inside handle and gently pry off the interior panel which revealed the workings of the lock assembly. Since my first post I did get a generic remote switch which I hoped would unlock the hatch (has a separate button just for the hatch) but it just clicked the accuator on an off as mentioned in previous posts - still without allowing the hatch to open any better than before.
Very simple mechanism. Could not understand why it would not open. Could see the flange that the handle pushed down and the tang that should move the release catch. While moving the assembly by hand, could feel resistance at the point where the catch should release. Didn't make sense. Why would it not open!! Sprayed a bunch of carb cleaner in there (refer to previous post where he used brake cleaner) but it didn't do any good.
Frustration set and, with the help of my son-in-law, we cut out the assembly with my Dremel tool and cutting wheels. I realized that this would mean that I could no longer lock my hatch but I was desperate. Took about ten minutes. Luckily the carb cleaner had evaporated off enough so that it did not catch fire (had an extinguisher ready just in case!). Was able to pull out the locking tang assembly and LO and BEHOLD! There were a couple of gummed up BB's in there that were preventing the catch from disengaging the locking tang!! I don't use BB's. Have no idea how they got in there. Must have been from a previous owner somehow. Dang!!
I'm just glad I didn't have to pay hundreds of dollars to a locksmith or even more to a dealership to figure this one out. Will have to replace the rear hatch if I want to get it back in regular working order, tho'. In the mean time, I will just strap the door shut with the cargo hooks mounted on the floor of the rear cargo bay. Easy enough to open the rear window with my key and release the strap when needed.
Took less than a few minutes to replace the bulbs for the brake lights once I could access the screws to remove the light assembly. Took about 4 hours of trying everything before I got my trusty son-in-law and Dremel and cut away the locking assembly.
Now I have a full week to forget about this ordeal.

[Towncivilian]

Interesting method of getting the door to open. Sorry to hear that you've got an inoperable lock as a result. Hopefully you'll come across an identical colored Pathfinder in a junkyard to nab a door off of.

I've swapped rear doors and their internals myself actually, although I had no luck finding a similar colored Pathfinder and ended up getting a white door, and repainted it with the help of a couple buddies instead. My original door had the spoiler, but the door I picked did not (idiotic choice on my part; there was one with a spoiler right next to the donor Pathfinder at the junkyard!). Swapping the door wasn't too bad, the hardest part of the procedure was pulling the wiring harness through the side of the door; I ended up paying the dealer to do that. Otherwise, the BT section of the FSM has a helpful exploded parts view and torque specs for everything. Maybe you'll want to rebuild or clean & lubricate the rear wiper motor and lube up locks and other moving parts while you've got everything apart.