Rear trunk won't open

[bmah]

It stinks it happened to you again. Did the tech note any changes in the design or manufacturer of the equipment? While we haven't had to use our RFS in the last 2+ months due to COVID-19, I'm assuming the kids will SOMEDAY go back to school, and I'd hate for them to get stuck back there a second time should our actuator fail again.

It slipped my mind to ask about changes in parts, etc. The part numbers on the invoice are the same as for the first repair (well, the first time they didn't change out the cable):

CINCHING ACTUATOR(1003549-00-A)
CABLE, CINCH LIFTGATE(1008186-00-B)
ASY LIFTGATE LATCH PWR REL(6006654-00-B)

Bruce.

 

[ucmndd]

Sadly mine is stuck shut and they can't get it open.

Explained that basically they need to start prying on it, and doing so damages more parts (that of course they need to order), so $329 becomes $900 "worst case" if they end up damaging every panel they say they might.

 

[bmah]

Sadly mine is stuck shut and they can't get it open.

Explained that basically they need to start prying on it, and doing so damages more parts (that of course they need to order), so $329 becomes $900 "worst case" if they end up damaging every panel they say they might.

Oh no! That sucks. This is like what happened to me the first time.

Protip: If you have installed an aftermarket light in the liftgate (e.g. Abstract Ocean ultra-bright bulb), make sure they know about it and replace it when they put the new panels on.

Bruce.

 

[ucmndd]

This video SOLVED my problem.

Trunk was stuck closed, indicating open, pull cable didn't budge it.
Now works perfectly. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Another update on my saga - with the estimated repair suddenly rising from $300 to $900, I figured giving this a try was well worth my time. Accessing the module was pretty easy, one torx screw and one plastic retaining clip. As others have mentioned, the connector you're looking for is on the TOP LEFT in facelift cars, not the bottom right like the video mentions.

Took three cycles of pulling and re-inserting the plug, but on the third try the latch popped free and she's open. Thank dog.

So, mobile service is coming tomorrow to replace the original parts (latch, cinch actuator, etc). Have a towel over the latch to make sure it doesn't close again!

While this does bring to mind all sorts of questions as to the competency and effectiveness of my service center, I'm glad to avoid a needless $600 charge for 15 minutes of work. Highly recommend that anyone with a hatch stuck closed try the above, or at minimum show this video to your service center before they break out the pry bar.

 

[TacC]

This video SOLVED my problem.

Trunk was stuck closed, indicating open, pull cable didn't budge it.
Now works perfectly. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Same issue and same success in getting the trunk open. This can be done in three minutes with a Torx 20 and no skill or knowledge.

On my facelift 2016 MS, there is just one T20 screw on the underside of the plastic. Everything else is tabs that you can safely and easily pull out. The hardest part was climbing over car seats to get into the trunk. Removing trim, unplugging and plugging the housing and replacing the trim is about two minutes total.

A couple of nuggets that may be helpful for others:

1. My actuator does not work. It sounds like this issue was a one-off for some. For others, the actuator fails and will never again pull the trunk shut completely.
2. For whatever reason, my car responds to the first power cycle (unplug/plug) every time. Sounds like YMMV.
3. Since the actuator unlocks on every power cycle, I left a T20 screwdriver in my car and continue to use the trunk. You just need to close it by hand with a little force and not let the actuator try to pull the trunk shut. You can open the trunk using any method. Just be sure to close it by hand.

While this does bring to mind all sorts of questions as to the competency and effectiveness of my service center, I'm glad to avoid a needless $600 charge for 15 minutes of work. Highly recommend that anyone with a hatch stuck closed try the above, or at minimum show this video to your service center before they break out the pry bar.

Agreed x1,000,000. After seeing how easy this is, I can't wrap my head around the fact that they were drilling into cars and prying the actuator open.

 

[martinwinlow]

If you ask me, it seems like this whole nonsense is caused by badly adjust tailgate stops that force the motor to work much harder than it needs to. TacC - you might want to try adjusting your stops to see if you can restore full functionality (if I understand your post right) but the damage has probably already been done - the motor now worn too much.

 

[doctorwho]

If you ask me, it seems like this whole nonsense is caused by badly adjust tailgate stops that force the motor to work much harder than it needs to. TacC - you might want to try adjusting your stops to see if you can restore full functionality (if I understand your post right) but the damage has probably already been done - the motor now worn too much.

Mercedes fora are also full of complaints about the frequent failure of the same part

 

[Cirrus MS100D]

...
Agreed x1,000,000. After seeing how easy this is, I can't wrap my head around the fact that they were drilling into cars and prying the actuator open.

I watched 3 different techs at the Service Center work for hours to get out trunk open 2 days before Xmas a few years ago (my brother and his family were coming into town and we needed our RFS to haul him, his wife, and their kids). Those poor folks worked their butts off, all apparently oblivious to this method. Weird.
Thanks for posting another confirmation!

 

[Hock1]

I watched 3 different techs at the Service Center work for hours to get out trunk open 2 days before Xmas a few years ago (my brother and his family were coming into town and we needed our RFS to haul him, his wife, and their kids). Those poor folks worked their butts off, all apparently oblivious to this method. Weird.
Thanks for posting another confirmation!

I sort of have the opposite of this problem, although probably related in some way. My trunk and charger port door keep opening and, in the case of the trunk, closing on its own. The car has been sitting in the hot Florida sun. Any thoughts? TIA.

 

[TacC]

I sort of have the opposite of this problem, although probably related in some way. My trunk and charger port door keep opening and, in the case of the trunk, closing on its own. The car has been sitting in the hot Florida sun. Any thoughts? TIA.

If I'm not mistaken, charge ports can be opened by any Tesla charger. It is common to see charge ports open on parked cars near a Supercharging station. Pretty bizarre behavior, though.

If you have an issue with your actuator or the cinching motor, having the car power down and then power up could have the same effect as unplugging and plugging the wiring assembly as shown in the YouTube video. I suppose it is possible that could have released your trunk if it wasn't closed completely.

I can't wrap my head around why the trunk would close. My only guess is that a good Samaritan closed your trunk.

I'd put the odds on any of my theories being accurate at around 1%. I'm just trying to tie in our experiences with what you're observing. If you're seeing this consistently with no intervention, you've got another issue.

 

[krsgio]

My trunk currently experiencing this problem. Will prob try to do the steps in the video in the next couple days. I scheduled mobile service appointment for later this week. I have the executive rear seats so I'm unable to fold the seats down so I'm not super motivated to climb over them to try this out until I'm closer to my service appointment.

 

[Dunnman99]

Well this just happened to my car today. Got out at the grocery store, it openned fine took out my cooler bags and it closed and latched with no indication of an issue, then upon return it wouldn't open, got the three beeps and "Trunk Open" indication. I tried the emergency cable and it wouldn't budge to the point of pulling and feeling the clip was going to break. I removed the trim panels in the parking lot and tried the plug method from the video to no avail. Except now my E-brake indicates failure "vehicle may roll", that warning cleared after 10 minutes.

So now I drive home with beeping, loss of cruise control, auto-drive and safety and convenience features. And this happens just in in time that I have a 3500 mile road trip coming that I have to be on next Wednesday(3 business days away), and a service to fix the passenger front sensor prevents me from putting in a service request. Apparently Tesla thought only one thing at a time would go wrong with vehicles so you cannot open a new or "another" ticket while you have a repair waiting.

My mobile service guy is awesome, calls me and says he can call around to find the parts and hopefully get it fixed by Tuesday and he works the system to get me a 2nd service call on Tuesday. I can't say enough for the service I have gotten from the mobile guys. Everyone of them I have encountered own Teslas and believe in going above and beyond. These are the guys that keep the Tesla brand name in high spirits with us recent converts from ICE. Sorry still got my 1965 GT350 though.

I got my fingers crossed that he can "fix" it tomorrow as right now I cannot lock the vehicle therefore I can't take it to work or anywhere in public due to work requirements of having secured personal spaces when unattended. He called and said he can get 2 or 3 of the parts that might fix it and he knows how to take the trunk liner apart with it closed so no drilling or prybars are required.

As an alternative, if it is not fixed I will either have to call while on the road when I cannot lock it as it becomes unsafe due to locations, or I am unable to utilize general driving safety and convenience operations which deem the car less than safe and a risk to drive based upon conditions and roadways. Yes I understand cruise control and proximity protection is a 1st world issue, but that is what I paid for. What I am worried about is I have no collision prevention or automatic safety braking at this point.

Do any of you know how Tesla handles roadside service when you are over 1000 miles from home on the road? If Tesla happens to tow my car prior to the trip, how are they about a person putting 3000 miles on the loaner in 2 days? That is exactly what I need and expect from my own car at this point.

Yes my car is in warranty, I have had it exactly 16 months and 30,000 miles on it since date of purchase from Tesla, NJ. I have had about a dozen services and trouble fixes already requiring loaners, and about 6 mobile services of convenience or nuisance type repairs to include a 12V battery replacement.

Am I being unreasonable? I should suck it up, rent an ICE car out of pocket, pay the gas cost and chalk it up to an inconvenience of having such an advanced car, and just wait for Tesla to fix it without having my mobile guy jump through hoops to make things right?

Advice and input would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[pts260]

Dunmann99, I would try the unplug / replug method again, sounds like you might have pulled the wrong plug. As I wrote earlier in this thread, it was a different plug in mine. There were two pugs in that area.

"Only difference was my 2016 Model S the connector was the black one on the Top left instead of bottom right as shown at 1:08 ."

I lived with mine for a good month in this condition. Open in auto, and close manually (physically pushing the lid down) There was no issues with auto pilot or locking the car. Worth a try.

 

[TacC]

Well this just happened to my car today. Got out at the grocery store, it openned fine took out my cooler bags and it closed and latched with no indication of an issue, then upon return it wouldn't open, got the three beeps and "Trunk Open" indication. I tried the emergency cable and it wouldn't budge to the point of pulling and feeling the clip was going to break. I removed the trim panels in the parking lot and tried the plug method from the video to no avail. Except now my E-brake indicates failure "vehicle may roll", that warning cleared after 10 minutes.

So now I drive home with beeping, loss of cruise control, auto-drive and safety and convenience features. And this happens just in in time that I have a 3500 mile road trip coming that I have to be on next Wednesday(3 business days away), and a service to fix the passenger front sensor prevents me from putting in a service request. Apparently Tesla thought only one thing at a time would go wrong with vehicles so you cannot open a new or "another" ticket while you have a repair waiting.

My mobile service guy is awesome, calls me and says he can call around to find the parts and hopefully get it fixed by Tuesday and he works the system to get me a 2nd service call on Tuesday. I can't say enough for the service I have gotten from the mobile guys. Everyone of them I have encountered own Teslas and believe in going above and beyond. These are the guys that keep the Tesla brand name in high spirits with us recent converts from ICE. Sorry still got my 1965 GT350 though.

I got my fingers crossed that he can "fix" it tomorrow as right now I cannot lock the vehicle therefore I can't take it to work or anywhere in public due to work requirements of having secured personal spaces when unattended. He called and said he can get 2 or 3 of the parts that might fix it and he knows how to take the trunk liner apart with it closed so no drilling or prybars are required.

As an alternative, if it is not fixed I will either have to call while on the road when I cannot lock it as it becomes unsafe due to locations, or I am unable to utilize general driving safety and convenience operations which deem the car less than safe and a risk to drive based upon conditions and roadways. Yes I understand cruise control and proximity protection is a 1st world issue, but that is what I paid for. What I am worried about is I have no collision prevention or automatic safety braking at this point.

Do any of you know how Tesla handles roadside service when you are over 1000 miles from home on the road? If Tesla happens to tow my car prior to the trip, how are they about a person putting 3000 miles on the loaner in 2 days? That is exactly what I need and expect from my own car at this point.

Yes my car is in warranty, I have had it exactly 16 months and 30,000 miles on it since date of purchase from Tesla, NJ. I have had about a dozen services and trouble fixes already requiring loaners, and about 6 mobile services of convenience or nuisance type repairs to include a 12V battery replacement.

Am I being unreasonable? I should suck it up, rent an ICE car out of pocket, pay the gas cost and chalk it up to an inconvenience of having such an advanced car, and just wait for Tesla to fix it without having my mobile guy jump through hoops to make things right?

Advice and input would be appreciated.

Thank you

I concur with everything that @pts260 said. The trunk will function on your road trip if you remember to close it by hand.

Two other nuggets:
1. TACC/AP is a must have on a 3000 mi trip. I"ve got your back on this first-world problem.
2. I wouldn't bank on getting a loaner. They're hard to come by and fixing the trunk is quick and easy.

 

[Dunnman99]

Dunmann99, I would try the unplug / replug method again, sounds like you might have pulled the wrong plug. As I wrote earlier in this thread, it was a different plug in mine. There were two pugs in that area.

"Only difference was my 2016 Model S the connector was the black one on the Top left instead of bottom right as shown at 1:08 ."

I lived with mine for a good month in this condition. Open in auto, and close manually (physically pushing the lid down) There was no issues with auto pilot or locking the car. Worth a try.

thanks, I tried the other plug with no response as well. I thought the same thing but didn’t post that I had tried both plugs. My initial try was the bottom right. I have a Dec 2015 S 90D.

the tech is coming this morning and he has done these before successfully so I should know by 0900.

thank you for the follow-up.

 

[pts260]

One more thing, that may help, is that occasionally, it would take up to 4 tries, of unplugging and replugging before it would pop free. Good luck

 

[Dunnman99]

One more thing, that may help, is that occasionally, it would take up to 4 tries, of unplugging and replugging before it would pop free. Good luck

Tech arrived and couldn’t get it to pop, motor was completely dead. He got it open in about 10 minutes removing 3/4 of the door trim from the lift gate and half if the surrounding headliner trim on the driver side.

motor replaced already (20 minutes total) but the part he is missing is the latch which may also be the issue. We will know soon.

 

[Dunnman99]

Tech arrived and couldn’t get it to pop, motor was completely dead. He got it open in about 10 minutes removing 3/4 of the door trim from the lift gate and half if the surrounding headliner trim on the driver side.

motor replaced already (20 minutes total) but the part he is missing is the latch which may also be the issue. We will know soon.

All fixed. In all 45 minutes to fix included replacing my pass side front parking sensor rubber boot cover.

He swapped out 2 of the 3 items but not the latch.

this guy is awesome!

 

[pts260]

Congrats, I'm sure the techs must have expertise with this replacement by now, hope your trip goes well.

 

[krsgio]

I had mine repaired last week. Both the latch and cinching actuator were replaced.