Rear trunk won't open

[matt1981m]

I order an replaced the parts. All good. But it dawn on me that to disconnect the motor all you have to do is to remove the cover with the button, reach inside and unplug the motor. That might allow some to open automatically but likely have to push it down after closing.

I realized the same thing after having to replace my cinch actuator a few months ago.

 

[matt1981m]

One more in the club!
But decided to find what's wrong with it!
Turns out there's a simple toy motor inside. Motor is moderately easy to take out and disassemble. Brushes inside made a mess and probably short the whole thing when it receives 12v. Cleaned everything with IPA. Gave it a very gentle brush with 1000 grit sandpaper both on the brushes and rotor contacts. Put one drop of oil to front and rear bearings(more like inserts). Got the motor assembled, but out of the case. Powered it with some wires to a 12v battery for about 30 sec or so (until RPM started to sound stable) in one direction and then the other.

After installation it did make a sound like it's having some trouble closing the tailgate, so decided to check the stoppers. Left was pushing very hard, right wasn't even making contact. Poor assembly/adjustment process in the factory I guess.

After adjusting the stoppers, motor now sounds as there's no load on it at all.

Will see how long this repair will last.
Sorry, wasn't in the mood for pics as my gate gave up very far from home.

niiice... I didn't throw away the defective one when I replaced mine, so I will have to try and repair that one and keep it as a backup. When/if I do, I will take some pics and post them.

 

[borowanlan]

repaired another one with a new motor for $15. Mine still works.
I suggest people buy the motor and fix or pay someone to fix it, the gears inside look as new, it's silly to throw away and buy a complete unit.

 

[matt1981m]

I plan on cleaning my old one out later today, and will probably just use some Super Lube to lubricate it.

 

[mr_hyde]

Would you mind spoon-feeding the group a link to the replacement motor? I have my old one too and would like to build a spare.

 

[SEKS]

Something a lot like this happened to my wife (driving my Model S) a month or two ago. The MCU said the trunk was open, but it was physically closed (and wouldn't open for her despite using the fob, trunk button, etc.). She happened to be passing close to a service center, so I asked her to stop in and see what could be done. They ended up replacing the liftgate latch and the cinching actuator. Somehow this also required them to drill some holes in the liftgate trim, so they ended up needing to replace that piece too. All under warranty.

Bruce.

Had exactly the same on my Model S P90D (late nosecone).
Was fixed by replacing the same components as mentioned by @bmah.

Can be done DIY, together with a buddy. Will take you 60-120 minutes.
Can also be done by Tesla rangers on your location for €373 in Germany

There’s good videos on youtube.

 

[stromb0li]

Had exactly the same on my Model S P90D (late nosecone).
Was fixed by replacing the same components as mentioned by @bmah.

Can be done DIY, together with a buddy. Will take you 60-120 minutes.
Can also be done by Tesla rangers on your location for €373 in Germany

There’s good videos on youtube.

Have a link? I'm joining the club today and I'm 600 mi away from home. Not having cruise because the car thinks the trunk is open is going to not be fun.

Edit: bubbling up the video. Hopefully I can sneak in time to give this a go before heading back.

 

[matt1981m]

Have a link? I'm joining the club today and I'm 600 mi away from home. Not having cruise because the car thinks the trunk is open is going to not be fun.

Edit: bubbling up the video. Hopefully I can sneak in time to give this a go before heading back.

Fair warning, the connector is not always the bottom right one, as my liftgate module was on the left instead of the right. If you don't hear clicking from the liftgate, try the other connectors

 

[stromb0li]

Gave the tutorial a go and it worked awesome! Once you pull the paneling off to get to the connector, one pro tip, is you don't need to go as far as removing the paneling on the trunk. You can use the emergency release cable once the latch releases to use the trunk as-is until you bring it in to a service center or decide to fully move forward with the fix. Beyong happy I was able to make my drive of 500+ miles without alarms and added ability to use cruise

Cheers!

 

[matt1981m]

Gave the tutorial a go and it worked awesome! Once you pull the paneling off to get to the connector, one pro tip, is you don't need to go as far as removing the paneling on the trunk. You can use the emergency release cable once the latch releases to use the trunk as-is until you bring it in to a service center or decide to fully move forward with the fix. Beyong happy I was able to make my drive of 500+ miles without alarms and added ability to use cruise

Cheers!

In my case the emergency release wouldn't work as the cinch motor was locked up tight, and when you tried to pull the release it wouldn't budge.

 

[stromb0li]

In my case the emergency release wouldn't work as the cinch motor was locked up tight, and when you tried to pull the release it wouldn't budge.

I had to disconnect the cable per the video and pop open the trunk manually. Once the trunk was open, the emergency release cable started to work again.

 

[Cheburashka]

I got lucky. My actuator broke at the very end of a road trip and I was too tired to deal with it. Next day I woke up to my trunk being open.

 

[Cheburashka]

So what happens if you have the rear facing seats and kids in the back and this part breaks? Seems like there is no way to get your kids out without breaking the window.

 

[brkaus]

So what happens if you have the rear facing seats and kids in the back and this part breaks? Seems like there is no way to get your kids out without breaking the window.

Flop the back seats down and climb over? Or just climb over. They are kids after all.

 

[matt1981m]

Flop the back seats down and climb over? Or just climb over. They are kids after all.

IDK, their tiny hands would be better suited to accessing the harness you need to disconnect in order to release the latch. /s

 

[whitex]

So what happens if you have the rear facing seats and kids in the back and this part breaks? Seems like there is no way to get your kids out without breaking the window.

I think kids could climb over, but a good point. Word of warning to anyone who is in that situation who thinks maybe driving to Service Center to get the kids out is a good idea. I've had the tail latch fail on 2 Model S'es. When broken, the trunk would have a hard time both closing/latching and opening/unlatching. However, when the latch fails and trunk will not open, the car thinks the trunk is open, so it is actually partially unlatched. I realized with one of the failures that in such situation, driving the car a would actually open the trunk (the latch gets jarred open?). So if the car thinks the trunk is open but you cannot open it, be prepared for it pop itself open while driving.

On a bright side, the fix is quick and easy, as long as the ranger has parts.

 

[krsgio]

So what happens if you have the rear facing seats and kids in the back and this part breaks? Seems like there is no way to get your kids out without breaking the window.

I have the executive rear seats and they had to just climb over them. it was a tight fit.

 

[brkaus]

I just joined the club a second time. 2017 S with 95k miles.

 

[Cheburashka]

I just joined the club a second time. 2017 S with 95k miles.

Sorry to hear. I ended up buying the part off eBay to fix mine. Brand new was around $100.

 

[brkaus]

So I understand, if I remove the carpet and unplug/plug until it (hopefully) opens... I can leave the plug out and it will basically function fine until I get it repaired?