[AtlasDan]

This is the tailgate door on my daughter's RAV4. It won't open. The handle just pulls like it's disconnected. The handle mechanism is broken somewhere inside. I need to fix the broken handle mechanism but I first have to figure out how to get the door open. I've read about side doors getting the child safety lock switched on accidentally, but I don't think that's it.

I crawled in the back and removed the trim to gain access to the mechanism, but it's off to the side of the opening and narrow so I can't even get a good look at it. I did manage to see the rod that goes from the handle down to the actuating mechanism, and there is a white plastic piece that was attached to it that broke into pieces.

I'm not entirely certain that piece is the problem, but I can't really see it well enough to figure out how it works. Even if I could, it's such a narrow space that I can't get a screwdriver in there to leverage anything. If it is the child lock (I don't know if there is even one on the rear door) I can't see it from the inside to switch it back.

I had a thought that maybe I could remove the spare tire cover and maybe get access, but I haven't looked at that yet. I can't even find a good parts blowup, then maybe I could figure something out. Anyone have any ideas for me?

Thanks!
Dan

 

[Dr. Dyno]

For folks trying to find a diagram what year is the RAV4?

 

[pico]

A few years ago a member made a manual door opener that worked from the inside. He used a 2" (or so) hole saw to access the rod which then pulled up via an attachment. Hole saw is a good start.
EDIT: I'm sure he took off the panels first. You can't. My bad!

... unless there is a fuse just for the door! Is there?

 

[AtlasDan]

Sorry, it's a 2010 Base model. No electric tailgate door. I am able to remove all the trim on the door but the openings are too narrow to work in and the mechanism is too far from the openings to get any leverage or tools on anything.

 

[AtlasDan]

Any help anyone? If there is a parts blowup that would be a great start for me.

 

[JuneBug]

Sorry, it's a 2010 Base model. No electric tailgate door. I am able to remove all the trim on the door but the openings are too narrow to work in and the mechanism is too far from the openings to get any leverage or tools on anything.

Any help anyone? If there is a parts blowup that would be a great start for me.

Well, no wonder you didn't get much help. You posted in the 4.2 forum which is for 2001-2005 models. I'm moving this thread to the proper 4.3 Exterior forum. I'll see if I can get you an exploded diagram.

 

[AtlasDan]

Well, no wonder you didn't get much help. You posted in the 4.2 forum which is for 2001-2005 models. I'm moving this thread to the proper 4.3 Exterior forum. I'll see if I can get you an exploded diagram.

I guess I didn't realize that. Thanks!

 

[JuneBug]

Any help anyone? If there is a parts blowup that would be a great start for me.

Here's one. You can get more by registering at ToyoDIY.com: Online Toyota, Lexus and Scion Parts Catalog.

 

[DL175]

The rear hatch door should have three cut out holes. One is for the subwoofer. You should see or feel a long rod in the hole closes to the door latch. I am guessing a rod may have disconnected or a plastic part has broken. The only thing you can do is feel inside to manually pull the latch open since the rod is probably disconnected.

The edges of the cut out holes maybe sharp so be careful.

Here is a link showing the rod in post #26:
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/98-4-3-interior/80960-no-controls-inside-rear-door-3.html

 

[AtlasDan]

The rear hatch door should have three cut out holes. One is for the subwoofer. You should see or feel a long rod in the hole closes to the door latch. I am guessing a rod may have disconnected or a plastic part has broken. The only thing you can do is feel inside to manually pull the latch open since the rod is probably disconnected.

The edges of the cut out holes maybe sharp so be careful.

Here is a link showing the rod in post #26:

These pics are a great idea and I'll think about doing this if I ever get the door open.

My problem is at the bottom of that rod. The handle actuates the rod, and the rod pulls the latch lever up. But the latch doesn't do the unlatching so the door won't open. Kinda of like if you had the child lock on, but I don't think there's even a child lock on this door.

A plastic part did break, and you can see part of it in the pic. The piece that's left is in the latch lever hole where the bottom of the rod goes through it.

I got inside with my phone and had my daughter work the handle and took a few pics and videos.

Here's a good pic: https://goo.gl/photos/aSLvRbk2ZgYMAoco8
A video from the side: https://goo.gl/photos/xxVZr8xTLDUh2X8H7
A video from underneath: https://goo.gl/photos/fGzWgi53yLHQu1xi7

I can't post urls yet, and the pics are too big to upload. So I shared them on google photos. If you copy/paste "https://" into a browser, then the portion of the links above (removing all quotes), you should be able to see the pics.

Do you see anything I can try to manually activate? I can't figure out how it's even supposed to work.

Thanks!

 

[AtlasDan]

Thanks, JuneBug! Those diagrams will come in very handy. I'll check out that site, hopefully they'll have a diagram that will help me see how the mechanism works.

 

[AtlasDan]

The rear hatch door should have three cut out holes. One is for the subwoofer. You should see or feel a long rod in the hole closes to the door latch. I am guessing a rod may have disconnected or a plastic part has broken. The only thing you can do is feel inside to manually pull the latch open since the rod is probably disconnected.

The edges of the cut out holes maybe sharp so be careful.

Here is a link showing the rod in post #26:
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/98-4-3-interior/80960-no-controls-inside-rear-door-3.html

These pics are a great idea and I'll think about doing this if I ever get the door open.

My problem is at the bottom of that rod. The handle actuates the rod, and the rod pulls the latch lever up. But the latch doesn't do the unlatching so the door won't open. Kinda of like if you had the child lock on, but I don't think there's even a child lock on this door.

A plastic part did break, and you can see part of it in the pic. The piece that's left is in the latch lever hole where the bottom of the rod goes through it.

I got inside with my phone and had my daughter work the handle and took a few pics and videos.

Here's a good pic: https://goo.gl/photos/aSLvRbk2ZgYMAoco8
A video from the side: https://goo.gl/photos/xxVZr8xTLDUh2X8H7
A video from underneath: https://goo.gl/photos/fGzWgi53yLHQu1xi7

Do you see anything I can try to manually activate? I can't figure out how it's even supposed to work.

Thanks!

 

[Rav450]

Have you tried pushing the door from the inside while someone is operating the latch?

My 2009 latch mechanism is attached by 3 screws only accessible when the door is open. Ebay has a replacement latch Integrated Rear Liftgate Door Lock Actuator with Latch for 06-12 Toyota Rav4 | eBay

The 3 holes are shown in the 2nd photo on the right hand side of the mechanism. You may have to visit a salvage yard or dealer to see the mechanism first hand. Sorry I don't know how the mechanism works internally.

If you can't get it to open, you may have to resort going to the dealer or body shop. Hopefully, they have experience with this repair and can fix your problem without cutting the sheet metal. Worst case basis is that they cut an access hole next to the door opening from the inside and cut the legs of the u-shape latch to release the door. Hopefully, there is a much better solution.

 

[AtlasDan]

Ebay has a replacement latch Integrated Rear Liftgate Door Lock Actuator with Latch for 06-12 Toyota Rav4 | eBay

I fixed it! Thanks to the ebay link! I decided to spend $45 on the new latch hoping I would see how it worked and then I could operate the broken latch manually.

Looking over the new latch, I saw a nylon screw head (see first pic). On the side of the latch that is against the door body there was a secret trap door! Inside I saw the whole nylon screw, with a metal plate on the end.

There is a lever in there that deactivates the latch. Just like a child lock, except it deactivates the outside handle! The screw with the plate is for pushing the lever to the "active" position. Pic2 shows the position mine must have been in. Pic3 shows how the screw pushes the lever to the other position, where the latch is activated and works.

This lever is weird because there is no external control. Maybe it's for a feature on another model. I'll never know how it got pushed over. But the best news is that the latch was never actually broken.

Thanks everyone for your comments and help!

Anyone want to buy a rear latch handle for a 2010 Rav4?
:smile:smile:smile

 

[ravenuer]

I fixed it! Thanks to the ebay link! I decided to spend $45 on the new latch hoping I would see how it worked and then I could operate the broken latch manually.

Looking over the new latch, I saw a nylon screw head (see first pic). On the side of the latch that is against the door body there was a secret trap door! Inside I saw the whole nylon screw, with a metal plate on the end.

There is a lever in there that deactivates the latch. Just like a child lock, except it deactivates the outside handle! The screw with the plate is for pushing the lever to the "active" position. Pic2 shows the position mine must have been in. Pic3 shows how the screw pushes the lever to the other position, where the latch is activated and works.

This lever is weird because there is no external control. Maybe it's for a feature on another model. I'll never know how it got pushed over. But the best news is that the latch was never actually broken.

Thanks everyone for your comments and help!

Anyone want to buy a rear latch handle for a 2010 Rav4?
:smile:smile:smile

Cool! A secret trap door...Who knew?
Thanks for posting the details. It'll help the next guy who posts this problem.

 

[AtlasDan]

Cool! A secret trap door...Who knew?
Thanks for posting the details. It'll help the next guy who posts this problem.

:thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up:

 

[carljimenez]

So is this correct?...
The fix is to remove the interior rear door panel, then if you look into the large panel opening to the right you'll see the white nylon screwhead.
Use a screwdriver to turn that white screw, which should flip the child-lock-like lever from the disengaged position to the engaged position.
Have I pieced that together right?

 

[Solidventur]

I'm having the same problem with a stuck rear gate door. I've accessed the lock actuator and see the nylon screw. But which way do I turn it to activate/deactivate the latch?

 

[carljimenez]

My problem ended up not having anything to do with that screw but was simply a broken plastic part. I don’t remember the price but my local Toyota parts Dept had it in stock and I was able to easily replace it myself.

Once I removed the interior door panel by essentially just prying it off, I cut an opening in the plastic liner, rather than remove it and expose that black adhesive. Then I reached inside and pulled up or pushed down (I don’t remember which) on a silver rod to release the latch and open the door. If you look up into the door, you’ll see where that rod attaches to the door handle mechanism. There’s a small plastic part that connects the rod to the mechanism. The little flared out parts of the plastic part had sheered off so it wouldn’t stay in its hole on the mechanism. Just pop the new part into the hole from left to right, then swing it upward, then position the silver rod next to it, then swing the part back downward and clip it onto the rod. Tape up the plastic liner. Reattach the panel. And you’re done!

See the attached photos.

By the way, once I found out what was broken and before I drove to the dealership I actually just used a zip tie to attach the rod to that handle mechanism through the hole where the plastic part would go and it actually worked just as well - not sure how that would hold up over time but could be an easy free fix.

 

[Bendik]

Hello!

I just did the same thing as AtlasDan with my car. I removed the trim, got to the nylon screw and flipped the metal switch. The door opened at once.
But after i did this, when i lock the car, only two doors on the right side actually lock up. THe other ones stay unlocked.
Does anybody know what could be the problem?