Power Liftgate Stuck like Chuck

[KMac]

Greetings, comrades!
Long time lurker/first time poster here.
I have been though every search I can think of, and to no avail, so I am officially reaching out to the hive-mind directly for some help.

2012 Expedition EL XLT with the OE power liftgate.
This liftgate has gotten stuck in the past if something gets closed in the hatch or something, but this time I don’t think that’s the case, and it’s acting a little differently than it typically does. Typically if something gets closed in it I can push the button while pushing the gate (closing it harder) and it will release.

Using the dash button, the inside cargo area button, or the key fob, the latch will energize and move, but will not actually unlatch the gate.

I pulled the access panel and tried to trip the latch manually by pushing the button and pushing down on the lever when the latch starts moving. When I do this it engages the lift cylinder and tries to push the gate up, but the latch will not release.

I pulled the interior trim panel and waterproofing membrane to check for anything weird, but everything looks perfectly fine.

Anybody have any experience with an issue like this??
I’m beginning to think maybe there is something closed in the gate I just can’t see that hasn’t allowed the latch to close fully and that’s why it won’t release. Is that a possibility?

Please help!

 

[bobmbx]

Greetings, comrades!
Long time lurker/first time poster here.
I have been though every search I can think of, and to no avail, so I am officially reaching out to the hive-mind directly for some help.

2012 Expedition EL XLT with the OE power liftgate.
This liftgate has gotten stuck in the past if something gets closed in the hatch or something, but this time I don’t think that’s the case, and it’s acting a little differently than it typically does. Typically if something gets closed in it I can push the button while pushing the gate (closing it harder) and it will release.

Using the dash button, the inside cargo area button, or the key fob, the latch will energize and move, but will not actually unlatch the gate.

I pulled the access panel and tried to trip the latch manually by pushing the button and pushing down on the lever when the latch starts moving. When I do this it engages the lift cylinder and tries to push the gate up, but the latch will not release.

I pulled the interior trim panel and waterproofing membrane to check for anything weird, but everything looks perfectly fine.

Anybody have any experience with an issue like this??
I’m beginning to think maybe there is something closed in the gate I just can’t see that hasn’t allowed the latch to close fully and that’s why it won’t release. Is that a possibility?

Please help!

Make sure the hatch is still aligned properly. The hinges can bend a little, and that makes big difference at the latch.

 

[KMac]

The hatch seems to be aligned properly. All the body gaps are uniform all the way around it, no funny business.

 

[KMac]

Just wanted to update this post to say I resolved this issue a while back. I ended up just purchasing an entire new latch assembly in order to figure out how it worked. After some investigation and poking around with a VERY long screwdriver I was able to pop the latch and get the hatch open. Upon inspection of the removed latch there weren’t any obvious signs of mechanical or electrical failure so I installed the new latch and she has been working fine ever since.

 

[762mm]

My bet would be on a tired electric actuator. I had a few go bad on my old Explorer's rear gate (power lock) and what you described was the symptom: the actuator would try to unlatch or latch (audible sound), but it didn't have enough life left in it to do it 100%.

New actuators and problem was solved for a few years (I bought Chinese knockoffs off eBay for a fraction of the cost, so they didn't last as long as originals). What I found caused the most damage is slamming the gate down too hard. If I closed the gate hard, sometimes the actuator would quit... so I had to learn to be gentle with it.