Kick Sensor Installed in a RAV4 Prime SE!

This is a video of my installation of a kick sensor for opening the back door hatch on my RAV4 Prime SE. The sensor kit was purchased on ebay - there are several available now, and they all seem to be basically the same item, just from different sellers. A few are listed below. Besides the sensor kit, there was also a fuse tap that I used, and that link is also below. Please be sure to subscribe!
A few of the Kick Sensor Kits on ebay:
ebay.us/5fXvhD
ebay.us/1XDhXo
Fuse Holder/Tap Kit:
The original set I bought was a 5-pack but it's not available as of today, 2/2/2022. Here's a 10-pack: amzn.to/3tFICWg
Thanks for watching!
I may receive a small commission if something is purchased through the above links.

[@horsedocfox]

I bought the kit off of eBay from the links above and and had a local stereo guy install it. It works for open and close, but you have to "kick" it twice for each. The one thing I didn't think of is that you still have to unlock the car, at least that is how mine turned out. I have a 2020 Rav 4 hybrid limited.

[@PhilsDIY]

Glad you got it working. I don't know about the Rav4 Hybrid, but on the Prime, as long as you have the key fob on you, even if the car is locked, one kick will unlock the car and open the hatch. But due to the way the switches are configured, I had to add a modification to allow me to kick to close. Thanks for your comment!

[@dna10101010]

I installed mine today. Used a $5 regular Bosch relay to switch the signal wires. Both Open and close work.

[@PhilsDIY]

That's great! Yes, my mercury switch solution worked. What did you use to swich the relay? The trunk light?

[@dna10101010]

@@PhilsDIY Trunk trigger by the fuse box.

[@PhilsDIY]

@@dna10101010 You mean the one on the dash where the six switches are? I'm not following how the relay plays into the kick to close function.

[@dna10101010]

@@PhilsDIY mine is a 2015. There is one pin in the harness at the fuse box output ground signal when the trunk is open. I just posted some pics on the rav4 forum. I can send you the link.

[@PhilsDIY]

@@dna10101010 Ah, I see. Mine (and others who have commented here) is a Prime (mine is a 2021 SE) which I think has very different wiring. I'm glad you got it to work! Yes, I'd like to see your pics. Thanks!

[@kykoala828]

Hi phil not sure if you have finished this project yet, but I believe you can use a mercury switch or tilt switch. When the hatch is in the open position, the tilt switch will act as a short between the sensors trigger and the working switch. When the hatch is closed, the tilt switch will act as open and the trigger will be wired to the switch that allows you to open the hatch as demonstrated by your video here. GL

[@PhilsDIY]

Hmm. That's a pretty good idea. Surely they make a SPDT mercury switch. I wonder how much those cost - if reasonable I just might try it! Thanks!

[@PhilsDIY]

Update - I found some pretty cheap so I ordered some basic mercury switches - I guess no such thing as a SPDT mercury switch... Will probably do a sequel video on the mod. Thanks for the idea!

[@PhilsDIY]

I got it to work! Thanks for your suggestion! New video just uploaded: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4PMq6ugf8-isLs

[@hmaksud]

Great video. Someday will definitely try in my RAV4

[@stephenbay9564]

Great video....thanks! And I have a question - if you don't mind. It's easy to see you understand electrical/electronics, and that is the area I need to ask about. Do you know WHY they need a wire connected to "accessories"? Makes no sense to me, and cannot think of - why? You want to be able to open the gate at all times, so why isn't B+ (12V always on) power enough? Do you know - and if not - can you guess as to why the "accessories" wire connection is necessary? The ONLY reason I can think of, is IF the vehicle is "ON" (engine running), then the gate will NOT open with a kick. Could that be it? Thanks for your time in advance!

[@PhilsDIY]

Thank you! Great questions! I don't know why they designed it this way, but your guess is correct, that the kick sensor will not open when the car is in Ready (power on) mode. Not sure they thought it through, because I know I often need to hop out and get something from the back when I'm on the road, and I just pull over, get out and have to push the button. Maybe they don't want somebody walking up to your car while at a stop light and kicking the hatch open. That's the best guess I have.

[@sivucit]

Hi, for this system to work, do i have to unlock the car and then KICK , or if i kick the car will unlock and liftgare open (both).. yes i do have a key in mypocket. also i assume green trigger wire will ouptut ground to activate this means i have to look at tailgate switch that goes to ground while pressing the button. please advise.

[@PhilsDIY]

If the car is locked, then it will unlock and open the liftgate so long as the keyfob is on you. If the car is not locked, the kick will open the liftgate regardless of whether you have the key on you or not. Yes, the green trigger goes to ground to activate and that would be how to identify the wire to tap into.

[@erichtisnado1536]

Or, maybe just buy two kick sensor kits, and make one the 'open' and one the 'close'. Very cool, tho! I'm totally going to add this to my R4P SE when it shows up in a couple weeks. I'll have to place mine off-center because I also plan to add a trailer hitch.

[@PhilsDIY]

That's actually a great idea! Here I am over-engineering a solution and you think of a simple work-around. LOL. The sensors are cheap enough to do that. Thanks for the comment!

[@erichtisnado1536]

@@PhilsDIY Heh... I'm an electrical engineer, and i started spinning around in my head ways to do that too, like using a DPDT relay to click the buttons. I tend to over engineer stuff when a simple solution is right at hand, but maybe a bit less elegant.

[@PhilsDIY]

My undergrad degree is also EE, so that must be a trait among us! LOL I received the transistors and capacitors today, so I'll be experimenting. It's been awhile since I did active electronics tinkering, so who knows what I end up with...

[@artshawaii]

Very cool! XSE can both open and close, but it requires the key fob to be in proximity too.

[@jacklau4644]

Hi Arts Hawaii, did you install one in your XSE? Which wire connector did you connect the green wire?

[@artshawaii]

@@jacklau4644 it comes standard on the XSE PP

[@kevinbullard6933]

Very cool video and actually the only one I could find online, really appreciate you sharing this. I have all the wires run to the appropriate locations and the mercury switches epoxy’ed to the bracket waiting to dry. Question is on the upper switch, when stripping back the wire how are we testing which is the button to close vs the lock. I understand stripping the wire back but are we just wrapping the green wire from the sensor to test? Thanks and hope this makes sense.

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi Kevin, take a wire connected to ground (nearby metal part) and touch each wire briefly and look for the right action: lock (wrong); close (correct); or nothing (ground). If you're lucky you you'll find the right one on the first wire you strip! Good luck.

[@kevinbullard6933]

@@PhilsDIY thanks

[@gtashiro]

I saw a video of someone who does car camping who installed a switch to try and open and close from inside the cargo area. He had the same issue and ended up running a wire up to the dash trunk button.

[@PhilsDIY]

I think the switch at the dash requires a press and hold - over a second. The kick sensor module that I used has a short signal. I didn't actually measure those times so I can't say for sure but I'm thinking it won't work that way.

[@jeffw9776]

@@PhilsDIY In the owners manual under the customization section 9-2, page 575 the "Power back door" -- Back door opener switch operations: Default setting is set to "Press and Hold" but you can change it to "One short press". This appears to be a setting that only a Toyota Dealer can do. If this is referring to the front switch maybe this is a solution.

[@PhilsDIY]

@@jeffw9776 I saw that too. When I take it in for its first service (or for a problem) I'll ask then to change that setting. I'm pretty sure that would work; I'll keep you posted! I'm only at 1500 miles, so who knows when this will be...

[@MykArd]

@@PhilsDIY Following up on the idea of tying the sensor to the dash button: It won't work. The problem is that the dash button is inactivated when the doors are locked. So the kick sensor similarly won't work unless you unlock the doors first, negating the point of having a kick sensor in the first place. Thankfully, the truck button does work with the doors locked (if you have your key on you), so that is the appropriate place to tie the kick sensor.

[@PhilsDIY]

@@MykArd Thanks for the update! Now we know that the trunk switch is the only place to connect to.

[@nabale100]

Hi Phil, Thank you for posting this. I installed the kick sensor in 2023 Rav4 Prime (Thanks to you). I have a question. The kick sensor is too sensitive and it is mounted all the way towards the front of the car inside the bumper cover which is at an angle and the coverage area extends to the floor beyond the underside of the car. Sometimes when I walk near the car, it is opening the trunk. Did you experience the same problem? I am thinking to cover the sensor partially with aluminum foil tape. Do you have any other ideas? Thank you

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi Rashid, Thanks for watching my video. No I have not experienced the problems you're describing. I think I would reach out to the seller of your kit and explain to them your problem and tell them the sensor is much too sensitive or mis-calibrated. My understanding of how these sensors work is that they sense the foot moving towards the sensor and activates. But if it's activating just by walking past it, there's something wrong. Try to get the seller to send you a new sensor. Let me know how it works out!

[@nabale100]

Thanks for a quick reply. How you pla ed your sensor inside the bumper cover, in the center or towards front or back of the car? The bumper cover is not flat

[@PhilsDIY]

@@nabale100 You can see exactly where I placed it starting at around 13:40 in the video.

[@necocasa2618]

Hi Phil, great video. I wanted to ask did you confirm that the kick sensor does not open the hatch without the key fob? Thanks

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi, if the car is unlocked, then key fob is not needed to open with the kick sensor. If the car is locked, it won't open without the key fob on you. Thanks for watching!

[@louishong4431]

Hi Phil, Thank you for the video. It is great. I am installing the same kick sensor, but, could you please advise how to test the signal wire for the upper switch? I found the three wire, however they are different color than your. One is white/black: no power when the tailgate is open. The other two is green and purple, they have power when the tailgate is open. Could you please advise a right way to find the wire that we need from the upper switch? Any advice is highly appreciated!

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi Louis, first, start at the switch and make sure you have the right 3 wires. Or you can pull the plug for that switch, then using a short piece of wire, try connecting the ground to each of the other two. One will be the unlock switch and the other will be the lift gate switch.

[@louishong4431]

@@PhilsDIY do you have a small switch outside at the upper switch for unlocking the car? So only one at the upper switch location?

[@PhilsDIY]

@@louishong4431 yes, mine has the open switch, and a separate unlock switch to the right of that. Maybe you have a different model rav4?

[@louishong4431]

@@PhilsDIY no, actually my XSE hybrid has both. I just go out and take a look. I was wrong. It does has an unlock switch

[@louishong4431]

@@PhilsDIY thank you and merry Christmas!

[@johnbucia1533]

Phil, awesome video of your project. Do you happen to have the name of the kit you used?

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi John, it goes by different names, and I've included links for a couple of them on ebay. Thanks!

[@johnbucia1533]

@@PhilsDIY Thank you Phil

[@Peterfromplace]

Hi Phil. What did you use to mount the cargo net vertical. Does your model have hooks? If so the Australian hybrid model seems to be missing them.

[@PhilsDIY]

No, the Rav4 Prime SE does not have hooks at the top sides. The net that I got comes with a hook that replaces the fastener clips. www.amazon.com/dp/B08MJGK9C3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_M02YS5PX4SJYE1YS8JHC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@Peterfromplace]

@@PhilsDIY Thanks for the reply. I'll look into it.

[@tommynguyen3906]

Hi Phil. Thanks for giving instruction of installing a foot sensor. I also try to install a foot sensor on my Honda Accord. I got the power source and the ACC but I can’t find the trigerring wire to tap into(been trying to tap into different wire but no hope). Is there a way that can help me tell which wire is triggering wire?

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi Tommy, you have to start at the switch (button) on the rear hatch that opens the hatch. Once you open up the inside panel of that hatch, you should locate that switch, and it should have two, possibly three wires. One of those is the ground lead, and the other would be the trigger wire that you connect the trigger from the kick sensor control output wire. First use an ohmmeter to find the ground lead (zero resistance to the car's chassis - a bolt or screw attached to the body is usually good ground), and then connect the control wire to one of the other. If it has two wires, it's easy; if it has three wires, you have to try one at a time. Good luck!

[@tommynguyen3906]

@@PhilsDIY thank you 😊

[@PhilsDIY]

​@@tommynguyen3906​ You're welcome! Let me know how it goes.

[@jacklau4644]

Which wire is the trigger to connect to the green wire?

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi Jack, the opening switch (from closed position) is the upper switch. The wires are shown in the video starting at around 15:45. It shows 3 wires, and it’s one of the two white wires, without the black stripe. You have to gently strip back a little bit of the wire to test it, one at a time. I found the right one on the second try, but it’s on one of them so it’s not hard to find. It is wrapped up in black tape so you will have to cut away some of that tape to access the wires. If you want to make the mercury switch modification to open AND close, please watch my update video, at kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4PMq6ugf8-isLs. Good luck!

[@jacklau4644]

@@PhilsDIY Thanks Phil, how about connecting the wire off the switch at the dash board?

[@PhilsDIY]

Someone else asked about that. I think it might work, but I didn't want to run a wire from the front switch all the way which would require taking all the trim out along the way to get the wire tucked away neatly. Also, if you did that, you would need to the hatch switch operation from the default long press to a short one, in case the kick sensor's trigger is a short burst to ground, and then figure out which wire to connect the trigger wire to.

[@MykArd]

I did some testing to determine whether connecting the kick sensor to the dash button will work. It won't. The problem is that the dash button only works when the doors are unlocked. Having a key in your pocket near the back door is insufficient, so you'd need to actually unlock the doors manually before using the kick sensor. But if you had a free hand for that you wouldn't need the kick sensor at all. There is also a slight question of whether the rear hatch could open accidentally while driving if you wire it this way. When the doors are unlocked (even if the vehicle is in motion), the dash button works. So if you reprogram the button to "instant" activation (which is 100% necessary to get the short pulse from the kick sensor to activate the system) then any brief activation could open the hatch. This means that if the sensor detects the motion of driving as an activation all it would take is unlocking the doors while driving to cause the hatch to open automatically.

[@MW_Shaafi]

Hello, I am the owner of a 2021 Toyota Highlander base model without an electric tailgate. I would appreciate it if you could create a tutorial for installing an aftermarket electric tailgate on a Toyota Highlander 2021. There is currently no video specifically for this model. If you do create a tutorial, please include a link to it so that I can access it. Thank you for your consideration.

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi, Unfortunately I can't make a video on this because I have the Rav4 Prime model. However, I did a quick search, and there is an aftermarket kit that you can buy on Amazon: amzn.to/4fGAUkk - and I think they have a 20% discount coupon right now. This kit looks like it would take care of what you're looking to do. Sorry I couldn't help more, and good luck!

[@MW_Shaafi]

@@PhilsDIY Thanks mate. I appreciate your help 👍

[@carlsonhucaluk5073]

Might you know or can comment on it working on a rav 2020? THAT would be great

[@PhilsDIY]

If it has a power trunk hatch, it should work. Same principle - find the switch to open and tap into it. If it uses the same circuit to also close, even better. If it only opens using the upper switch, and the lower switch to close, then you will need to do the mercury switch solution I did (kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4PMq6ugf8-isLs) or something similar.

[@jayshahu]

which of the 2 wires did you finally use and is there an easy way to identify the wire. Are they both white?

[@PhilsDIY]

The upper switch wire harness has 3 wires - one that has a black stripe, and the other 2 are just white. you have to strip back the insulation on the white ones to test. I had to do both - you might get lucky and get the right one on the first try. The lower switch is 2 wires - it's the green one that is the trigger.

[@albertgracelieu1506]

Thanks Phil for the excellent tutorial, I bought all same parts as you did including mercury switches, I am about to install everything once for all. It's just unclear which upper white cable is the lift trigger wire, it sounds like that we have to take the odds, but I will post answer later if I can find a visual way to identify the right wire.

[@tenske]

i noticed you have a cargo net, just wondering where you bought that and did it come with hooks for the sides?

[@PhilsDIY]

Yes, it comes with the hooks that fit in the holes on the sides. amzn.to/3XUIQse

[@tenske]

@@PhilsDIY Awesome thanks for the info. can't understand why we have to search so hard to find an envelope cargo net ..and why there isn't an OEM one blows my mind.

[@PhilsDIY]

@@tenske Toyota does have an OEM one - but it's really stupid. It clips onto the four hooks in the cargo area that are down low, so it's designed to hold things down onto the floor. That's fine for a small item but useless for most other things. I tried another cheap one first, but that required drilling into the plastic panels for hooks, but I thought the holes for the screws would eventually give out and then you'd have ugly holes. Then I found these. :-)

[@hoangdo1179]

Hi Phil, that trigger (green wire) said going to the ground wire at the rear hatch switch? When acc switched on there is 12v at the green wire and I don't have that switched 12v. I tried to dry fit but there no power! Please help. I use my Power probe to switch for (acc)

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi, The green trigger wire goes to the positive side of the switch. So you have to check for the voltage on each of the wires while you push the switch and see which one gets grounded when you push the switch. That's the wire you attach the green trigger wire to. But when you have the ACC on, the sensor does not work. Only when all power is off, then the sensor will work. The red wire goes to BATT (always on 12V), Orange (yellow?) to ACC (Switched 12V) and Black to ground. Green wire gets grounded by the sensor module when kick is sensed, and only when ACC is off. Let me know if this makes sense to you.

[@aaroninsf]

Hi Phil, thanks for these great vids! Do you know anyone in the Bay Area who could do installs for us, I'm pretty intimidated but would love to put your 3-color foglight solution especially on our SE... :D

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi, Sorry but I don't know anybody. You might try posting something on the Facebook Official Toyota Rav4 Prime group. I know there are several members who are in the bay area there.

[@aaroninsf]

@@PhilsDIY Thanks! The quest shall continue! I am going to try to draft your excellent improvements... :)

[@MrPhobass]

Hey Phil, quick question. I bought one of the kick sensors you linked but I see that there is no extra cable for the sensor cable. There's only 1 bundle of cable that handles all functions so the sensor cable is pretty short. Do you think I can just remedy this by finding comparable type of wire locally and just extending the cable to the hatch switch? Thinking of splitting a ethernet cable for the wire.

[@PhilsDIY]

Hi, if you're going to use ethernet cable, I would not split it out but just run the cable as is, and use one pair for that trigger wire (twist the two conductors together). That should work. You'll have 3 more pairs as backup. I'm assuming you're talking about the trigger wire, and not the actual sensor cable, as that is via a water tight connector.

[@MrPhobass]

@@PhilsDIY Thanks Phil! Yep I meant the trigger wire.

[@anonymousme6346]

Is it ok if you share the link of the sensor you bought at eBay?

[@PhilsDIY]

The exact one I bought isn't available any more. I've put links for 3 others that I think are either the same thing or very much alike.

[@jacklau4644]

Bought the aftermarket kick sensor. Connected to the top switch only and is operational to open. Waiting for 2 mercury switches to arrive. Here are all the facts I noticed (Hope this is helpful to others): Red wire - connect power source to power the sensor Yellow wire - connect acc. power; when car is on, this will disable the sensor for safety reason. Green wire - connects to trigger wire. When sensor detects motion, there will be continuity between green wire and ground for a short burst. Therefore, trigger switch will activate. Black wire - ground to the car. Top switch cannot operate when it is fully open and bottom switch cannot operate when fully close. The trigger wire on the bottom switch is green/white and the other is ground (black/white). There are 3 wires on top switch, 2 white wires and 1 black/white (ground). One of the white wires is the trigger wire for the hatch. In order to find the trigger wire, disconnect the switch and use a paper clip or short wire to short the ground to 1 of the white wire. In my ’19 XSE, the trigger wire is far right when looking at the switch from inside.

[@PhilsDIY]

Excellent summary!

[@hugoking7430]

Install 2 sensors. 1 for open, one for close

[@PhilsDIY]

That definitely would work. Did you watch my follow up video?