Troubleshoot and Fix Land Rover LR3 or LR4 When Upper Tailgate Is Stuck

[@joek7732]

I had this problem a few years ago, and didn't want to spend the money on the parts. The fix I had then was to take apart the actuator, and there's a little DC motor inside the plastic housing. The copper connections had become pretty corroded inside the motor, so I cleaned them with some sandpaper and that fixed that problem until just this last week. I assumed it was a similar problem but the motor was still performing great. The problem was the latch, but what fixed this problem was simply cleaning it up. There was so much gunk in the latch mechanism that it wasn't opening all the way. So after several dozen wipes with a cloth and moving the latch open and shut until I couldn't see any more grease, BOOM! fixed. Way better than spending the money for new parts. OH!!, and you don't need to work from the inside. If you hear the clunk when you depress both lock and unlock buttons, all you need is a broomstick, or in my case a 6' level. Push one end of the stick against the liftgate with slight pressure as you sit in the front seat. Push both buttons down until you hear the clunk and the pressure at the moment of the unlock is enough to completely open the liftgate so you can do the work from the outside like Jim on the video. If you apply to much or to little pressure it either seizes the latch or it shuts before it can open. If that happens, go to the back, push the liftgate shut and try again with different pressure.

[@bjb227]

My wifes LR3 just had this problem. Jims advice helped and I was able to fix the problem WITHOUT buying any new parts, at least in the short run. My tips: you will not be able to fix the problem by using the small hole he shows. there is not enough working space for pliers to grab the cable or for a screw driver to push the actuator. instead attack the black cable's housing . use a paring knife and pliers to cut away a 1 cm segment of plastic. then use a flat head screwdriver to peel off the spiral silver wire underneath the black plastic. you will then see a thin white plastic tube that contains the true cable. i used needle nose pliers and grabbed the closest section of the white tubing and was able to rip off .5 cm off the top. i could then see the true cable and was able to pull on it and release the hatch. my cable's L shaped connector had snapped at the L bend. another video shows how to reuse this. i duck taped the frayed cable. in the end, the repair works fine.

[@dandtpatterson]

Ran into this issue tonight. Thank you for the clear steps to fix it. Just ordered a replacement actuator from you. Thank you!

[@bradjohnson5761]

THANK YOU for this video. It gave me all the info and confidence I needed to "break" into the rear panel. I managed to get in w/ minimal (imperceptible) damage to the panel, and, in my case, the cable end had broken in half. There was enough left to use...wait for it...bailing wire to secure the cable end to the clip and wrap around the retainer for extra security. Whether other parts break is TBT - I'll be getting them from Atlantic British.

[@paultrain5034]

I found it helpful so thank you for your efforts. My issue was the catch itself not releasing properly, once removed and tested a few times I could see it wasnt working correctly. I will order one and replace then see how the actuator works after that.

[@DefaultName-me9oh]

Your videos are great and a massive help - really good to see someone who knows their stuff!

[@albertmogul7876]

I used a paint can opener that you get for free when you buy a can of paint. It’s got enough of a hook to pry open the cover. Hope it helps you. It wasn’t easy to do when your tailgate is stuck closed.

[@TucsonTriceTrikeTrip]

GREAT INFORMATION, thank you for sharing these videos. I didn't even realize there was a speaker in there too!

[@byronkellywfg]

Thanks for the info. I haven't dove into this project yet but I can say the problem was very sudden.

[@gordonayre1965]

You can open the bottom tailgate from the inside. The latch's at each side is accessible from inside, just release each on with a screwdriver (I could actually do it with my finger as they are small). Makes the job so much easier.

[@jesussalcido]

You CAN NOT open the bottom tailgate if the top is locked-stucked. Saludos-

[@pmwilkinson18]

Fixed it with 41 seconds of this video! Thank you.

[@telepiper]

Jim - great video and very helpful BUT… If the 2 button test shows the actuator to be working but the door release catch makes no sound i.e. doesn't fire the actuator does that mean the problem is confined to the door handle release assembly on the upper tailgate? Also I found when removing the interior lining from the bottom tailgate that it was neater and easier to pop the studs along the bottom and lift from there - there was no need to fiddle with the plastic trim by doing this. jamie

[@spazzymax5854]

Thx - this helped. I did it almost like this. My cable had come loose but not snapped . I was able to Jimmy it back in:)

[@terrycomm11]

Thanks Man. Very helpful - I'll call for the parts.

[@MyNobber]

Excellent video. Thank-you. Ordering part from you.

[@premkumarramchandani2321]

Very nice..today I open stuck tail gate ..landrover lr 4 ..as same problem

[@Stealther]

This was the automotive version of a cooking show lol

[@partystarter84]

How do you get the upper tailgate open if that fails?

[@cesarhidalgo23]

Thanks for the videos!!! They're really helpfull!!

[@jesussalcido]

If the upper tailgate is STUCKED. there is NO WAY you can get to the actuator, unless you destroy the inside panel. I went to the SELF SERVE AUTO PARTS a couple of days ago, to find the actuator and I had to destroy the panel, to get to it. I spend about half an hour trying to save the panel, but as I said, THERE IS NO WAY to get to the latch and pull the cable. Once you removed the inside panel, just remove two small screws holding the actuator and pull the cable. This video makes it look to easy, because the door is open, I hope Jimmy, makes a video doing this, with the tailgate STUCKED. Saludos¡

[@TheWood912]

How can I order the water shredder?

[@gaylelarsson3031]

We used this procedure to fix our rear hatch and it worked well. However, after the fix the computer says the rear hatch is open and the light stays on. How can we fix this?

[@krixsful]

perhaps you forgot to connect the switch on the latch

[@DrDodge24]

How reliable is the Land Rover LR3? What are the common issues? Thanks!

[@andrewfaucette2106]

ZNormT6 Hey! Saw you commented on another video asking about the LR3, and it reliability and how you were wanting one, Well its 3 months later and hows the car search coming along?

[@newmonya]

Went out on me a couple of months ago, it's a pain in the neck to fix.

[@TheYihuaSun]

How do I remove the trunk subwoofer land rover discovery 4 ?

[@BillieJoStevens]

how can I order the parts from you for this issue ?

[@brianbrewster6532]

I'm going through this MISERY as we speak. You should also point out to your viewers, that you cannot lock your vehicle as the system is already in Safety Mode. And by all the interior lights coming on and STAYING ON, this inevitably bleeds down your battery (within 12 - 24 hours) to the point you have not enough CCA to start it up!

[@ttesscc6270]

Hi press both buttons. Can hear the back door after a few seconds but door does not open

[@bryantteja6675]

My range rover have a tailgate door