VW Beetle trunk stuck closed! How to Manually open | replace Latch / camera on 2012 - 2019 models

[@TheDog_Chef]

Thank you for posting this! I just came home from the grocery store and I bought fish! Didn’t know about the emergency latch. I guess I’ll be ordering a new latch. Your video is so straight forward I believe I could replace it myself! Thank you!!!

[@twinfactor]

Dude! Love the tutorial. ... And a the Zero Tolerance knife. 👍

[@jamesstanley5503]

Great video tutorial. thanks for posting, Now hope i can get my non-functioning hatch open again, cheers

[@markborchelt2098]

Great video BUT, My 2015 Beetle hardtop has no manual release cord or button with an arrow on it in the trunk. When you lift the latch it buzzes for about 3 seconds. THe latch is locked and when I lock the doors the horn goes off and lights light up. Would disconnecting the battery release the lock? I have climbed in the trunk through the back seat and there is nothing on the mechanism on the inside of the latch that moves. For several days before it locked up it wouldn't lock at all. It wouldn't latch either. I figure the latch is broken. HELP.

[@matty42087]

Mine is doing the same thing right now :/

[@johnpastore1707]

Just curious, if the latch is broken and the emergency pull tab does not work, how can you fold the rear seats down if the latch to fold them down is in the trunk? Great video, thank you for the tips and instruction.

[@philedwards7174]

I agree. With the cabriolet version you just can't drop the seats without accessing the boot as the release is located in the centre of the back rest. But how many cars actually have an emergency release at all? Thumbs up to VW for trying to resolve.

[@Bougie642]

Thank you. You are very clear in your instructions. I have the same issue as you had with your wife's car but my beetle is a 2006 convertible. Do I have the same parts including the emergency release? Please advise.

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

@Bougie642 I don’t believe your trunk release parts are the same.

[@rschnell2877]

Dude! I am a female who knows absolutely NOTHING about fixing anything on a car and I needed this video and I did exactly what you said and IT WORKED!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Great to hear!

[@gloriafay-qy5xn]

I have this issue and also my side mirrors monitor for passing vehicles not working just bought a 2019 20,000 miles got it today delivered from 600 miles away I sent them a message they were closed hope they will pay for to be fixed that and trunk not working 🤷‍♀️they said all was in working condition when we bought it

[@gloriafay-qy5xn]

Great video

[@thegeneraljoe67]

Hi. My daughter has the same year beetle with this same problem.. My question is : To fix this exact issue, is it possible to just change 1 of those parts , or must both parts need replacing to solve the issue? Did you use dealer parts or aftermarket? Thank you for making this GREAT video!

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

I used VW parts ordered directly from VW. I would recommend replacing both because you're already in there. If you have the time and patience to do the job twice, then there is no requirement to change both at the same time.

[@MeleisaD]

My 2012 vw emblem makes the noise still, but wont unlock- so would it just be the achulator, or would replacing both be better?

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

I did both but it has failed again. More wiring troubleshooting is next.

[@tammyflorian9989]

Hello, I know this is an old post but hopefully you will see this question. We have a 2013 beetle but the emergency latch will not open the trunk. How did you get in through the back seat? The seat release is in the trunk and we can't find a way to get the seats down without the trunk open. Thank you so much!

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

I got on with the emergency release chord. I don't believe it is possible to get into the trunk through the back seat in this bodystyle. The first time I used the emergency release, I had to really yank on it. Sorry. . . .

[@johnpastore1707]

For anyone in this situation, The folding rear seat release latch in the trunk is connected to a cable that runs along the bottom of the trunk which goes behind the lower right corner (or left depending on the seat) of the driver side rear seat if you are looking at it while in the back seat area. I had to wedge a crow bar between the top of the seat and frame to make enough space to get my arm over the top of the seat and down to that lower right area. Once I located the cable, I had a strong metal hook I was able to get around the cable. I then yanked up on that cable and it released the seat so it could fold down. Great you might think, the seat now folds and I was able to get my groceries that had started cooking in the trunk because I had no way to get access to the trunk. You still have the problem with the trunk not being able to open. But hey at least you can get into the trunk. To open the trunk I had to crawl inside through the back seats with a grinder (and ear plugs) and ground the metal hook that the broken latch grabs onto. (the part I destroyed cost me $2 at the local junkyard). The electronic latch I needed to replace was almost $500 from VW. So now I have a strap around that cable which I have hanging over the top of my rear seat in case I need emergency access to the trunk by folding down the rear seat.

[@casselts1]

Ah, Volkswagen... The needlessly complicated, fiddly, electronic-laden, failure-prone latch mechanisms and their use of every type of fastener ever conceived, often times all on the same part.

[@markborchelt2098]

On the inside of the trunk ( 2015 coupe) where would the slot be for the key to unlock?

[@rbrevard]

Do you have a video on replacing the tail light?

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Not yet

[@mikenye9443]

Do you have to pull the entire mechanism like you did in order to swap out the latching mechanism ? I was told the latching part was all I needed.

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

They are two separate parts that can be removed individually.

[@rayderby1177]

Mike, did your VW symbol handle make the noise and the latch just wasn't opening up? That is what mine is doing and I assume I just have to replace the latching mechanism and not the actual vw logo handle etc. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[@rayderby1177]

Okay mine is fixed; to clarify it is my daughter's car and I didn't realize that the hatch mechanism should be quite and should not make any noise, when her latch was broken it would make a servo motor sound ( if you hear that sound chances are for sure it is the latch only that needs replacing. Got my replacement part from parts geek the next day for $230 with tax and shipping, not a cheap fix but the pick a part wanted $150 for used, forget that!.

[@MeleisaD]

@@rayderby1177 on the message from 5mo ago, THANK YOU SOO MUCH for explaining what your daughters car vw door latch sounded like - but did you end up doing both like the video showed, or was the part that made the noise *door handle* the issue? Cuz I have the issue in the video, and the handle (I assumed) made the noise cuz it wouldnt unlock.. how much - if you remember still were the double square tools? (Like torque, but not)

[@khiggins6311]

Does your handle have a camera built-in? Trying to get a peek and didn’t see one. (I want to add one to my cat, but am not sure how the handle camera work/look… thanks!

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

It does have the backup camera built in.

[@johncvv]

@@BurnoutsAndRotorblades do you happen to have the part number for the latch with a camera? Also do you know if all of the handles have a camera. I have the same handle but my stereo does not have any video capability

[@jake-hy2zb]

Volkswagons. My first dealing with them is now rebuilding my former wife's kit car for her. Going back a bit, I have been watching your great videos on the Vega. If you don't mind I would like to ask a question about that. I have an '80 Monza, bone stock saved for years. I want to upgrade it to a modern car for my granddaughter as a nice driver. I was wondering if you could recommend the best years of the S10 or S10 blazer for a complete donor. Drivetrain, axles, etc. I would really appreciate your input.

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Well, this is a strange question to ask about on this particular video. . .but here goes. I like the second generation blazer from 1995-2005. It has better front discs/calipers and the entire rear axle is the right size to fir with weld-on brackets and it comes with disc brakes that match the fronts to boot. I like the idea of a V8 in the Vega, so there isn't an S10 that would help there. I have been toying around with the idea of going LS in a Vega with a manual trans. However, the tried and true small block and any of the available transmission options are hard to beat for price. Though mine is pretty heavily modified, it feels more like a rough and tumble track car than a refined modern appliance vehicle. The manual brakes and steering, though they are an asset to the car's charm and work incredibly well, lack the polish that new vehicles have. As a last thought, I would recommend cruising through the H-Body forums. There is a shameless plug for my build thread down below. I really appreciate you watching and commenting on the videos! Good luck on the car. forums.h-body.org/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=46428

[@jake-hy2zb]

@@BurnoutsAndRotorblades Thank you for your reply. It is a huge help for my future build. Sorry, I asked here but the Vega videos were posted a while ago. I don't know if questions show up on your channel now. I do appreciate your taking the time to answer. Right now I am building an '87 Jeep with only the tub and frame original. 5.2 Mopar, etc. Her Monza is next. Take care.

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

@@jake-hy2zb no problem. I try to make sure I respond.

[@philedwards7174]

Top man. Had the same issue with my car and resolved through your video. Interestingly my 2015 cab's handbook gave no indication that there was an emergency release. Only issue I have is: why didn't VW provide enough tape on the emergency pull cord so that you do it on your own. I extended mine, otherwise it becomes a two person job. One to pull the cord and the other to open the boot. That is of course unless you have arms like a chimpanzee 😂

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

My chimpanzee arms can reach around to do both, but just barely. The wife couldn't do it. That's a good question. Maybe the engineer was a german ogre.

[@robnic9395]

Should both the latch and the actuator be replaced or can one be bad and not the other? I have a 2017 VW Beetle convertible.. same problem sounds like it is releasing but is not. Also what is the P/N for these parts?

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Part numbers are in the video. The actuator is probably fine if you can hear it moving.

[@rayderby1177]

@@BurnoutsAndRotorblades I believe this answers my question, my actuator is making noise every time, just the latch is not opening, so I will just replace the hatch. I appreciate the videos, thanks.

[@rayderby1177]

Just got my latch in today and replaced it. Now it is quite when working correctly. I assumed it is always noisy ( not my car ) but when working correctly the hatch mechanism does not make the broken servo motor sound, so anyway, if you hear the servo motor moving but not opening the trunk, more than likely your problem is just the latch mechanism that needs to be replaced . $200 on parts geek, tax shipping came to just under $230. Pretty expensive for a latch but what are ya gonna do ha.

[@leeblundell5646]

So what was at fault the latch or the badge opener did you test either?

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

The problem was intermittent. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn’t. If it had failed altogether then I would have been able to test for failure more easily. I did find that I could get it working by wiggling the wire harness going into the latch.

[@micheleaurelioeisenberges8657]

I have the same green beetle without the convertible. And ya. The trunk won’t open.

[@j32720]

Title the video for 2012 + 2019 VW beetle . That will help on search in the future.

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Done, thank you!

[@will.I.AmonYT]

My 2016 coupe doesn’t have that emergency handke

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Yeah, for the earlier models you have to go through the back seats and open the trunk from inside.

[@will.I.AmonYT]

@@BurnoutsAndRotorblades yeah man, I figured that out after I made my comment. Thanks for the info though. Such a stupid design!

[@naileav.4121]

Where could I buy the new part for mine?

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

There are a bunch of places online. The dealer is a good place to go as well.

[@victorgillerson2706]

I have a 2012 and it doesn't really have a emergency latch anywhere. Manual says to get in the trunk from the back seat and use the key. Did that and nothing would open like... At all

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

The 2012 is a different bod ystyle completely. I know it had similar issues. It might be worth taking it to the dealer for troubleshooting at the very least. Did you ever find a solution to your car's issue?

[@gohangan]

Hey, did you get it fixed? I’m wondering how you did it if you repaired it yourself. I have a 2012 too with this issue

[@nathanmai8151]

Anyone run into the issue of the park assist failing? Right now my camera is just stuck open and won't close with the car on or off so its just perma stuck

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

Our camera would stick up during this issue too. Turned out to be a problem with the wire harness.

[@gloriafay-qy5xn]

I bought my car in Alabama on line I live in ft myers Florida

[@ToyManFlyer1100]

Somebody was totally drunk when they designed this....Are you serious 😐 😒 😑

[@BurnoutsAndRotorblades]

There is no engineering like over engineering