Tailgate/Boot won't open
 

Evening all,

I have scanned the forum and sense a pattern emerging across other ranges but not the V50:

Out of the blue, the tailgate/boot on my 2004 2.0 D SE has suddenly stopped working. Yesterday it opened fine, today it doesn't open at all; tried changing the battery in the key, and verious combinations of locking/unlocking etc.

Hopefully nothing serious... I live in Germany so will be putting the pushchair through the back seat until i can get back to the UK to fix under warranty.

Thanks

If the car has a warranty, then local German dealer should be able to deal with this as the warranty is a European one, surely.

sadly not - i bought it from a volvo 'specialist' not main dealer, so only have a standard 3 month return to base. I am back in the UK in April anyway - 2 weeks before the warranty expires but wondered the possibilities of an easy novice repair, or if its a dealers job..?!

Thanks

I had a similar problem but mine was human error. The lock would make a noise when the remote was pressed but no noise was heard when I pressed the release on the tailgate itself.

If transpired that when I shut the tailgate a strap from a bag got trapped between the lock and the catch.

To open it I just had to resort to brute force.

German help
 

Never the less may be worthing popping your nose into the Kraut local dealer and he may be sympathetic/offer quick fix..especially if you have the kid along!!.

Nathan, try unscrewing off both license plate bulb plastic covers and wiggle the bulbs, or remove and reinsert and such.

if you undo the outer handle / numberplate lamp unit ( 4 stainless steel torx screws on the underside of the handle ) this should give you access to the micro switch wires which you can short together to open the lock , if this doesnt work ( and the cause is likely to be water in the handle connector) your dealer should be able to find the wire from the microswitch down on the CEM under the glovebox , if you earth this wire it will open the tailgate .

i too have had this, (i have posted on the subject)(http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=88930), the microswitch will cost around £14, but, i tried it and it didnt cure it, wiring is ok, so the local dealer said it will be the cem, £400 + £250 (for programming) + fitting approx £800 just to open the boot :(

although i will give the previous posters idea a go first lol

its very unlikely a CEM . have they earthed the pin on the CEM which the microswitch is connected to ?
and when they do this does a feed come out of the relavent pin to actuate the lock motor in the boot lid ?
Its questions like this you need positive answers to before condeming the CEM itself ...

Microswitch
 

Seems like you folks have some similar problems as myself.

My 2005 T5 tailgate stopped opening so I took it apart. After using my meter, I was able to figure out that a microswitch was the problem, which is a big pain as this is the only thing preventing my tailgate from opening. (unless I use a small wire to connect the leads on the wiring harness coming out of the tailgate). I see in the post that there is a recommendation to re/re the microswitch, but it is incorporated so intensely into the assembly that I don't think this could be done. Maybe?

I contacted Coquitlam Volvo in BC and was told by the parts tech. that I would need to buy a whole new handle assembly for approx. $150.00 Canadian, which, to me, seems like buying a new car when you get a flat tire. Sigh. His only advice was to go to a used parts place and look for something I could use. I live in Kamloops, BC, which is a big truck town, and I've never seen any significant Volvo parts in this town so I'd have to go to Vancouver (3.5 hours away) to look for a used part. Truthfully though, I don't want a used switch, and I'm sure many people would agree with this.

So I'm putting this out there to see if anyone has some ideas for me. I'm including some pictures to help out with my explanation.

The microswitch is part of the numberplate lamp holder assembly , about £11 in UK ,, you might have been poorly advised .. you dont need the whole assembly which has to be painted to match the car which isnt cheap ..

Thanks for the reply, Clan. Is the "numberplate lamp holder assembly" you mentioned the black piece in the picture below? It's about 30 cm long and holds the microswitch as well as the integrated wiring and such. If this could be ordered only, that would make my day.

Yes exactly that part :-) but unless you have ordered one before you wouldnt think so looking at the parts drawing ..

Yes!
 

This why these forums are so valuable. As it turns out, the original dealership I called had a parts man who was not as knowledgeable as others.

I contacted Don Docksteader Volvo in Vancouver, and Chris found the exact part that Clan said could be purchased. ($20.00)

I was able to install it with no problem, and voila! I am in the "I can open my tailgate club"! Thank you Clan.

I only wish I knew some more about cars to give back some karma. Namaste.

So should my boot pop open when I press the remote button or does it just unlock? Because on mine when I press the remote button it only unlocks it doesn't open itself.

The button on the key fob unlocks only.

Guru's right unfortunately. The only way to open the tailgate hatch is with the %#^@& little microswitch in the tailgate assembly. Unless models newer than 2005 made intelligent modifications?

Hi all, my V50 tailgate stopped working this evening but I don't think the microswitch is the problem because when I press it I'm hearing activity, like the latch is trying to open (a heavy 'click'). Any suggestions before I start taking things apart?

It's interesting there's no emergency release from the inside, but I guess that's because its not an actual trunk and therefore impossible to get trapped in.

This problem could well be something stuck in the latch , so pressthe button whilst someone pushes hard on the tailgate from inside ...

Ok some followup on this issue. Attempting to force the tailgate open didnt work, it was too solidly closed. I had resigned myself to taking it to the dealer, but after a few days its working again! I guess I went over enough bumps and potholes to shake it free. There wasn't anything stuck in the latch or the socket, so I can only guess that it got closed in such a way that made it stick. I'll spray some teflon on it as a preventative measure.

So if your tailgate gets stuck, but the latch still clicks when you press the release button, try taking your V50 for a bumpy ride :)

From reading the thread it seems that I may need to replace the micro switch?

My tailgate isn't opening since yesterday. My doors unlock/lock as normal and as far as I can see there is nothing stuck between the tailgate. The little plastic flap around the lock is at an angle though and not squared, could that be an issue?

Thanks in advance.

As has been mentioned before, it could have been a little bit of debris that was stopping the switch operating. Your bumpy ride dislodged it but I would suggest that you remove the swtich and clean it just in case.

Hi all,

I ordered a new microswitch, thinking that might solve the issue, but that hasn't worked. I even took it for a very bumpy ride...driving up and over pavements at night!...that didn't work either. I've booked it in for Volvo to take a look at it this coming Wednesday but I really hope it fixes itself before I have to pay out over £100 labour charges per hour.

Any suggestions? I've looked and there is nothing caught in the tailgate and the switch does click when pressed, it can only be some sort of mechanical issue.

Is the tailgate not fused in any way? No one has mentioned fuses.

Many thanks!

Well, it came to light that the actual lock mechanism had given up the ghost, the microswitch was fine. £200 later and my tailgate works again.

Expensive but Volvo would have charged me almost double!

Thanks for all the advice.

regards,
Heinrich

Hi, I had been reading this thread when my tailgate would not open on my 08 V50, had to happen when we were out with our Newfoundland dog in the back. Just wanted to let you know what mine was to help anybody who has the same problem.
My tailgate would not open but you could hear the double click when the button was pressed. I changed the microswitch button first because it seemed to be a common problem from reading different threads. Although not expensive £14 inc vat from Volvo dealer this was not the problem. Because I could hear the double click when pressing the button this is the sound of the actual mechanism (the tailgate latch) trying to operate. As of course the tailgate would not open then the latch was either jammed or faulty. Getting to the the latch was not a hard job. Carefully pull the trim off the inside of the tailgate (from inside the boot). Remove the latch plug, undo the bolts & the tailgate can then be opened. You can then begin to remove the latch itself. You may need to remove the bottom trim but again this just pulls off. If you need to remove the latch hook then you well need a Torx key. I took my latch apart & the plastic screw inside had snapped. By removing the top part of the latch it can be temporaraly be put back on the car & opened with your finger from inside the boot until a new one is purchased. A new latch cost me £119 inc vat from my Volvo dealer. Fitted & back as good as new.

Hope this helps

Russell.

Volvo S40 2007 model..boot won't open
 

I had the same issue with my volvo that suddenly the boot refused to open up. I searched online and read that it is possible to open the boot if you lower the back seats and slide into the boot and remove the back panelling attached to the boot lid. What I had to do is find the white connector that has 4 black cables attached to it and to the two thicker cables apply 9v from a battery and this released the mechanism and opened the boot. I did test the microswitch which is hidden under the handle on the boot lid and that was fine. The problem with mine was the cabling and after testing for continuity between both the microswitch , the 4 pole connector attached to the boot and the other end of the cable which is another plastic connector with 6 black leads connected to it (found on the left hand side on the roof of the boot), it resulted that 2 cables were not conducting and had snapped. The point where they snapped was through the rubber pipe that connects the lid to the car on the left had side of the car. I resoldered the cables and all is good now.

I fixed mine by removing the switch and giving everything a good clean. Put it back together and all is fine. Just in case of a further occurence, I bought a cheap Torx screwdriver set from "toolstation", and keep that in the glovebox along with a small piece of wire to short out the connector just in case.

Fixed it about a month ago and it has been fine. But you never know.

Hi,

Okay, so my boot decided to refuse to open.

Purchased the £14.88 microswitch but this hasn't fixed the issue.

Number plate lights still work but I do not hear any heavy clicks when locking/unlocking the car.

Could someone please advise possible causes & approximate costs, please?

I will go along the parts gateway & DIY route as long as I can to keep me away from my extortionate local dealer.

Any info appreciated.

Andy

It will be your boot lid loom broken internaly . Not extortionate at around £ 34

I'm actually relieved to see this suggested as it's next up the list of cost effective things to try & replace. Could you elaborate where to look for this? Google informs me the wires that lead to the boot via a waterproof tube of some description are a likely culprit.

P.S, I am in agreement that Volvo parts are reasonable - the service, not so much.

you have to get the lid open first .
fold down the seats and pull off the lid trim clips from within the boot and remove the trim panel .
the lid loom plugs into the car just above the hat shelf on the left side you will see it from in the boot , all black wires .
unplug the old loom from the socket and plug in your new loom . unplug the lock wire on the boot lid lock and plug in the new one , Plug your new handle with micro switch in . ( all done in the boot as the lid is still shut ) then press the microswitch to open the boot ... you can then install the new loom easily ..

07 s40
 

I've just spent some time in the boot of my Volvo trying to get the boot open, but no joy. I've taken off the internal trim and tried the putting 9v across 2 of the pins. I got excited at first when I heard a motor going but the boot still won't open.

I was going to try removing the latch bolts to see if the boot would open with the latch still on the car (not boot) but it didn't feel like there was enough play to allow the boot to open and I didn't wan't to force it.

Any suggestion on what to try next would be much appreciated...

yea thx

Please cand you tell me how to remove the microswitch ?
The sides go out easily, but in the middle i can't take it out, to reach to the
microswitch .
10x

easy m8 take out the 4 torques screws on the main lamp panel and it come out unplug it so its then completely off in your hand . then take out the number plate lamps and the button cover . then remove the rubber seal off the back . then the micro switch just un clips . its really easy ive done it on my s40 and v50 and im no mechanic

I think mine is stuck in the midle.
I can't pull it off, and i'm afraid i will break it if i force it.
10x for replay.

The middle unclips in the the same direction as the end pieces. Put your fingers behind the middle, thumbs on the edge of the painted panel and slide it off.

Hi, my S40 had a bag caught in the boot last summer when I tried to close it. Since then it has constantly said boot lid open on the dash even though it was not, and this would not switch off. now suddenly the boot wont open at all. it also appears the lights over the license plate no longer work? any suggestions what is wrong please? thanks

Yes,

The licence plate and boot-open microswitch is one assembly, easely removed from outside by removing 4 torx screws.
The rear bulbs you`ll most likely find failed (not the bulbs themselves) as there will be a load of corrosion (from constant moist) on the contactplates.
To open the boot, unplug wire to microswitch and bridge the connector with a paperclip. No need to access this from the inside
You can clean the bulb connectors, grease the connector with el-grease and you should be golden. If not, expect to buy a new assembly. Not expensive.

If you do buy a new one, grease up connector regardless.

One more thing, you can buy a used one or pick one up from a salvage yard, but it must come from a S40. They do not have the same issue with moist accumulation in specific area. Design issue, drag etc - circulating the rear end when at speed.

Tailgate locked
 

Water had got in through the opening mechanism and corroded the switch terminals, new tailgate latch mech cost £133 fitted if this helps anyone