[MATrigger]

so occasionally when i go to open my back hatch( door and/or glass ) it wont open. when you pull the handle it has no resistance whatsoever and wont open. sometimes i can get it to work by just locking or unlocking it but that hardly ever works... any ideas?

 

[Squishy]

Can you hear the door lock actuator in the hatch working when you lock or unlock the rest of the doors? It sounds like either the door lock actuator has stopped working (more likely) or the door lock linkage has fallen apart (less likely).

 

[drescape08]

my '08 does this...except mine is just push button. ive taken it in, and it did it as i was there, but they claim that theres nothing wrong. "we opened and closed it 50 times"...but once it opens the first time it will continue to open and close. i have to put my key in the ignition, turn it on then back off...then youll here the actuator unlock. not sure whats going on...but for some reason a lot of times when i turn the escape off and unlock the doors...it dont unlock the back hatch and locking/unlocking dont work. have to put the key in the ignition to on then off. so try that and good luck. any ideas on mine? sorry to steel your thread.

 

[TheLegoguy]

Don't quote me on this...But I believe that actuators are the trouble. I rememebr reading on another board that this is a fairly common problem. Search the net for this and I believe you will see what I am speaking of.
BTW, my glass hatch won't unlatch sometimes either. I will just hit the glass near the grabbie plastic thing, then try the handle again and it usually works for me. :bang:

-The Legoguy

 

[MATrigger]

yea my first thought was it was bad actuators. but when i open it it's silent. its feels like the handles aren't even connected to anything. i try to put key in ignition, lock unlock... etc etc etc but still nothing. i have to wait til hours later i try it and it just magically works.

 

[Surfscape]

Since it works sometimes and not others it may need a little lube to free up the lock and latch mechanism. It may be the actuator but a spray of WD or lithium might be all you need.

 

[MATrigger]

true. ill try the lube idea. i keep hearing actuators from other sites and people with the same problems but if it was actuators wouldnt it just start degrading from good to bad and not just go from good to bad and back again?

 

[Squishy]

No, when actuators go bad they will work intermittently, which is exactly as you are describing. The actuators power the door locks; they are not connected to the liftgate handle, so I'm not sure what you mean by the handles being silent. The handles would be silent if the doors were locked.

 

[MATrigger]

when i say silent, i mean when you pull the handle you do not hear it connecting to anything to open the door, they feel unconnected to any lock whatsoever

 

[Squishy]

Does it feel the same as when you pull the handles while the doors are locked?

 

[MATrigger]

no,when the doors are locked you can still feel tension on the handle when you pull it. when mine is being squirrely, there is no tension at all.

 

[MATrigger]

i replaced my actuator and now it works great! the fix was very simple too

 

[drescape08]

well i got a new smart junction box installed today to fix my problem. hope this actually works.

 

[RobtRoma]

i replaced my actuator and now it works great! the fix was very simple too

Good to know... thanks for the update and I'm glad it was an easy fix for you

 

[MATrigger]

yup! i took pictures while i did it but somehow they all got deleted off my camera before i could post them :shrug:

 

[Crash27]

I have a similar issue with my O2, I used to be able to pull the handle and just give a light bump and the hatch would open, now no matter what I do it will not open, The handle feels like it isn't pulling far enough to open the latch or pulling the latch cable. The occasional time I can get it open after trying for 20 minutes, The glass opens fine, I just with there was a handle inside to open it. If anyone has any ideas how to fix this please let me know.

 

[hurk]

I believe you're going to have to go inside the car & pull the plastic away from the hatch from just below the hatch glass. Then reach in and pull on a rod to open the hatch. Once the hatch is open, you can then access the screws that hold the plastic in place. I think there are 4-5 of them. Remove the plastic, then do the lock repair.

Something that all Escape owners should do before the hatch mechanism becomes non-functional, yours truly included, is to drill an access hole into the interior hatch plastic so that the rod can be accessed easily. You should be able to get a decorative cap/plug to fit the hole.... Ford probably has something. Get the cap first, then drill a matching hole.... remove the plastic first to figure out an appropriate hole location.

 

[jbone2470]

I believe you're going to have to go inside the car & pull the plastic away from the hatch from just below the hatch glass. Then reach in and pull on a rod to open the hatch. Once the hatch is open, you can then access the screws that hold the plastic in place. I think there are 4-5 of them. Remove the plastic, then do the lock repair.

Something that all Escape owners should do before the hatch mechanism becomes non-functional, yours truly included, is to drill an access hole into the interior hatch plastic so that the rod can be accessed easily. You should be able to get a decorative cap/plug to fit the hole.... Ford probably has something. Get the cap first, then drill a matching hole.... remove the plastic first to figure out an appropriate hole location.

I know alot of people probably would hate to drill a hole in their escape.But i tell ya,Hurk that's a great idea,get cap first or plug then drill hole,Or drill hole and save piece that was drilled out...I would make hole just big enough for needle nose pliers would fit to activate rod.Be easier and smaller than trying to do with fingers..Great idea Hurk.. :clap:

 

[hurk]

I would rather have the hole already drilled than to have to pull the plastic away at the top. I'm pretty sure that would be the only way to get to the actuator rod when the thing breaks... it will break sooner or later.

As for a plug or cap, the Fr driver's side door has a plastic button that could be retrofitted. I believe it's called a door trim screw cover. If it couldn't be made to snap in place, then a little silicone or something would do the job.... just to secure it.... nobody would notice it.

 

[jbone2470]

Yes your right, I had to pop that small plastic round piece off to be able to take drivers door panel off.But i think it would look too unfinished so i rather just go find something else that will work like the cover that goes over a ciggarette lighter plug..