Freelander 1 Help Tailgate locked

Hi. Yesterday as we had to take the cat to the vet the tailgate refused to open. The window drops as normal but the door is locked. I know there are several threads concerning this, and I'm not sure which are specific to the symptoms. So could someone direct me to the relevant thread for this issue or let me know how to fix it, please. I reset the glass by disconnecting the battery just now, which got my hands a bit dirty and nothing else. As it's my wife's car she's taken it to work so I haven't been able to investigate further. 2004 3 door TD4

If the window is dropping, then the Central Control Unit (CCU) is working correctly. It's most likely the door actuator has failed. This could be tested once you get it out. The most difficult thing to do at the moment will be to open the door. The internal trim needs removing so you can get at the actuator to release the door. Annoyingly the door trim is designed to be removed with the door open, not stuck closed.

Is the release handle stuck up when you try to open the door and sound like not clicking with the motor engaging. If so the the springs are weak and need replacing. You can release by pushing forward the handle to unstick it. If that does the trick test to see if the motor is working okay by using the fob key or the console switch and spray some wd40 on the tailgate release handle.

Nodge68 said:

If the window is dropping, then the Central Control Unit (CCU) is working correctly. It's most likely the door actuator has failed. This could be tested once you get it out. The most difficult thing to do at the moment will be to open the door. The internal trim needs removing so you can get at the actuator to release the door. Annoyingly the door trim is designed to be removed with the door open, not stuck closed.

Click to expand...

Just thunking here. The actuator has the leaver move up and down to unlock the door if you are Jimmy the Fink and dab handed with a coat wire hanger you could feel for the catch and push down on that while window down. Hopefully Joe Public will not be bothered calling the police.

Thanks for the replies I had a nasty feeling it would be the actuator. No danger of the Police turning up I haven't seen them here for @ five years. I'll try and think of a plan trouble is getting the time when the car isn't in use. I don't want to leave it with the door unable to close at all because then she will have to borrow my car. Only other problemette is I think all our coat hangers are plastic.

Is it worth taking the risk on a second hand actuator or stump up the cash for a new one?

It is just possible to manually operate the door actuator with some form of tool from above, going through the window seal. However you really need to see what you are trying to operate, so really tiny endoscope is needed. I have one that hooks straight up to my Droid. It's perfect for seeing into places that simply couldn't be seen any other way.

You can still use the boot in the short term by dropping the rear window. Just be aware that the cables could well fail in the process.

is it possible that the lock is ok but it is catching on the piece it locks onto mine did that I thought the door was locked and my son in law gave it a tug and it came open it happened to be the hinges were worn out