Freelander 1 Tailgate electrical issues! Help please...

Hi all,

Got an issue with the missus FL1 rear door, all was well until yesterday, I was driving it and lowered the tailgate window all the way to get a clear view behind me when the window got all the way down there was a very loud bang/clunking noise. The window went up with the electric window switch absolutely fine but since then it's not budging. The heated rear window worked prior to this but now both the heated window switch and the electric window switch both do nothing.

I've prised the door open (coming very close to breaking the glass so wouldn't advise doing this again) to take the trim off and look for anything obvious - as the pictures show there's a cable that's clearly snapped and not in place any longer, I expect this might have been the bang I heard but looking at the cable it's very rusty and looks like it could have been like that years....

Looking at the wiring inside the tailgate nothing looks out of place and I've checked the fuses in the front which both seem fine too.

Any thoughts on what's happened and best next steps would be greatly appreciated...

TIA

It's probably worth me mentioning that the tailgate both locks and unlocks with the fob so there's some power within the tailgate somewhere.....

Looks to my inexperienced eye to be the cable from inside the window regulator that has snapped. If I'm correct you'll need something like the below:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVER-FREELANDER-TAILGATE-REAR-BACK-WINDOW-REGULATOR-MOTOR-CVH101150-NEW/330873907560?fits=Model:Freelander&epid=1030571412&hash=item4d099f2968:g:YgIAAOSwg3FUiG

Oh and getting the door card off the inside is much easier if you remove the top rubber, two 8mm bolts at each end and it lifts off over the window.

P.S. the link is for the whole thing including the motor, you prob only need the regulator.

The window cables can break without warning. They corrode in time and generally snap at the most inopportune moments. Mine snapped as I reconnected the battery after doing some engine work.
The cables are cheap if you don't mind recabling the regulator yourself. Here's mine after I replaced the cables last autumn.

Hi both,

Thanks for the advice on the regulator I think it's fair to say that mine needs the cables replacing.

What is confusing me is that my electrics have gone to the motor and the heated rear window, in the past when I've had a regulator fail in other cars the motor has continued to function correctly and you hear it moving but doing nothing - is it expected that functionality stops and the electonics fail when the regulator cable fails?

Thanks again...

First check for 12v at the heated screen connection and work back from there, I'm sure someone will have a better solution if you wait

shaunclark_sc said:

Hi both,

Thanks for the advice on the regulator I think it's fair to say that mine needs the cables replacing.

What is confusing me is that my electrics have gone to the motor and the heated rear window, in the past when I've had a regulator fail in other cars the motor has continued to function correctly and you hear it moving but doing nothing - is it expected that functionality stops and the electonics fail when the regulator cable fails?

Thanks again...

Click to expand...

Everything in the rear door is controlled by the CCU. Everything is disabled if the CCU can't tell if the window is up correctly. The window position sensor is in the window motor. If the motor has stopped in a position where the sensor is detecting the window is down, then the CCU will shut down the HRW and wiper.

Hi all, just wanted to say thanks for your advice on he above. Fitted a new regulator and all is now working great (after a couple of attempts at recalibrating it). One final ask on this one though is - the window now when it closes is sitting outside of the top frame of the car roof, it goes in if you push it back when it’s closing but without assistance it holds itself too far towards the spare wheel. Does anyone know of a fix for this? Thanks! Shaun

shaunclark_sc said:

Hi all, just wanted to say thanks for your advice on he above. Fitted a new regulator and all is now working great (after a couple of attempts at recalibrating it). One final ask on this one though is - the window now when it closes is sitting outside of the top frame of the car roof, it goes in if you push it back when it’s closing but without assistance it holds itself too far towards the spare wheel. Does anyone know of a fix for this? Thanks! Shaun

Click to expand...

The clamps or mount points aren't correct. The bottom runner mointing is a threaded adjuster (see pic) These normally need to be wound out fully (like in the pic). This tilts the top of the window in, so it slips under the top seal.