Tailgate Unlock problems- need a definitive answer

[gav_j_crompton]

Hi

This is my first post so be gentle, I have done a search but found no adequate answers. This fault is on an 04 Passat Estate Sport

My problem is as follows, this will all relate to the thumbnail.

In postion A, the tailgate can only be opened by pressing the middle button on the Fob. It CANNOT be opened by pressing the latch or by pressing the button on the door.

In position B, the tailgate can only be opened by pressing the middle button on the Fob,. It CANNOT be opened by pressing the button on the door.

In postion C, the tailgate can be opened by the key.

I know that pushing the button on the door or the button on the fob only unlocks the tailgate I still need to push the latch and lift to open the tailgate;)

The main sympton of the fault apart from those already listed is that when I pull the switch that is located in the door, I hear a noise come from the tailgate area but when I go to open the tailgate it moves about 5 MM and then stops. I can then move it no futher even using the button on the fob.

To be able to then move the boot at all I need to shove it back closed with my body and then press the centre fob button and everything then works as advertised.:1zhelp::1zhelp:

I know this is a long post please don't :firedevil me because any help will be gratefully appreciated.

PS how would I go about including the attachment as just a picture in the post rather than a seperate link, once again thanks in advance.:drive:

[gav_j_crompton]

Can anyone help, I have found some information from searching now, but only that a solenoid might be at fault but which one? Also other threads have said to take the back panel off and have a look, supposedly this is done by removing 4 screws but I have only found 2? Is this fault likely to be an easy fix, only everything was working fine till Saturday just gone and just suddenly stopped working.

[Huffy]

Hi Gav,Dont know if my problem is anything like yours ,but we noticed that the tailgate on our T reg Passat saloon was not wanting to open much at all a few months ago(usually when the wife was at supermarket with full trolley!!):aargh4:
Anyhow ,we occasionally managed to open the boot ,usually by messing with all poitions of the key ,and never actually see a pattern to any of the openings ,and as soon as the boot was shut ,it,d start its naughty,s again.
So ,last week ,I managed to open the boot ,used my small swiss army knife ,I took out all the small screws around the boot lining and removed it.Laid bare was the mechanism ,and I gave it all a good spray copper greasing.It seemed to help ,but what was very noticable ,was that the main problem seemed to be ,that you have to make sure that the boot handle or Lifter(what you actually pull up ,)is fully at rest before you pull it upwards ,in other words ,when I had been letting it go after using it to release the boot lock ,it was not going back properley ,and then seemed to not allow the boot to undo next time. So if I push it back in its slot before pulling it upwards ,the boot always releases now! Also ,I could see the solenoid deadlock and maybe the grease helped ?? ,not sure ,maybe someone else can advise you ,All the best now ,Anthony

[passing]

there are two screws visible and two more under covers, one in each of the handle recesses. Once you have them out you can tug at the top section to release the spring clips that arelocated around the periphery. The adjustment is a simple turnbuckle type arrangement once you have confirmed that the actuator is not wokring. I actually took the hwole mechanism out to replace mine but I reckoned afterwards that the actuator was replaceable with the mchanism in situ.
I think the actuator cost me ten or eleven quid.

[steve999]

Hi Gav,

I'm new to these forums, and hunting them in the hope resolving some of my Passat's "electrical problems".

Just wondered if you ever got your problem fixed? I have exactly the same issue - I can only open the tailgate by pressing the middle button on the keyfob. The switch on the inside of the drivers door and the rubber switch on the tailgate itself appear to be dead as doornails - nothing happens at all when I press either of them. I don't think it's the solenoid as this was replaced a couple of years ago, plus it obviously still works as it activates and opens the tailgate when the middle button on the keyfob is pressed.

If anyone else knows the answer to this I'd appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
Steve

[gav_j_crompton]

Hi Steve,

As Huffy said in the above post I took the trim off and gave everything involved with the boot mechanism a good spray of WD-40 and that seemed to solve my problem.

Also my problem seems to be slightly different to yours as the button in the drivers door actually worked on my car, it was the fact the actual tailgate button didn't seem to reset to the correct position, as in Huffy's post, that was the problem. I could actually open the tailgate after I had pressed the driver door button as long as I tried to open it with in about 2 seconds of pressing the button and it was the same when using the middle button on the key.

Basically my problem was that with the boot lock in postion B (with reference to my picture from the manual in the first post) the boot was permently locked like it should be and could be opened wtih the button on the key or in the door, but because the tailgate switch was stuck in the door opening postion the electrics got confused and tried to unlock the boot and open it at the same time. So when I went in and lubed all the mechanisms the tailgate switch reset so that when I pushed the key/door button it only unlocked the tailgate and I then have to push the tailgate switch to get the boot to open, this is normal operation.

Your problem sounds different and with reference to the picture of the manual in my first post perhaps you should have a play, beacause with the boot switch at position A(as per the picture) your boot should lock and unlock with the central locking meaning you would just unlock the car and then use the tailgate/boot switch to open the boot. In postion B(as per the picture) the tailgate/boot switch will do nothing, as the boot is permanently locked, until you push the button on the the key or push the button on the drivers door. After pushing either the button the boot will then be unlocked but you should still need to push the boot/tailgate switch to open the boot it shouldn't just spring open.

It sounds like the wiring between the driver's door switch and the boot is braking down somewhere, I suggest you have a play putting the door lock in its different postions and see what happens. Failing that you will just have to stick with the middle key button and if that goes wrong you can always manually open the boot by putting the key in it. Also try the lubrication of the door mechanism. Also if you are getting lots of electrical problems it could be CCU under the passenger seat getting wet because of the blocked battery drains(information should be easy to find if you search)

Hope some of this helps

Gav

[ScouseNinja]

I know its a differnt car , But I have just had the exact same symptoms on my B5 A4 , Shortly after developing this fault the central locking went down all together. It turned out the Central locking pump had failed/was failing.

[passing]

I know its a differnt car , But I have just had the exact same symptoms on my B5 A4 , Shortly after developing this fault the central locking went down all together. It turned out the Central locking pump had failed/was failing.

The passat has electrically actuated locks. For them all to fail it would suggest that the ECU under the passenger floor was affected, usually by water as in an earlier post.

[stevegii]

I have just had the same problem on a Passat B5.5 Estate (2001 model). This is the version with a bowden cable from the actuator to the latch.
The problem was the door lift handle. It only moves a very small amount (a couple of millimeters), and actuates a microswitch. I found that my handle was jammed in the up osition (holding the microswitch closed).

To test;
1 Remove the lower rear trim - 2 srews in the side, two under small covers in the "pull closed" handles.
2 Carefully pul the trim away from the tailgate.
3 Look into the area where the door lift handle and numberplate lamps are. There will be a bulky connector with two wires coming from the back of the door lift handle and disappearing into the loom.
4 Separate the connector and check continuity of the wires leading to the door lift handle with a meter. It should be open circuit at rest, and closed circuit when the hadle is lifted.

If the handle is stuck;
1 loosen the two hex socket head screws that hold the door lift handle clamp in place. DO NOT COMPLETELY REMOVE THE SCREWS - There are springs between the two halves of the clamp.
2 When the clamp is loose it will be possible to lift it off the lugs of the Door lift handle.
3 Push the door lift handle out from the tailgate.
4 Ease the rubber boot off the door lift handle
5 Separate the handle from the housing.
6 Soak throroughly in WD40 or similar to de-gum.
7 Check the operation of the microswitch as in the test procedure.
8 File off any casting marks that are on the handle.
9 Re-assembly is the reverse of disassembly.
IT HELPS TO HAVE SOMEONE HOLD THE DOOR LIFT HANDLE IN PLACE WHILE YOU REFIT THE CLAMP!

Hope this helps.

[gav_j_crompton]

Just to add to the above reply really, I followed the above instructions but no amount of wd-40 or any thing would stop the handle from holding the microswitch closed, so my simple stupid answer was as I was re-building my handle I inserted a small piece of rubber to act as a spring.

Hey presto the handle is held off of the microswitch when at rest and the rubber gives me enough give to be able to acutate it and then ,in effect, bounce the handle off of the microswitch.

Just something to bare in mind on my 2004 b 5.5 estate there was a piece of plastic covering the handle which also wrapped round the r/h number plate light which you have to remove first.