Hello Land Rovers experts,

I am having issues unlocking AND opening the upper hatch on my 2006 LR3. The issues came out of the blue about a month ago and never had the issues prior. I have replaced the tailgate actuator and latch but the problem persists. At this point I think it is something electrical.

Here are the characteristics:

1) The hatch does not respond to the unlock button on the key fob. When it was working I could hear an unlocking sound when hitting unlock button, and I could open the upper hatch via its handle.

2) The hatch does not respond to the master unlock button located by the radio. Once again, no unlocking sound.

3) The hatch, however, does respond when holding down the master lock & unlock buttons for 3 seconds. I hear an unlocking sound, and the upper hatch comes a bit loose, but it won’t open unless I have someone pull on the upper hatch at the same time as the unlocking sound.

4) The upper hatch handle seems to be faulty. If the vehicle is unlocked, and I close the upper hatch, I should be able to open it right back up. Currently it basically locks itself, but with no distinct locking sound. When it was functioning and the handle was pressed to open the hatch, it would make a distinct sort of electrical sound. It’s a similar sound the tailgate button makes when it is pressed. But now I get no sound.

I checked the fuse that I think corresponds with the upper hatch, F65, and it looks fine. I gave a cursory check to the wiring coming from the upper hatch handle but am not sure what to look for and it seems rather confusing.

Any information provided or next steps will be greatly appreciated, thanks!