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!

 

1,2 - There is no unlocking sound with the rear hatch. The mechanism is simple works or is disabled when locked, driving, etc. You will not hear a sound like the doors make.

3 - That is normal. The LR3 was originally competed with a motorized lift but never implemented. So the weird "hidden" feature of using the dash buttons is a one-off relic of that system, which normally would have been like someone lifting the gate after unlocking.

4 - Again, there is no lock, just actuators. So no, if you close it and the release actuator is not getting input to release nothing will happen, it is now latched and holding by design.

To me it sounds like the tailgate switch went bad, that is the rubber switch that you have to press to open it and is disabled when locked or over a certain speed. It is a fairly common part to fail and cheap replacements can sort that out. But my first cheap one did not fit well, had to get a second and even it was a poor fit but I made it work. And its been working fine for months now.

 

Thanks for the reply. I've ordered a new tailgate switch. Looks like an easy enough fix but going to have to crimp the wires.

 

It is simple in theory, but it is not. The first battle is removing the rear latch assembly. The bolts can be rusted and very difficult to remove. Splitting it apart is also a pain. Its not hard, but has to be done the right way to succeed. Basically plan to put some time aside to do this, just in case.

 

I replaced the upper hatch switch and it's still not working. After taking apart the old switch it seems that was probably not the issue as it had very little corrosion.

I've noticed that the license plate lights on the upper hatch are also not working. They don't light up when I turn the lights on. I'm thinking the entire upper hatch isn't getting power. But when I checked the fuse that I believe corresponds with the upper hatch, F65, it looks intact.

Not sure where to go from here considering if it's electrical the issue can be anywhere along the path.
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The switch is looking for momentary ground. Does your rear wiper work? They share the same ground.

 

Didn't think to check the rear wiper, good call. But yes that is working.

 

Was it running when you checked lights? Pretty sure they done turn on if engine is off.

As for corrosion in the switch, you usually see none. Mine looked fine too but it was indeed bad. If you pull the plastic ceiling cover at the rear hatch (not on the rear hatch itself) there should be a smaller grey connector with two wires - if I recall. Sorry, memory is sketch. But you can jumper those to activate the latch mechanism for a quick test.

 

I checked the license plate lights when it was running and they aren't working.

I'm at my wits end with this thing so decided to enlist the help of a professional, as I am far from one. Have an appointment with a European Auto mechanic at the end of the week.

I'll update this thread with his findings in case it helps in the future.

Thanks for your help!

 

Yes please share results, My LR3 is doing the same