If you don't hear anything working, check the fuse under the hood. It's a 3amp. Mine kept blowing so I took it back to the dealer for warrenty (2005 Truck) They called GM and they told them just to replece that fuse with a 5 amp. Hasn't blown yet. Warrenties ARE GOOD FOR SOMETHIN!!!!!!

 

yeah replaced the fuse 3 dif new ones... still didnt work..

 

Let's get specific here. If your electric release has quit working but still makes a sound like it's trying, the plastic servo arm probably snapped. I have had and FIXED this problem. I have a 2001 Blazer with separate liftglass and tailgate. You must first remove the inside tailgate handle (2 screws) and pull the center latch bulge of the tailgate trim back about 3 inches to gain access to the latch linkage. The center bulge of the trim panel is held by a tab of plastic and a screw. The tab will partially break off, but it is not outwardly visible and you can reattach securely later with an overlapping washer or metal strap piece under the screw.

Push on the linkage rods with a long screwdriver. My photo shows the best one to push on, the curved rod several inches below the latch. A mirror and flashlight may help spot it. This will release the glass! Reward yourself with a cold one.

Then open the tailgate and remove remaining screws on edges holding down the plastic trim panel (slide the plastic panel sideways to release its plastic hooks before trying to pull it up off the tailgate). Then remove the metal panel screws and metal panel just underneath the plastic trim panel. There is one linkage rod attached to the inside of the metal panel that must be released at its plastic gromment before turning the metal panel upside down. The servo is attached to the back of the metal panel. See photo. Replace the servo arm (dealer $60 for arm and servo I read, or Rockauto.com about $10 for arm only)or repair the arm. My repair is going strong after over 12 years. See photo. Good luck with your repairs!

 

Wow, best posting I have seen thus far regarding this topic. I have successfully opened my tailgate ( had a cold one, too)...after 4 months of jamming groceries through the front and renting trucks to move larger items . Thank you so much. I will be finishing off the repairs this weekend. You're the bomb![sm=groupwave.gif]

 

New poster here........sorry for reviving an old thread.
Just wanted to thank all that posted instructions for fixing the faulty rear hatch. You folks were life safers! My hatch had been inoperable for 3-4 months before I finally came across this forum. I ordered the parts from the place that was suggested and was able to fix it within about 2 hours. This is saying something as I am pretty well mechanically inept!

For everyone that posted.............THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

 

thankyou guys for this post!

 

Well well well, posts like this one are the reason I love this site so much. I was ready to kick my back glass out, because all of a sudden my rear button wasn't poping out the window. try after try after try I could hear the actuator moving and still nothing. I came inside did a quick search saw this post 1 hour later I am done fixing the broken actuator arm and the hatch works again. Thanks for that pic, it showed me exactly what to look for.

 

I had this problem last summer and FIXED IT FOR PENNIES!!!

DO NOT BREAK OR DRILL THROUGH THE PLASTIC INTERIOR PANNEL!!!


If you take it to a body shop you will get an estimate for 300 to 500 dollars because they will just break the interior panel off flip the switch open and replace the broken plastic piece which will inevitably break again. Why the piece is plastic to begin with? I have no idea. Major flaw on GM's part.

Step 1: getting your glass hatch open

Put the back seats down and crawl into your trunk. Bring with you a large allen wrench about the size of your pinky finger. Screw drivers may not work depending on the angle the plastic pos broke at. Use your finger to find a small depression in the carpet covering the inside panel of the tailgate. It is located at the top center of the carpet patch approx. in line with the push button/ keyhole on the outside of the tailgate. Pinch the edge of the carpeting directly above the depression and peel it back about an inch to reveal a hole in the plastic panel. The next part may require patience, for me it took forever getting the correct wrench size. Insert the allen wrench into the hole (short end first) at an angle to get the bottom part of the 'L' in the wrench around the corner so that the short end is pointed to about 1 or 2 o'clock inside the metal tailgate and the long end is pointing straight out of the plastic. Next turn the wrench counter clockwise. This should trigger the release switch and pop open your hatch.

Step 2: Taking off the plastic panel

Before letting the hatch down remove the screw on the inside of the oval place where the glass hatch attaches to the tailgate. It is the one connecting the plastic to the metal frame. Now let the hatch down. Next carefully remove the screws on either side of the plastic panel connecting it to the tailgate. I believe there is only one on each side. The final screw is on the inside of the handle you pull to release the tailgate itself down. Then simply, but carefully, pull the plastic panel off. This will reveal the green, broken piece of plastic and the release switch it used to connect to.

Step 3: Fixing the Plastic POS

Most likely the plastic piece broke off at its "L" joint, because that is where most of the stress was put. The repair requires a small piece of metal wire, a drill and small bit (size of small wire) solder, and soldering gun. I wouldn't recommend the lead free solder, it takes ALOT more heat to melt. Before you gather these materials (You may need to borrow them, I already had everything but the wire) get to the third step so you know what measurements you are dealing with. Drill the small hole in the middle of the straight piece of plastic still attached to the motorized puller. Make this the middle length and width wise for maximum strength. Next simply loop the wire through this hole on the release switch where the plastic piece used to be attached. Then solder the two ends of the wire together to complete the circle. Test the apparatus before putting everything back together and you've just saved yourself hundreds.

It took me 3 or 4 hours to do this, but I was starting out with absolutely no knowledge on this topic aside from seeing the release hole in the tailgate's build diagram.

Hope this helps and Good Luck

 

It looks like this thread is NEVER going to end!! Again and again I come to the same frustration: Stupid US does not let us have real cars like Land Rover Defender and similar DIESEL SUVs, but instead make this PIECE OF TRASH and now we have to suffer with it!!!!!!!! No logic to it at all!!!! [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

 

Or you could use a coat hanger as another member suggested (albeit in another thread) and pop it open without breaking anything, getting all worked up or calling it a POS, etc. But of course, that only works for the glass up, gate down folks.

If the power lock fails in the locked position for the lift gate equipped vehicles, you should just drill the hole because the lock is down in the bottom of the hatch. You would have to do significant damage to the trim panel to get to it. A 1/2 inch hole is easy to drill to open the gate and do the proper repairs.