Hatch Won't Open
 

I just took delivery of my new 951, as it turns out, at the exact same time that Saddam was being pulled from his hole. Bad moment for him, great moment for me. :D

When I was checking out the car, the hatch seemed to work properly. Now that I own it, I can't open the hatch with the key or the interior release in the driver's footwell. When I push the interior release, I can hear an electric motor doing its thing, but the hatch is still locked afterwards. If I turn the key in the back, I still can't lift the hatch up. I don't feel anything release when I turn the key either.

Anyone have thoughts on this? Both a quick solution so that I can get access to the trunk and a proper fix would be helpful.

- Neal

Water in the hatch pins can freeze -- keep them from opening.

If you push down on the center of the hatch and turn and hold the key you may be able to get the binding on the pins to release. Not many hatches will pop up with just the gas filled struts, you have to help lift it.

I had the same problem. I just readjusted the hatch pins. I had to raise the pin as it was too deep in the catch assembly. Sman

Mine's really stiff, I thought it was stuck but the P-Mechanic just gave it a big lift, one at each side and it came up with a bit of resistance. When you get it open, clean out the receptors and grease up the pins, should help things move along smoothly...

Ditto.

You may also want to make sure that the hatch is properly aligned. In some instances the glass will seperate from the frame of the hatch. That might indicate that a hatch hinge is bent or that the hinge pins are not properly seated.

Try opening with the key and (pull) the hatch in one direction or the other.

If you still can not open you will have to break out the wrenches and put the rear seat down. Shimmy yourself into the hatch area and remove the "hatch pin recievers" <----check for proper term :) .

Good luck to you.

Sabyre

had same problem with my 924 , radjusted the hatch , but it also helped to know where to lift it, turns out the best place to lift it is just 2 inches left of the left pin

Thanks for your responses! The paint around the rim of the hatch (i.e., the area of the body against which the hatch closes) looks like it's been rubbed away in several spots. Is this the result of the hatch pins being misadjusted, or has this happened to everyone's car over the years?

Could be your pins are a little too short, when it closes do you really have to push down on it to get it to stay shut?

If the pins are a little longer, it will close and open more easily because it's not pulling the hatch down with so much force. They simply turn on their thread so try lengthening them a little, I think there is then a locking nut which if you tighten will stop them readjusting themselves...

OR It could be that the PO has in the past had them too short (hence the paint) and has since adjusted them - if it is not too difficult to close, this may be the case and in fact what you need to do is reduce the height a little.

The greatest weight on the hatch (apart from the hatch iself) is the rear wiper motor, this is usually where they stick first and svandamme is correct, this is where to start tugging...

My car has had some touch up paint round this area so it probably suffered from the same thing at one point in time.