2nd gen sequoia: rear hatch not latching closed (1 Viewer)

[hoch]

Update Feb 2025: I ended up replacing the actuator with an OEM unit. All good now.

I have a 2008 Sequoia SR5. Does NOT have power lift gate.
I can open it fine. I can hear the actuator working when opening. But when I go to close it, it doesn’t latch down. Meaning, it’ll physically close but doesn’t latch down. I can open it without pressing the button.
I doused it with lube yesterday but still the same issue today. Kept trying to close it and it just bounces.

The actuator unlocks when opening the hatch. But does it also help it close as well? I don’t remember ever hearing it activate when closing the hatch.

Maybe I’ll give this one a shot:

https://a.co/d/0Xv1aXg

 

[hoch]

I still couldn’t get it to close after a full day of dousing with lube.
Today, I tried a heat gun. I saw some water dripping out after a couple of minutes. Good sign, I thought. Over the winter, I had washed the car and tried to get some dirt that was caked on around the license plate shroud. Some water must have gotten in through there and froze. The drains appear to be clear so no blockage, I don’t think.

Then I took a thin screwdriver and started poking around. I’m not sure what I touched but I got it working. I didn’t want to open it to really test it. I’ll wait until it is warmer before attempting to fix it