Hello,

I was just leaving college and I opened the trunk on my IROC to put something in it...Then when I went to close it, IT WON'T CLOSE!!!. The pulldown motor isn't working!! I tried pushing it down (cause I did a search and some people say that sometimes it gets stuck), but it didn't do anything. I had to drive home with my trunk half open cause I only had a little bit of rope to tie it down....

Is there ANY temporary fix I can do to temporarily close to until I can find out what's wrong? I rely on this car to take me to college and work everyday omgz

Any help appreciated.

Thank you


(tl;dr - Pulldown trunk motor isn't working, trunk won't close, what's a quick temporary fix?)

 

If it worked before, it will probably still work. With the hatch open (there is a micro switch there) put your finger or a srewdriver all the way to the back of the mechanism on the car to make it lift up then make sure that the latch for the hatch hook is open. If not lift the latch with a screwdriver while using the key release.

 

If it wount close you have to SLAM it down, dont worrie you wount hurt anything....

 

My motor sometimes goes into some type of protection mode. I'll have to unhook the battery for a minute or so, and then when I hook it back up. I'll hear the motor kick on.

But when it's stuck down, it will not re-latch. I have to get it to reset before I can get it to latch again. I need to figure out what is going on there.

 

I've been having trouble with mine from time to time. what I do is just jiggle the wires that attach to it (it helps that I took off the rear trim to fit my sub box). Has worked every time for me thus far.

 

In '08 I had my slides shatter causing the motor to short out. I tossed the damn thing out and made my own bracket.

 

Could be a fuse?

 

I believe this is the right answer. I had to do this to. you may want to take off the outer plastic like I did to see what he is talking Abt but he is right. there is a black lever at the inside bottom of the latch Lock that u just have to push in and the motor will slide up. one it is up then it will "feel" the hatch and pull it down. really. what happened on mine was I had the battery disconnected and I had opened the hatch with the key. then I put the hatch down and left the car thinking it would pull down and not realizing the battery was off. next time I drove it I was like wtf happend to the hatch. it was rattling. I posted on here and people told me I wld have to buy a new motor cause it didn't run at all. I also started pullin fuses to check them out. try what he says and dont give up till u find the switch and it won't work...,

 

About 4 years ago my hatch motor kept pulling the hatch back closed every time you opened it unless you were quick enough to help pull it up before it had the chance to close it again?? Got tired of that, so I disconnected all the electrical to it and bought a tube of that liquid steel and blocked the slide rails with it to keep the motor from moving. Now the hatch works like a regular hatch.....turn the key and the hatch pops up! PERFECT!!

 

LOL I had that same exact problem on my first bird. So many "effin A" moments with it pulling back down . never did figure it out.

 

My hatch is doing the same thing, if I am not quick to open it right after I turn the key then it sucks it back down. What was GM thinking making a latch set up like this?

 

I heard that it had to do with the hatch glass being so heavy which could damage the latch by slamming it, so you lower it easily and the motor did all the work closing it???

 

TDS -Top Down SoLuTions has a soLuTion for $300

some 3rdgens have plastic units ... some have metal units ...
typically you donT need a rebuilt unit ... you just have to figure out
how it works for your particular situation i.e. how to operate it ...
seems sometimes like they have a mind of their own

 

DON'T SLAM IT! You will just break it if you haven't already. Check beside the latch- there should be a little plastic lever beside the jaws.. Press down on it and see if the motor winds it back up. Them close as normal. If not, check for a blown fuse. It that is good, email Lon at Top Down Solutions for help, BUT DO NOT SLAM IT. The motor housing is just plastic and you will break it. I think the plastic motor housing was designed to be the weak link, rather than burning out the motor or causing a wiring fire or something...

 

it sucks if you reach in to pull it up and it is drawing down on your fingers... ask me how I know

 

How do you know????

 

hey skyset. are you alive. did you fix it yet

 

I had just had the car for a short time. Drove my son to the bust stop. Realized the light was on in the back hatch area. Popped it from inside with my son in the car (idling). then it didnt seem to go up and I reached deeper to get more leverage. I heard the motor and both hands were stuck more with each second. The motor kept going... I begged my son to pop the hatch. he was like which button?? meanwhile I am in pain and there are moms in SUVs waiting too and I am sure having a good laugh!
He finally found the button ("dad there were a lot of buttons!") and I pulled out my bruised hands... could barely shift home.

 

I use a chain.

 

Oooouuuuuch!!!!

 

I just slam Mine... plus you dont want the latch mechanism working... you might accidentally press while going down the street XO

 

Im sorry to say this.. but you just made my day.

 

Yeah, another thing that they really didn't fix on 4th gen's either. They got rid of the hatch motors, but I've still had problems since my 02 was almost new.

My hatch ONLY pops open with the release if it's over 75 degrees outside. Otherwise, the weight of the hatch pushes it back down and re-latches it within 2 seconds or so, which means I have to stand behind it with the fob in my hand so I can immediately lift up on it to keep it from re-latching.

I had initially tried a larger spring piggy-backed on top of the factory spring for latch, which worked great for a few years. Unfortunately the extra stress wore the latch out, so I'm now back the factory setup which only works when it's hot outside.

 

Yeah I can look back on it and laugh but it was majorly painful and embarassing. I mean it was like the first week I had the car and my son didnt know where things were. One day, when i go to the great race track in the sky, it will be his so he better learn!