Hey, I've been having issues with the hatch releasing since I bought the car a few years back. Only now getting around to looking into it, and am hoping some of yall might know more than me. I believe the root of the problem comes from the connector that powers the release motor itself. Pic attached. Sometimes the release works, but when it doesn't I've found that giving the connector a jiggle while it's plugged in will allow it to extend. If I stop, it stops. Just wondering if it's as simple as a bad connection, or if the problem stems from elsewhere. The prongs themselves look fine.

 

If it’s a manual transmission (unsure if it applies to automatic) the ground for the relay is tied to the parking brake switch inside the console. The brake has to be applied in order for the switch to open the hatch. The theory behind this is to prevent accidental hatch release while driving.

 

It is an auto and behaves the same way. Don't believe the issue is in the button however, as whenever I pull the ebrake and hit it I can hear it clicking in the hatch. Also, the same initial issue arises even when I use a key to open the trunk.