Power rear lift gate broke and then I lost the arm.. oops

[LordJezo]

<div class="bbWrapper">Yeah, so this happened.<br /> <br /> We got home today and the power lift gate just stopped working. We also could not close the door manually, nothing was budging. So that sucked.<br /> <br /> As you can hopefully see on this video, I was only able to push the gate down a few inches before there was massive resistance to the point where it could no longer move.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://imgur.com/a/6x4eoXS" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://imgur.com/a/6x4eoXS</a><br /> <br /> I dont know if you can get sound on that but imagine just a ... resistance? noise. I would try to bring it down and it was just stopped. At first I thought it was the hydrolic arms holding the gate up but I unhooked the one on the left and it still wasn&#039;t moving so I came to it being the power arm. <br /> <br /> I managed to pop off the lift gate arm as it was preventing the whole thing from shutting, but then when I popped off the inside clip the whole thing just slid down into a space that I didn&#039;t know existed. It was gone and I have no idea how to get it back. Oops.<br /> <br /> <script class="js-extraPhrases" type="application/json"> { "lightbox_close": "Close", "lightbox_next": "Next", "lightbox_previous": "Previous", "lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.", "lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow", "lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow", "lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen", "lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails", "lightbox_download": "Download", "lightbox_share": "Share", "lightbox_zoom": "Zoom", "lightbox_new_window": "New window", "lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar" } </script> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="LrOjgmk.jpg" data-src="/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FLrOjgmk.jpg&amp;hash=90db75223ae396496cc683d9165571d7" data-type="image" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1" > <img src="/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FLrOjgmk.jpg&amp;hash=90db75223ae396496cc683d9165571d7" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/LrOjgmk.jpg" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="LrOjgmk.jpg" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div><br /> <br /> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="hiq2QDI.jpg" data-src="/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fhiq2QDI.jpg&amp;hash=86c13790c135f9f68cd29d5083a0dac4" data-type="image" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1" > <img src="/forum/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fhiq2QDI.jpg&amp;hash=86c13790c135f9f68cd29d5083a0dac4" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/hiq2QDI.jpg" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="hiq2QDI.jpg" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div><br /> <br /> <br /> Also, is this something that a regular person can repair or could there be a lot more damage someplace in the motor there that moves it up and down?<br /> <br /> Door now closes though, manually. Locks and everything, so its functional, just the power part is no longer there and I wonder if I will ever see it again.</div>

 

[tex2670]

<div class="bbWrapper">You could definitely take those inside trim pieces off. But I can&#039;t say how involved the process would be.</div>

 

[rowlands57]

<div class="bbWrapper">If you look up the threads for wiring the Mazda OEM trailer lights I believe there is a breakdown as to how to remove those parts. Since the harness from the factory is hidden below the trim it&#039;s necessary to remove quite a bit of it to access all the locations needed to route the wiring harness.</div>

 

[LordJezo]

<div class="bbWrapper">Will the SUV be okay to function without the power arm attached? Can it work as just a manual up and down or did that help keep it on? I dont want the whole back to fall off when driving or anything. I can still open and close it by hand but it feels a little floppier than it did before.</div>

 

[rowlands57]

<div class="bbWrapper">That part has nothing to do with keeping the hatch attached to the vehicle. It&#039;s just a push-rod to move the hatch. The hinges and the latch are what hold it in place so it&#039;s fine. The slop you feel is likely the lack of the damping effect of that rod and it&#039;s motor being in place.</div>

 

[LordJezo]

<div class="bbWrapper">Okay well at least that&#039;s good then.<br /> <br /> I have to go take it to the mechanic to see if he can fix this or if it&#039;s something I need to go to the dealer for. I wonder how much this will set me back..</div>

 

[rowlands57]

<div class="bbWrapper">I would avoid the dealer if possible, just my personal preference. Funny enough a good body shop may also be able to help as they often have experience working in those areas more often than regular mechanics.</div>

 

[Srad600]

<div class="bbWrapper">The sloppiness you feel when driving is probably the power arm moving around inside that trim panel since it&#039;s no longer fixed to the hatch. I&#039;ve removed the rear panel (on the passenger side) to add wiring for the hitch, and it was pretty simple to do. I&#039;d imagine the driver&#039;s side should be very similar. If it were me i&#039;d probably open the panel first and see if there was something simple that went wrong on the arm. If I couldn&#039;t find anything, then i&#039;d take it to a shop to diagnose.</div>