Powered Liftgate Failure

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MickeyD

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Nov 2, 2019
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Good morning all!

I'm having trouble with the powered liftgate in my '09 Tahoe, and I'm hoping I can get some guidance. I had two different symptoms in sequence, but I expect they're related.

First, I went to open the liftgate. I believe at the time the button on the liftgate (behind the handle) did not do anything. I then used the key fob, and it opened fine. When I went to close it after, the button on the bottom of the gate (accessible only when opened) did nothing, and the button on the key fob did nothing. But the button above the center console on the ceiling worked, and the gate closed. Around then I realized I had a weak battery (wouldn't start), likely due to a week of extreme cold, about a week of non-use, and corrosion between the battery lugs and the battery cables. Cleaned things up, stuck a charger on it, and all was good.

At this time, I read about three different fuses to check; two in the cabin and one under the hood. All of them tested good.

After that, I had a few weeks where everything was normal, except that neither button on the gate itself would work. But, I could use both the key fob and the button on the ceiling to operate it.

Then about a week ago, I had a new problem. I had it open, then when I went to close it, it went down then popped right back up. It was doing this no matter what. If I pulled it down, the latch would not engage. The latch area was all clear of debris. I had no normal way to keep the gate down. What ended up working was I had it lower, then when it got to the bottom, I flipped the switch on the ceiling to the "Off" position to lock it from opening. This worked, but I could hear the motor straining to open it again. I disconnected the battery when in this state, gave it a few minutes, then reconnected it. The motor stopped straining, and the gate remained "latched".

I haven't dared try to open it again since then.

I came across this thread: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/2007-suburban-powered-liftgate-problem-fix.136635/ , showing the disassembly of the latch actuator. I'm going to assume that my problem is due to failed limit switches, as illustrated in that post.

So, before I go ahead and order a new actuator, does anyone have guidance, based on similar experiences? I'm assuming the issue isn't with the liftgate motor itself, and is just related to the latch. However, I don't know if that would be related to both buttons on the gate failing to operate.

Thanks in advance for the guidance!
 

Geotrash

Dave
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Good morning all!

I'm having trouble with the powered liftgate in my '09 Tahoe, and I'm hoping I can get some guidance. I had two different symptoms in sequence, but I expect they're related.

First, I went to open the liftgate. I believe at the time the button on the liftgate (behind the handle) did not do anything. I then used the key fob, and it opened fine. When I went to close it after, the button on the bottom of the gate (accessible only when opened) did nothing, and the button on the key fob did nothing. But the button above the center console on the ceiling worked, and the gate closed. Around then I realized I had a weak battery (wouldn't start), likely due to a week of extreme cold, about a week of non-use, and corrosion between the battery lugs and the battery cables. Cleaned things up, stuck a charger on it, and all was good.

At this time, I read about three different fuses to check; two in the cabin and one under the hood. All of them tested good.

After that, I had a few weeks where everything was normal, except that neither button on the gate itself would work. But, I could use both the key fob and the button on the ceiling to operate it.

Then about a week ago, I had a new problem. I had it open, then when I went to close it, it went down then popped right back up. It was doing this no matter what. If I pulled it down, the latch would not engage. The latch area was all clear of debris. I had no normal way to keep the gate down. What ended up working was I had it lower, then when it got to the bottom, I flipped the switch on the ceiling to the "Off" position to lock it from opening. This worked, but I could hear the motor straining to open it again. I disconnected the battery when in this state, gave it a few minutes, then reconnected it. The motor stopped straining, and the gate remained "latched".

I haven't dared try to open it again since then.

I came across this thread: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/2007-suburban-powered-liftgate-problem-fix.136635/ , showing the disassembly of the latch actuator. I'm going to assume that my problem is due to failed limit switches, as illustrated in that post.

So, before I go ahead and order a new actuator, does anyone have guidance, based on similar experiences? I'm assuming the issue isn't with the liftgate motor itself, and is just related to the latch. However, I don't know if that would be related to both buttons on the gate failing to operate.

Thanks in advance for the guidance!
Most likely it's the liftgate latch assembly - easy replacement for the whole unit so I wouldn't bother with trying to fix just the limit switches. Took me about a half an hour to do the one in our 2007.

 
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MickeyD

MickeyD

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Nov 2, 2019
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Thanks! I guess I'll just order the part and see if that's it.

Seems like it'll be straightforward, just wanted to check before ordering a $100+ part.
 

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