ford escape >> back door & glass wont open
 

2001 ford escape. cannot open back door and glass. there is no kep option, only auto and they are not working. checked fuses, all other doors working fine,

does anyone have any suggestions?? i was hoping to move this weekend and
need to get in the back door. does anyone know if there is a safety latch? or possible child lock? any suggestions would be great and very welcomed.

thanks again,
dale

...Welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts!

See you on the boards.:-X22 ….

no saftey latch to my knowledge. heres a couple of guesses. one is that the actuator is not unlocking the liftgate. when this happend the glass and liftgate wont release. guess two is the plastic clips couls have broken on the latch itself. dont try to remove the panel without getting either glass or the door opened or you can damage the trim panel. try pressing the unlock button and see if you hear a noise coming from the door panel. you should hear something.

Sounds like the actuator. Has this Escape had any service performed on the back hatch in the past? If so, you might have a rod problem. The rod issue is related to the hatch opening during a rear impact, don't know if it could have the opposite issue.

Recall 04V602000: Liftgate Latch Release Rod Replacement

Certain 2004-2005 sport utility vehicles and certain 2001-2003 sport utiity vehicles having rear liftgate components serviced with 2004 equivalent components fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components." The rear liftgate latching system does not meet the inertia load requirement in one direction.

there is no sound when i click the unlock button. usually i can hear this when i click the button on the keyless entry twice. there is no keyhole so i guess i may have to take it into the shop? i've nver had any issues with this nor has there been any rear hits.

d

Did you ever figure out why your back door and galss wouldn't unlock? I have a '01 Escape and have experienced the same problem. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. I want it to work all the time.

I have an '02 and I am having the same problem. It is very inconvenient. I noticed that there is an access "window" that accesses inside to the actual latch. I played around with it and was not successful. Does anyone have some knowledge of tripping this latch? At least if the liftgate can be opened, I can have better access to issue.

I have an 08 xls and have the same problem, sometime it works, always works fine at the dealer.

I had this happen twice on my '01. Ended up taking it in to the dealer and had the module assembly (whatever that is) replaced first, and just three weeks later had the handle/lock mechanism replaced. :mad: Not having a key hole on the outside or a way to open the rear hatch from inside the vehicle is one of Ford's dumb and dumber ideas. :-banghead

I had the same problem with my '02 Escape. Get in the back and pull the interior panel off from the top. It is held on by insert clips. After that, your problem (or mine was) the actuator that lacks the glass and door. Just move the actuator rod up to allow thw latch to work. My actuator is bad so I left it up to use the hatch and glass, but I can't lock it until I replace the actuator.

Hope this helps.

Hey guys i listened to what you have to say and it worked only issue is before is my alarm used to work when i locked all the doors but now it will not work when someone goes and opens the back door.

Ironically, my 2002 Escape does have a key hole for the back hatch.

Escape Hatch won't work
 

My 2001 Escape hatch just stopped working today. I am not sure how to pull off the panel to look inside. Is there a tool to use? Thanks!

see previous thread
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...k-problem.html

2001 Ford Escape back door hatch & rear window
 

OK, who was the brain behind no key entry for rear latch on hatchback or rear window??? Now from what I read in these posts it is not an uncommon problem, yet when I call Ford there is no recall. What gives???? Is it Ford's way to make more money? If something is wrong with so many cars they should step up & fix their error. I called Ford & explained the exact problem & I know their not stupid, yet all I got was the run around......you have to bring it in, we can't diaginosis it over the phone, etc., etc. When asked about how much this would run they were once agin giving me the run around by saying it depends how long it takes them to service it as the charge by the 1/2 hour, not to mention the actual cost of the part needed....it may be minor, it may be major....yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm so sick of the run around it isn't even funny!!!!!! Did Ford ever take into consideration that we have other expenses to worry about, and now with the economy the way it is....well when it's a choice between feeding my child or fixing my hatchback lock my child wins, but now here's the problem.....Not only am I a single mom struggling in this economy, I am also disabled & guess what I have in my hatch.....you guessed it, my wheelchair scooter. Ford never though of this did they, in a way they took my freedom & my legs from me by not having a back-up method as to accessing items stored in back. I have no way to get my wheelchair scooter out either because it is too heavy to fit through the back seat out the back doors. I can't afford to bring my Escape in for service because they can't even give me a quote, so basicially I was screwed by Ford.....a company I have been loyal to for many years. I am seriously considering finding a lawyer to resolve this, but his could take years & I need my wheelchair now! I think Ford really messed up with the no key entry.....at least have a keypad or other access. And here is something else I thought of.....even if you jump in the back (yes, I had my child do this), you still have no way of opening it from the inside. If a child or another person were abducted and thrown in the back, there would no way for them to escape from the ESCAPE.....how ironic is that???? Come on Ford your supposed to be one of the best...............

Tail gate lock problem
 

I also had to replace the tail gate "handle/lock actuator". The actuator went bad however I was lucky as mine also has a key lock, it's a early 2001. The dealer got the part over night and an easy job to install. I guess at 148,000 miles things go bad also replaced the A/C compressor this month.

Ford Tail gate
 

You would think that with so many people having the same problem, Ford would realize this is a real problem & could be a safety issue. I also just had a problem with the locks on both my front & back passenger doors & had to replace them. I also did research & this too is a very common problem with the Ford Escape's. Turns out the lock is made from a cheep plastic....way to go Ford! My neighbor bought her Escape exactly 1 week after I bought mine (both were bought brand new not 2nd hand), and exactly 1 week after my passenger door locks broke, her driver's side door lock broke. Very strange...........................Oh well, thanks for the reply, I just hope someone at Ford is reading these posts as well & hopefully they will do the right thing. Until then I am a prisoner to my Escape:-X09

A HUGE THANK YOU!!!!! To Dehamma. I had the same problem with my 2001 Ford Escape and had pretty much accepted it even though it was very aggrivating. Read through the thread here, and I got a crowbar and *gently* pulled out the plastic cover just from the top- it's still attached on the bottom- just enough so I could pull up on what I assumed was the lock (it has a white accordian plastic thing on it around a blackish metal peice. Pull up on it to unlock and push down on it to re-lock). Awesome!!!! :D Enabled me to dumpster dive just now. ;) If I could pay you, I would. Want some chocolate chip cookies by mail?

2001 ford escape rear door wont open
 

i did take panel off rear door from inside and moved the arm up with the black rubber on it.
door now stays unlook to i buy the part needed...
thanks for responce....

Easy, Free Fix!
 

I posted a fix for this earlier. I fixed mine free and the lock works like it should. No need to buy parts or anything...

Here's the link to another thread in this forum. I give step-by-step instructions how to fix it.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...wont-open.html

Asipes, I appreciate the link you showed about the Escape door latch. My problem was a bad motor (of which I have ordered) but while I was in there I decided to install a manual release. I used a 1/8" welding rod and drilled a hole in the offset part next to the plastic plunger hole for the actuator and bent a offset in the end of the rod and inserted it in the hole and then drilled a 1/8" hole in the plastic hatch cover right next to the window latch on the driver side. It now sticks up about 1/2" out of the plastic. You just pull the rod up to unlock the hatch and push down to lock the hatch. Works like a charm. Now if the new actuator decides not to work occasionally I'll still be able to reach across the back seat and manually unlock the door. Thank you again for the link to be able to access it.

Is it the actuator?
 

First of all thanks to everyone for posting here! My hatch wouldn't open but thanks to all of you I was able to get the hatch open and get the inside trim off. I also took off the piece on the outside of that hatch that houses the buttons - to check for loose wires, dust, etc. I was about to order a new actuator, but what confuses me is when I unplug the power from the door latch button, then plug it back in, the door latch releases. Then I press the door latch button again and get nothing. Each time I unplugged the power and then plugged it back in the door latch released. If this is happening, doesn't it mean the actuator is still working?

I have a 2009 Escape. I'm a little ticked that something like this has already gone on it. Coincidentally the glass button has started acting up too - it has a little tear in it and water seems to have gotten in. So now when my Escape is sitting, unlocked, the back window randomly opens. I will have to replace the button with a new unripped one, but unfortunately it seems to be part of a large, expensive, trim piece. Ugh!

At least I was able to solve a problem with my back-up sensors - I found a few wires had frayed and broken. That was thankfully an easy fix!

Tried it & now it doesn't lock at all!
 

I tried this & while, yes, the hatch opened & continues to open, it doesnt lock. I can hear it trying to but it just doesnt. Any guesses????

Have you removed the interior plastic so that you can look at what it's doing? Maybe a clip is broken or something is sticking?

Help please
 

Has anyone figured this problem have an 02 ford escape and the rear door and back glass wont open most of the time.:-roll:-roll

Mine is 08 and it still doesn't work, after I try and it doesn't open I wait 5 min. then try to open without hitting the unlock or key fob it will work? Had it to the dealer 5 different times and they couldn't figgure it out, I just live with it now. If I know I will have something big to put in I lock truck then unlock and go into store and it will work when I come back, mine is a stick so no thug will know how to drive it so I am not worried it will getting stolen. Mine has never worked right since new, now I have 130k miles.

Thanks man!:)

Hatch release
 

Bought a new release mechanism online thru Parts Avatar..$132,free shipping in Canada.Easy install,works great!

Got 212k on it now and the back hatch has been working, knock on wood, for a year without messing up, have not changed anything.


Just put new brakes and bearing all around, should be good for another 100k...

I just read on another forum that Ford Escpaes of the 2001-2002 vintage do this when their rear hatch panel heats up in the sun. The user said when it cooled off at night he could open it. sounds to me like something maybe swelling in the heat and binding.

yep
 

Yep. The solenoid gets heated. Either the windings open up or it swells and wont operate. It is for sure the solenoid. Lots of solenoids quit working when they heat up. Whether from external heat or internal heat (from too much operation/duty cycle).

How do you guys dig up these old threads? And on your first post...:-huh

The reason I visited this thread was because I have a 2002 escape and had just come in from trying to get the hatch open for the last hour, as my vehicle sat in the Sun on one of the hottest days this year, so far. I found that comment and shared it's particulars with whoever I responded to. This morning, it was very cool, so I went out at 7:30am and got in the truck, started it up, and then operated the switch on the door panel. I distinctly heard the back look clunck and knew it would open. Sure enough, the latch worked properly.

Oddly enough, a simple web search will dig up all the old ghosts from posts past.

My solution on my '02 and my '12 was to tie a piece of cord around the door release rod once I got the cover pulled back. The top of the cord hangs out of the opening for the glass latch.
The crux of the problem is that Ford doesn't really seal the glass to door well and water drips inside and into the motor. Look at any Escape and there is a gap at he bottom center of the glass where water conveniently drips in.... and the mechanism is directly below. When I replace the motor in mine I will use black RTV and seal that gap and any other leaks.
This brings up another rear door flaw - hinges. Water leaks into the portion of the hinge where the bolt goes through the glass and corrodes everything. On my '02, one side corroded so bad the glass popped out and thankfully didn't break. I see the tell-tale aluminum streaks of aluminum on the glass of my '12 and I know I need to replace the hinges before the same thing happens. When installing the new hinge, apply black RTV to the surface of the glass to ensure a tight seal. They don't tell you that, but it does make a huge difference.

When I have a problem and am looking for answers, I dont just look for one answer and then try it. I look at all the applicable threads on a subject and then, with that body of knowledge, figure which scenario and fix fits my problem. In this case, while reading the various threads, (which you find by googling the problem and the returns are usually grouped together so I in turn, go to each thread and read) I found one that mentioned hot weather, which, coincidentally coincided with the super hot day we had that same day, so that is the thread I centered on. I hope that helps. You can find me at emelrobinson on facebook. if you FR me, send a note so I know who you are.