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Hatch will not lock?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Pandas Andpresents, Jun 28, 2016.

  1. Pandas Andpresents

    Pandas Andpresents Junior Member

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    I have a 2012 Prius III. For the last couple of weeks, I have been getting "key detected in vehicle" messages with a buzzer lasting about a minute while driving - mainly over bumps of some kind like bridge expansion joints or speed bumps.
    This afternoon, I placed my purse in the toolbox under the false floor of the trunk. I unseated it and had to jiggle it around a bit to put it back in its place. While feeling around down there, I may have hit something (?) Anyway, now I cannot get the hatch to close or lock. Is there some kind of luggage lock in the trunk somewhere that I may have hit or is it more likely a component of the trunk latch is failing (b/c of the "key" messages I have been getting lately)?
    (Honestly, nothing but problems with this car and wish I brought something else. Every time I go to the dealer with a problem, they find a reason to say it's not covered under warranty. I hate Priuses right now!)
     
    #1 Pandas Andpresents, Jun 28, 2016
  2. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    did you drop anything small into the latch lock? its possible that something drop down there and is preventing you to close the hatch...
     
    #2 NutzAboutBolts, Jun 28, 2016
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    or a piece of cloth or something caught? the only thing is the manual pull switch behind a panel on the hatch itself, i don't see how you could disturb it.

    sorry to hear about your troubles, and now is not a good time to trade in, prius prices are in the dumper, and suv's are selling like hotcakes.
     
    #3 bisco, Jun 28, 2016
  4. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    push trunk button while you lift like a gorilla it should come up
     
    #4 tankyuong, Jun 28, 2016
  5. Pandas Andpresents

    Pandas Andpresents Junior Member

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    No, I had my hands all in there earlier. Nothing got in.

    No, no cloth or anything like that in there.

    I did feel the manual pull switch while I was reaching around in there. If I pulled on it, does that stop the hatch from closing? I read something online that the hatch will not lock again if the key fob is sensed in the car after pulling the manual switch but even when I removed it, the hatch still won't lock.

    The car does not detect the hatch as open either. If I drive it with the hatch open, it does not give me any warnings about an open door.

    The problem is not that it won't open. It won't close or lock. That's no matter how hard I slam the hatch shut. The part of the hatch lock near the bumper that grasps the squared metal hoop on the hatch door appears to be in the lock position. So the squared metal hoop is just hitting that metal when I try to close the hatch.
     
    #5 Pandas Andpresents, Jun 28, 2016
  6. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Hmmm .... Normally that condition occurs only if the "part ... that grasps the ... hoop" somehow gets pushed into its latched position while the hatch is open. Sometimes I do that deliberately (to reduce battery drain while the hatch is open for long periods), but can't imagine how it could happen accidentally. Try pressing the release switch (or operating the manual emergency release lever) while the hatch is partially open (not down against the latch). That should let the latch mechanism return to the position it should be in with the hatch open. If that does not work, the latch mechanism must be stuck, jammed, broken, or misadjusted. Good luck, and please let us know what happens next.

    Anyway, it's not a major problem; at the very worst, you'll need a new latch.
     
    #6 CR94, Jun 28, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2016
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe try disconnecting the 12v for a minute.
     
    #7 bisco, Jun 28, 2016
  8. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    well the only way now is for you to remove the hatch lock itself. I've removed the hatch lock the last time a piece of plastic got stuck in there, which prevented the hatch from closing. So I remove the hatch latch and remove the small piece in there and then reassemble it and it worked properly. Have you tried pressing the unlock button on the the hatch itself?
     
    #8 NutzAboutBolts, Jun 28, 2016
  9. Steve_in_NJ

    Steve_in_NJ Junior Member

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    #9 Steve_in_NJ, Oct 29, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2016
  10. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    The "Key Not Detected in Vehicle" message can appear when the hatch is slightly ajar and you drive; the hatch bounces up and down and this triggers the message.
     
    #10 Rebound, Oct 29, 2016
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Just musing: why the eff isn't the message "Your hatch is not latched", lol. Wonder: would there be the door ajar icon too, or no.
     
    #11 Mendel Leisk, Oct 29, 2016
    Rebound likes this.
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I do that, on purpose, any time I'm about to disconnect the battery, just to make sure the hatch isn't going to flop closed and lock and make me crawl to the back to pull the manual release.

    When I'm all done, I just reach down and pull the manual release, and the "part of the lock near the bumper that grasps" just pops right back to its open position, and then I can close the hatch.

    That isn't happening for you?

    -Chap
     
    #12 ChapmanF, Oct 29, 2016
  13. FellowPriuser

    FellowPriuser New Member

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    #13 FellowPriuser, Aug 14, 2019
  14. icyrius

    icyrius Active Member

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    C8DBC434-DFB2-44D7-905A-29A16B0DE7E2.jpeg 0222C9D7-151C-4696-B9C1-0F00A53289FD.jpeg 9402777C-CBBF-4BFB-A70B-8CB69CD3F3C2.jpeg 1619AED1-A786-4071-806F-E524B994715D.jpeg
    I was having a similar issue. Removed cover and blew compressed air into the locking mechanism. A lot of junk came out of there, from beach sand to plain dirt. No problems after that. Total cost: $0.
     
    #14 icyrius, May 2, 2020
    Mendel Leisk and bisco like this.
  15. Wynn Beattie

    Wynn Beattie New Member

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    I took out the 3 bolts on mine, to visualize the lock mechanism. Tried moving the manual open latch, it got stuck and would not release. Found a tiny pebble stuck in the mechanism, believe it or not, removed it and put the bolts back. All is Good. The dealer would have charged an hour and possibly a new lock ( I am being pessimistic ). Dont be afraid to take it out and look, its easy. pry off plastic cover with screw driver and remove 3 screws.
     

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    #15 Wynn Beattie, Jan 4, 2022
    ASRDogman and bisco like this.
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    05/02/20
     
    #16 bisco, Jan 6, 2022
  17. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    and 01/04/22.

    and who knows, it could happen to somebody else another day
     
    #17 ChapmanF, Jan 6, 2022
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