Hey there, I just bought a 05 Caravan for a great price. bad part is the rear hatch doesnt open. It seems as though when the latch is pressed, it doesnt pop the hatch. the key doesnt work on the hatch either. I was wondering if there is somethign I am missing in order to open the hatch or is there a fuse/relay that goes? I see this is a relatively common thing

 

Welcome to DF
The rod inside the liftgate may have come off. There is a small access hole in liftgate panel. Remove the plug and either use you finger a pocket screw driver to open the liftgate.

 

I had the same problem on my 2000 Grand Caravan AWD. My solution was to cut approximately a 9-inch square access panel by melting it with an electric solder gun, which exposed the whole works, making it easier to pop the rod back into place. Then, I simply taped the square plastic piece back in place.

My key STILL doesn't unlock it, even with lots of PB Blaster, but it WILL unlock with the master electric unlock switch, which allows me to open it from the outside, using the regular handle. I just used it today, when I loaded a big table in the back.

 

the hatch handle is an electric for this year. is there something electrical I should be doing or is the opening from inside the only option?

 

I dont know for a fact, but this suggstion might be for the caravans that were a model earlier. this one seems like an eletronic latch on the outside. is there some hatch popper button I am missing, or should it open if the van is unlocked?

It appears to be a common problem from what I read online, but I havent found many fixing suggestions.


thanks