Liftgate Issue After Keypad Came Off

[SilviaW]

Yesterday while driving on the freeway the side door panel where the touch key number pad is located pulled away from the door. We taped it back against the door with duct tape and it held. However now the liftgate will not open. Cannot be opened by pushing the button on the dash, or pushing the button on the outside of the liftgate. will not open using button on Fob. We took out the little silver key from the Fob and looked for a key hole on the outside of the liftgate in hopes of unlocking it that way, but can't find one. I guess the door panel section that tore away has the wiring that also controls the liftgate. We are able to unlock the car and get in using the Fob, but cannot open the liftgate. It seems to be permanently locked.

Is there any other way to open the liftgate manually? Thank you so much for your help.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Silvia.
The Securicode or keyless entry panel only serves to lock/unlock the doors. It doesn't do anything else. The key blade will only lock/unlock the driver's door and glove box.
I don't see how the 2 incidents could be connected since even with all the doors locked you should still be able to open the liftgate in the ways you described. Have you verified that the keypad does still work?

Peter

 

[SilviaW]

Welcome to the Forum Silvia.
The Securicode or keyless entry panel only serves to lock/unlock the doors. It doesn't do anything else. The key blade will only lock/unlock the driver's door and glove box.
I don't see how the 2 incidents could be connected since even with all the doors locked you should still be able to open the liftgate in the ways you described. Have you verified that the keypad does still work?

Peter

There are two wires severed(green and red) on the panel and the liftgate is ajar light stays on. We are not able to make the keypad work at all.

 

[kmarnes]

It's possible you shorted a fuse. Fuse diagram says it's a 30A fuse 69 for power liftgate.

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/F...r-Owner-Manual-version-3_om_EN-US_02_2017.pdf (page 264)

The rear door is power assisted, but you can do it manually also. Or is it simply locked and unlockable? Might be a different fuse for that one.

Is this a warranty issue, or did something hit it while driving?

 

[peterk9]

......Is this a warranty issue, or did something hit it while driving?

Good point. Take it to the dealer if the pad just came loose on its own. The warranty should cover any repairs.

Peter

 

[SilviaW]

Thank you so much for your replies. Blown fuse sounds possible. Yep can't unlock no matter what we do. I was on the road, so thought maybe it was a quick fix, but sounds like it needs to visit the dealership. It should be under warranty. Again, thank you for taking the time to respond and offer suggestions and help!

 

[JAPeterson]

You should be able to unlock it with the controls on the inside drivers door.

Then to open it there is the manual way without using the electronics.

 

[Exit32]

Thought I'd add my inoperative liftgate experience to this thread rather than starting a new one.

About a week ago, my Explorer's power liftgate refused to unlatch and open. I tried the button on the dash, the button on the key fob, and the button on the exterior of the liftgate. None of these worked. Also noticed a "Liftgate Ajar" message would pop up on the instrument cluster every time I started the vehicle. I could clear the message, but it would return at every startup. I also noticed I was unable to select either the enable-liftgate or disable-liftgate options on the settings menu.

I checked fuse number 69 in the under-hood fuse compartment, and it was good. I knew I could try the ol' disconnect-the-battery trick to reset the Power Liftgate Module, but decided to take my Explorer to the dealership in order to have this glitch documented and checked out.

After lunch yesterday, I visited my dealer's service department and explained the situation to one of the service advisors. I could see they were very busy, but the advisor listened to everything I said and offered to have a technician take a look while I waited. Within minutes, my Explorer was in the shop, and I could see one of their techs pushing all the liftgate buttons and getting no response.

The technician found me in the waiting room, and we talked about the issue for a minute or two. He said he suspected the Power Liftgate Module as the cause of the inoperative lifgate and asked if I'd allow him to disconnect the battery for a few minutes. He explained how this might reboot the module and resolve the issue. I agreed.

Five minutes later, the smiling technician returned to the waiting room. The battery-disconnect trick worked and the liftgate once again performed as expected. He went on to say that if i experienced tis problem again, I should call the service advisor and ask them to order a new Power Liftgate Module. When the new module arrived, I could simply wait a short time for the technician to install it.

All's well that ends well. BTW, disconnecting the battery does NOT affect settings of the Sync 3 system.

 

[JAPeterson]

On the part about them calling and ordering a part for replacement let me tell you about my experience doing this.

My AC compressor locked up to the point that I needed the compressor replaced. I stopped by the dealer and mentioned that I would like to make a appointment to get it taken care of and what the problem was. A couple weeks later I was down at the dealer and dropped my vehicle off. I came back the next day to pick it up and the service advisor told me that it needed a new compressor and that I needed to make another appointment. I then asked him why I made this first appointment and he then looked at the work order. Right on top it said that I needed a new compressor. He just shrugged his shoulders at me and asked me when I could bring it back in. It ended up being two days wasted without my vehicle.

My suggestion is that you need to get it documented and make sure that it is in the computer and even then they may do the same thing to you that I had happen to me.

 

[Jim Norton]

Same thing happened to me. Driving down the interstate when a chime went off telling me the lift gate was ajar. I didn't realize it at the moment but the keyless entry panel had detached and was flopping in the wind. All the same symptoms as mentioned in the original post. Figured the lift gate and keyless entry were not working due to a fuse. Must have blown as the panel was flopping. Anyway, I've read the fuse is so hard to get to I'll take it back to the dealer. Third time the panel has fallen off. Note to Ford...Double stick tape doesn't cut it.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Jim.
Your Manual shows fuse #10, a 5A dual micro fuse is for Securicode™ keyless entry keypad and Hands free liftgate.

Peter

 

[Wizhk]

Same exact thing happened to me. First the driver side keyless entry panel was loose then in a heavy storm it came unattached and the liftgate ajar message came on. Was driving down the highway when it happened. Taking it into the dealer tomorrow.

 

[peterk9]

Same exact thing happened to me. First the driver side keyless entry panel was loose then in a heavy storm it came unattached and the liftgate ajar message came on. Was driving down the highway when it happened. Taking it into the dealer tomorrow.

Welcome to the Forum.

Peter

 

[Bksaun]

We have had the exact same issue—twice now. One year ago (May 2018) the lift gate ajar alarm came on and then the side code panel fell off, flapping in the wind on a highway. Our Ford dealer replaced the side panel one year ago. Now we’re in VA (May 2019) for our son’s college graduation and the exact same thing just happened. Fortunately we have bungee cords in our car to secure the side code panel—but our left gate won’t open and we have to pack this vehicle and return home on Sunday.

A good friend told me Explorers are not made well anymore and unfortunately we are experiencing this first hand. We likely will not buy another.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Bksaun.
Although I don't see a relationship between the Securicode pad coming off and the liftgate issue, unless it affected the common fuse, have you tried using the pad with your code to unlock the vehicle even though the other doors are unlocked, assuming the pad still works? Unfortunately, as happens all too often, the previous members who went to the dealers with this issue did not report back with what if anything was done to fix the problem. It could be that the locking mechanism on the 'gate' itself is inoperative for some reason. If the Securicode pad does not work, see post #11 on this page.

Peter

 

[Adrian Gitch]

Yes it would be nice if one of the members that's had the keypad/liftgate problem would report back. I'm wondering if there's something besides a fuse that ties these two together.

 

[ScottDW]

We had this same scenario happen to us. Fuse 10 was blown, which affects the lift gate and securicode keyless entry.

Flipped the fuse around (blown side on position 11 now) and the keypad lights up again and liftgate is operational. Rear climate control is the inop system now, but curiously the controls are still working.

I find it odd that the keyless entry trim piece ripping off blew the fuse. The wiring harness has an impressive strain relief. When we can make it in to a dealer, I will update what they have to say. Which I’m expecting won’t be much more than, “It’s fixed”.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Scott.

Peter

 

[Bruce Mallicote]

For those of you that have had the issue with the sorry POS keyless entry panel falling off due to poor workmanship, putting cars together with double sided tape, and now getting an error liftgate ajar and liftgate won’t open. While this thread has been useful, it was not crystal clear where the fuse panel was located. IT IS NOT THE FURE PANEL IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. What you are looking for is the Cabin Fuse Box location. It is located in the worst location possible, up on the underside of the driver side, just left of the steering column. You are going to have to lay on your back with your head particularly under the brake pedal to see the fuse panel. It is fuse #10, and you will be able to flip it around, so the blown side is in #11, but then something else won’t work. But that’s the quick fix.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Bruce.
You are correct in that the location of the fuse panel itself was not mentioned but that info is in the Owner's Manual. Thank you.

Peter