Rear hatch won't close unless a door is opened

[Expy2020]

So this is a new issue that has risen since I got it back from the dealer for the PCM reflash. It now shifts great but if I open the rear hatch with the button on the dash and then try to close with the same button, it moves a little and then double honks the horn. I press the button again and it goes up all the way again. I have to open and close my door and then the button will close the hatch without issue.

It works fine from the key fob or the button on the back if the car is closed or locked already. Is this some new safety "feature" baked into the latest PCM software? It's particularly annoying since we pretty exclusively use grocery pickup so we're sitting in the car with it off and in park, and must pop the rear hatch and then either the store employee presses the button to close it or we do inside the car. Either way, it only works if we open the drivers door and close it before trying to close the hatch.

I just now thought maybe it wants the car to be unlocked (which happens when you open the drivers door) before it will close if it senses the key inside the vehicle. That would almost make sense. I'll try that this afternoon. Prior to the PCM update I could open and close the rear hatch from inside the vehicle with the doors locked. Weird...

 

[peterk9]

The liftgate should open and or close with the press of the dash button regardless of whether the vehicle is locked or unlocked. I would think it's a software issue. I have read posts where a member's liftgate would open when they closed a 2nd-row door. If this happened right after the PCM reflash, I would go back to the dealership and have them check it.

Peter

 

[Sea_Ray]

Mine started this a while back...When I fill the gas can I open the hatch and gas door from the dash buttons. Fill the can first ...place in back with hatch open....fill the truck then get in press hatch button.....starts to close then doulble blows the horn. I get out press button on hatch and it closes....Never thought about until reading this Post. Truck was in service in past month.....LET'S GO FORD

I was on phone with Ford today They have become just as ignorant as the cable Company. The sad thing is they are using employees in the States unlike the 3rd world call centers used by mast.

 

[Spacey]

I have a 2020ST and it has done this since new. If I park the car and open the hatch with the button on the dash it will not close unless I open and close the driver door. No idea why this is, but I assumed it was some stupid safety related thing and just live with it. My car does so many stupid and random things that this is WAY down on the list. At least it's consistent.

 

[Expy2020]

I have a 2020ST and it has done this since new. If I park the car and open the hatch with the button on the dash it will not close unless I open and close the driver door. No idea why this is, but I assumed it was some stupid safety related thing and just live with it. My car does so many stupid and random things that this is WAY down on the list. At least it's consistent.

Will it close if you unlock the doors instead of opening and closing the drivers door? With the car off, when you open the drivers door it unlocks all the doors. My theory is it is trying to prevent you from locking your fob in the car and it knows the doors are locked, so if it allows the hatch to close you'd be locking it inside. Seems dumb considering it knows when the seat belts are buckled in all seats which should tell it someone is still inside. I haven't had a chance to test that scenario yet cause my wife is always driving the thing.

I do know that when the car is running, it will open and close from the button on the dash as my wife tested this morning. Dropped kid at school, her bass was in the back and my wife opened and closed it from the dash. But the car would have been unlocked on at least one door so my daughter could get out.

 

[Spacey]

I don't know if I ever tried just unlocking the door instead of opening it. You may be correct.

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2020ST and it has done this since new. If I park the car and open the hatch with the button on the dash it will not close unless I open and close the driver door. No idea why this is, but I assumed it was some stupid safety related thing and just live with it. My car does so many stupid and random things that this is WAY down on the list. At least it's consistent.

That is not normal for the operation of the liftgate. You should not have to open or close any doors in order to close the 'gate' from the dash button. In other words, you have a problem with the liftgate. It's not functioning as intended.

Peter

 

[peterk9]

Will it close if you unlock the doors instead of opening and closing the drivers door? With the car off, when you open the drivers door it unlocks all the doors. My theory is it is trying to prevent you from locking your fob in the car and it knows the doors are locked, so if it allows the hatch to close you'd be locking it inside. Seems dumb considering it knows when the seat belts are buckled in all seats which should tell it someone is still inside. I haven't had a chance to test that scenario yet cause my wife is always driving the thing.

I do know that when the car is running, it will open and close from the button on the dash as my wife tested this morning. Dropped kid at school, her bass was in the back and my wife opened and closed it from the dash. But the car would have been unlocked on at least one door so my daughter could get out.

If the fob is detected, the liftgate should close but not lock. If the fob is in the vehicle, the doors will not lock unless you use a second keyfob to lock the doors or you use the Securicode keyless pad to lock the vehicle. As I mentioned before, if you have to open or close a door in order to close the liftgate with the dash button, you have a problem since that is not the way it should work. It likely worked as intended before the reflash was done. Something is wrong. Take it back unless you're willing to live with it.

Peter

 

[Expy2020]

Solved! My hunch was correct. The hatch will not close if the doors are locked and the fob is inside and the car is NOT running. It just double beeps whether you press the button on the dash or the button on the lift gate. I have confirmed simply unlocking the doors will allow it to close, even if just one door is unlocked. This is a new "feature" that accompanied the latest PCM update.

So if you're at grocery pickup waiting for your groceries to be brought out, either keep the car running, or shut off the car and unlock the doors before you try and close the hatch. I looked in the settings and there is no option to auto unlock with ignition off like the GM cars do. The only auto unlock option requires you to open the drivers door, same as my 17 expedition and 15 focus. But the expedition would let you open and close the hatch from inside with all the doors locked. In a way this makes sense since the car is basically trying to stop you from locking your fob in the car(assuming you don't know the keypad code). I'm always surprised how many Ford owners don't know the code. I have all mine set the same and just clear them when I sell a vehicle, it's easy peasy to set up.

Anyone with a 23 model have this feature? It must be a pretty recent update if no one else has run into this issue yet and according to Ford I'm now running the most current PCM software.

 

[peterk9]

Solved! My hunch was correct. The hatch will not close if the doors are locked and the fob is inside and the car is NOT running. It just double beeps whether you press the button on the dash or the button on the lift gate. I have confirmed simply unlocking the doors will allow it to close, even if just one door is unlocked. This is a new "feature" that accompanied the latest PCM update.

........................................

Confirmed, and so I stand corrected. The opening of the door would be to ensure that at least 1 door wasn't locked. When I tested it this morning the liftgate beeped and started to close then stopped. Upon pressing the dash button again, it went back to the open position. Never to old to learn new things.

Peter