I changed the battery in my key thinking that might be the issue, but no result. Any ideas?
2021 X6 M50 with Towing Package (so no touchless opening).
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I changed the battery in my key thinking that might be the issue, but no result. Any ideas?
2021 X6 M50 with Towing Package (so no touchless opening).
Rixbimmer wrote2021 X6 M50 with Towing Package (so no touchless opening).My trunk refuses to open. I can hear some mechanism in the trunk trying to open and the light flashes as it does, but won’t open. Tried 1) key remote, 2) door button, and 3) finger release at bottom of trunk. All appear to work the mechanism but without result. The dash info also sees the opening initially, then goes back to normal.
I changed the battery in my key thinking that might be the issue, but no result. Any ideas?
did your latche actually unlock after you press the unlock button or can you manually open the trunk after pressing unlock button?
if not, I guess lock mechanism is malfunctioning. So, the trunk was not actually unlocked.
if so, have you tried
1) disconnect a few minutes and reconnect your battery to reset electronics?
2) check your control modules and fuse box in the trunk (pry open rear right side panel with a flat screw driver or fingers) to look for clues
3) another thing (hopefully not) could be worn out motorized struts.
Good luck.
Rixbimmer wroteFortunately this is a rare issue, unfortunately it has happened to youMy trunk refuses to open. I can hear some mechanism in the trunk trying to open and the light flashes as it does, but won’t open. Tried 1) key remote, 2) door button, and 3) finger release at bottom of trunk. All appear to work the mechanism but without result. The dash info also sees the opening initially, then goes back to normal.
I changed the battery in my key thinking that might be the issue, but no result. Any ideas?
2021 X6 M50 with Towing Package (so no touchless opening).
If you can't get the hatch open, you cannot get to the battery or anything else in the cargo area and there isn't a manual override for the hatch. There are only a few things I can think of.. ..- Using the finger release button above the license plate, press it and when you hear the noise you spoke of, try pulling hard to manually open it. Possibly the latch is disengaging but the lift mechanism is not working, hopefully this is the case and you are at least able to get into your cargo area.
- Could it be possible that something is wrong with the wiring for the towing package? Maybe a wire got damaged, maybe a ground issue. I'm not familiar with the towing package but even so I would not think it would even make the sound you're hearing if the car thinks you have a trailer, etc hooked up. However, things do go wonky once in a while so fully check out your towing package features
- Do an iDrive reset. Start the car, press and hold the volume knob in until you see the LCD screen go blank twice in a row, then let up the volume knob and wait for iDrive to fully boot up to your default screen (this can take over 30 seconds). At this point, check your iDrive settings in regards to your towing package and the opening of the rear hatch to be sure they are correct
- If that doesn't work and if the car is otherwise working fine, then take it to a dealer. If the dealer is able to open it, come back here and let us know how they did it.
- If on the other hand you are having other strange electrical issues, connect a battery charger to the front terminals in the engine compartment and give it a few hours of charge and then try again
- tried to lift hatch after hearing the latch try to disengage but no luck.
- towing wiring is tucked inside and no sign of dirt or damage to external connections
- did an idrive reset (twice) and no sign of any issues. Still no luck.
- no other electrical issues. Never had an issue with the car other than the covered transfer case issue since purchase.
Called my dealer and headed there to check it out this afternoon. Keep you posted.
Rixbimmer wroteYou're not a one off but there aren't many to keep you companyGreat - a one off! Getting to the battery is impossible. I see no manual latch in the back either.
- tried to lift hatch after hearing the latch try to disengage but no luck.
- towing wiring is tucked inside and no sign of dirt or damage to external connections
- did an idrive reset (twice) and no sign of any issues. Still no luck.
- no other electrical issues. Never had an issue with the car other than the covered transfer case issue since purchase.
Called my dealer and headed there to check it out this afternoon. Keep you posted.
ok, let us know what the dealer found and how they got it open. Its hard to believe there's no manual override for something like this since it negates access to the battery.
To make it hard for someone to easily break in, there's probably no easy way to manually open the hatch from the outside...don't know about from the inside...maybe.
jad03060 wroteRight, seems there should be a way of opening it manually from the inside. Someone else a while ago had this issue, I recall going out to mine and trying to find a manual method but never found one.If it were a closed trunk, at least in the USA, there'd have to be a manual release, but not in something configured like the X5. That's a tough one.
To make it hard for someone to easily break in, there's probably no easy way to manually open the hatch from the outside...don't know about from the inside...maybe.
A service advisor leaned on the trunk while pushing the key, and the trunk sprang open. Key still wouldn’t work without the push on the trunk, so they want to replace the “rear lift gate lock actuator and soft close mechanism”. Total charge - $3035. I’m out of warranty, so all mine.
As I said earlier, no other issues in 4 1/2 yrs, other than transfer case recall, so really no complaint. Still love the car…. I’m debating as I want to trade the car early next year, but I can’t deal with the chance I can’t get the trunk open when needed.
Rixbimmer wroteWHAT??? $3,035??? From your description about the guy leaning on it and it popped open, if it were me, I would check the adjustments of the tailgate rest stops before paying anyone to do anything. Seems to me that they might not be set correctly.Went to dealer yesterday. Service manager as surprised as me - no manual release. They thought it might be the valet mode, but I had never activated that.
A service advisor leaned on the trunk while pushing the key, and the trunk sprang open. Key still wouldn’t work without the push on the trunk, so they want to replace the “rear lift gate lock actuator and soft close mechanism”. Total charge - $3035. I’m out of warranty, so all mine.
As I said earlier, no other issues in 4 1/2 yrs, other than transfer case recall, so really no complaint. Still love the car…. I’m debating as I want to trade the car early next year, but I can’t deal with the chance I can’t get the trunk open when needed.
Do you have the car or did the dealer keep it to do the work? If you have the car, can you press on the tailgate like the service advisor did to get it to open? Did they look for anything that might be bent?
M a r t y wroteAbsolutely. No friggen way would I pay $3k for a jammed hatch latch. Its not that complicated. As mentioned above, if pressing on it releases it then it’s in mechanical fix and not expensive.WHAT??? $3,035??? From your description about the guy leaning on it and it popped open, if it were me, I would check the adjustments of the tailgate rest stops before paying anyone to do anything. Seems to me that they might not be set correctly.
Do you have the car or did the dealer keep it to do the work? If you have the car, can you press on the tailgate like the service advisor did to get it to open? Did they look for anything that might be bent?
That’s like paying $1200 for to fix a jammed cupholder lid. I’d rip the cover lid off before I paid that.
Rixbimmer wrote$3000 is ridiculous. Wrap some electric tapers around where Marty pointed you in the picture. Close and open multiple times and see if unusual friction marks in any bumps. Adjusted accordingly.Went to dealer yesterday. Service manager as surprised as me - no manual release. They thought it might be the valet mode, but I had never activated that.
A service advisor leaned on the trunk while pushing the key, and the trunk sprang open. Key still wouldn’t work without the push on the trunk, so they want to replace the “rear lift gate lock actuator and soft close mechanism”. Total charge - $3035. I’m out of warranty, so all mine.
As I said earlier, no other issues in 4 1/2 yrs, other than transfer case recall, so really no complaint. Still love the car…. I’m debating as I want to trade the car early next year, but I can’t deal with the chance I can’t get the trunk open when needed.
Agree this seems a mechanical issue indeed.
P.S. After talking to dealer, they made a mistake - it was only $1847 plus tax.
glad it works out for you.
Rixbimmer wroteOk, well, I have to comment again sinceMany thanks to Marty for the pictures. Right now I put some silicone spray n the latch and it’s worked perfectly. I AM NOT GOING TO REPLACE THIS LATCH. We’ll see what happens and I’ll try to adjust using Marty’s suggestion.
P.S. After talking to dealer, they made a mistake - it was only $1847 plus tax.
yzhou2004 made a bet 
First off, congrats for the DIY and as a bonus, it worked! So, you sprayed silicone lubricant into the latch, right? Would this be the portion in my previous pic that I labeled "The hatch locking motor is in here"? If so, yeah could be the mechanical portion of that latch mechanism was stuck, you heard the electrical motor try to release it but the physical mechanism would not move. This is my theory after what you did worked. Silicone lubricant is rather thin for that application but I don't actually know if its greased from the factory or not.
However, there are three latches if memory serves me well, that one in the center and one on each side of that bottom hatch. I think the two on the sides are responsible for the soft close feature. Take a look at the two sides and see if you think they also need some lubrication and or cleaning.
Whatever was in there that caused it to seize may still be in there but just covered with your lubricant. You need to flush it out so when the lubricant stops working (dries up, whatever), it doesn't seize up again. Not sure how difficult it is to remove that plastic cover and fully expose the latch mechanism, you can have a look and see what you think. If it's too difficult then you might want to spray it again, activate it several times, spray again, activate several times and then just keep an eye on it. Sorta like rinsing multiple times as the dental hygienist cleans your teeth
In the meantime, take two sheets of paper, like steal them from your printer, place them over the bump stops that were in my previous pic, these are the round rubber knob looking stops that you can turn with your fingers and close the hatch using the close button. You will need two people for this, one for each side. Once the hatch if fully closed, try pulling the sheets of paper out. Let us know what happens.
So, $1,847 plus tax? Well, the latch mechanism is around $400-500 if it's the middle one, slightly less for the side ones but there are two of them. The rest is labor so actually, $1,847 may not be horrible depending on what they had intended to replace and of course, its a dealer.
Rixbimmer wroteIf you are sure that it is just the trunk lid lock problem (seems like), the worst-case scenario is just to replace it. The lock itself should be less than $200 online. Spindle drives are more expensive, at $400-500 each and there are three, two for upper tailgate left and right visible, one for bottom gate hidden below the trim cover in the middle.You’re right - I used the silicone spray mainly to flush any debris as well as lubricate, but it won’t stay long. Your suggestions are good; I’ll check the bumps with paper, do a good flush and find some heavier grease for the latch. That seems cheap compared to $1847.
M a r t y wroteI wanna say thank you for bringing this issue up because i had the same problem and pressed against the trunk then it popped open then i fould the pieces werent balance so i measured them and fix it now it woulding perfect, i have a dent from bracing it but i'll fix that later:party0030:WHAT??? $3,035??? From your description about the guy leaning on it and it popped open, if it were me, I would check the adjustments of the tailgate rest stops before paying anyone to do anything. Seems to me that they might not be set correctly.
Do you have the car or did the dealer keep it to do the work? If you have the car, can you press on the tailgate like the service advisor did to get it to open? Did they look for anything that might be bent?
