Hi all - I'm posting this as a caution if you are having issues with your rear hatch not closing properly.
A few weeks ago, I was noticing on my '07 MO that the rear hatch was loose when closed and locked. Sometimes it gave issues to lock but it eventually did but it was still loose (I could still shake the rear hatch). I thought it was the locking mechanism not closing properly and decided to wait until the spring to free it up.
Guess what? I was wrong. It was a loose latch and NOT the lock. The latch had worked itself loose from the backing plate and the 2 screws holding it down. One screw was completely loose and the other was holding it by one thread. When my mechanic friend and I (working on something else) tried to tighten it, the thing came loose and the backing plate fell down in the cavity in the trunk. There was no easy access to that backing plate. SH**!!!! To even see what had happened, we had to remove the whole plastic cover (held by 3 clips on the inside of the trunk) that ran the width of the trunk. Once we peered through the 2 screw holes, with the help of lights, we saw the backing plate that the screws screwed into laying on the bottom of that cavity.
After 45 mins of trying we were finally able to retract the backing plate with extension magnets, screwdrivers, wires poked into the 2 screw holes and a LOT of LUCK. We finally got it into a position where we could screw one of the screws in the backing plate to hold it until we could screw the other screw with the latch. Then we were able to attach the whole mechanism properly. I was a PITA!!!! I'm going to use blue thread lock on it today.
The reason I'm telling you this is to check your screws on the rear hatch if the latch seems loose before the screws work themselves free and then you are screwed....literally if that backing plate falls down.
What a poor design. Why couldn't Nissan just weld the backing plate....unless of course it was welded and broke off.
A few weeks ago, I was noticing on my '07 MO that the rear hatch was loose when closed and locked. Sometimes it gave issues to lock but it eventually did but it was still loose (I could still shake the rear hatch). I thought it was the locking mechanism not closing properly and decided to wait until the spring to free it up.
Guess what? I was wrong. It was a loose latch and NOT the lock. The latch had worked itself loose from the backing plate and the 2 screws holding it down. One screw was completely loose and the other was holding it by one thread. When my mechanic friend and I (working on something else) tried to tighten it, the thing came loose and the backing plate fell down in the cavity in the trunk. There was no easy access to that backing plate. SH**!!!! To even see what had happened, we had to remove the whole plastic cover (held by 3 clips on the inside of the trunk) that ran the width of the trunk. Once we peered through the 2 screw holes, with the help of lights, we saw the backing plate that the screws screwed into laying on the bottom of that cavity.
After 45 mins of trying we were finally able to retract the backing plate with extension magnets, screwdrivers, wires poked into the 2 screw holes and a LOT of LUCK. We finally got it into a position where we could screw one of the screws in the backing plate to hold it until we could screw the other screw with the latch. Then we were able to attach the whole mechanism properly. I was a PITA!!!! I'm going to use blue thread lock on it today.
The reason I'm telling you this is to check your screws on the rear hatch if the latch seems loose before the screws work themselves free and then you are screwed....literally if that backing plate falls down.
What a poor design. Why couldn't Nissan just weld the backing plate....unless of course it was welded and broke off.