Powered tailgate problems
Discussion
ML320CDI MY2008
Tailgate hasn't been up to the normal German reliability standards for a while. It sometimes needs a couple of attempts before it'll even start to close but until this weekend it always did close.
NOw it won't latch at all. The latching has become noisy for a while - as though it's taking a couple of goes before it catches. Then recently it failed but opening and re-closing sorted it. Now (tonight) it won't latch at all.
I can't get at the mechanism to see what might be up - the plastic interior panelling has no obvious way in.
Any ideas or advice please?
Tailgate hasn't been up to the normal German reliability standards for a while. It sometimes needs a couple of attempts before it'll even start to close but until this weekend it always did close.
NOw it won't latch at all. The latching has become noisy for a while - as though it's taking a couple of goes before it catches. Then recently it failed but opening and re-closing sorted it. Now (tonight) it won't latch at all.
I can't get at the mechanism to see what might be up - the plastic interior panelling has no obvious way in.
Any ideas or advice please?
Our GL did the same.
It would close but not latch properly - pulling the tailgate slightly made it whirr in to action and pull it shut. This happened from about 18 months after new. Every time it went in for a service the workshop tried to fix it but got nowhere.
About 6 months ago the problem got worse as the tailgate would shut but make no attempt to latch or it would part latch but not pull shut, then when you pressed the button it wouldn't release and would get very upset trying to pull against the latch!
In the end MB replaced the entire handle and lock unit under warranty (Tier 1 extended). Pity it now shuts but won't open when you pull the boot release on the tailgate!
Pity this "feature" isn't up to the build quality of the rest of the car!
It would close but not latch properly - pulling the tailgate slightly made it whirr in to action and pull it shut. This happened from about 18 months after new. Every time it went in for a service the workshop tried to fix it but got nowhere.
About 6 months ago the problem got worse as the tailgate would shut but make no attempt to latch or it would part latch but not pull shut, then when you pressed the button it wouldn't release and would get very upset trying to pull against the latch!
In the end MB replaced the entire handle and lock unit under warranty (Tier 1 extended). Pity it now shuts but won't open when you pull the boot release on the tailgate!
Pity this "feature" isn't up to the build quality of the rest of the car!
Watchman said:
ML320CDI MY2008
Tailgate hasn't been up to the normal German reliability standards for a while.
ML's are American, aren't they?Tailgate hasn't been up to the normal German reliability standards for a while.
Powered tailgates do seem one of those increasing fitted un-necessary things that are nice to have on a new car but seem almost certain to go wrong after a while.
I know the first generation MLs were US built, but I'm not sure if that applies to the later model. I was quite disappointed to find that mine didn't have the powered tailgate, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Mine just pulls itself shut the last half an inch or so when you close it, in a similar way to the soft closing doors on my old S500, which seems a bit pointless to be honest. Strangely enough though, when it does pull itself shut, the sound it makes is more like something opening.
They took longer than I had expected fixing it (although I'm not complaining - they did book me in for next day when I rang after 5pm) so I wasn't in the mood to argue about keeping the old latch, but I would have been interested to see what had failed. I can't help wonder if it's all powered by plastic gears or some other under-developed nonsense.
The Soft Close Latch on my ML packed up on one of the wife's shopping trips. The tailgate kept coming back up after attempting to latch. She summoned help from another shopper and they solved the immediate problem by holding it shut for a while till it behaved and stayed closed. Problem was it wasn't latched at all but just "down". The following day when I got in it the battery had drained down completely.
I tried charging the battery via the under bonnet Jump Start connectors. No good. Got the battery out from under the Drivers Seat. That was not fun, it involved connecting jump leads to get power to shuffle seat about. I tried to charge the Battery. No joy with that. The battery looked like the original unit (2009), so I thought it may be goosed and therefore part of the original issue with the Soft Close Latch. Fitted a new Battery but the Latch didn't work.
Went to see the Merc independent and he said the Latch was goosed. I booked it in for the repair (£350) next week. By the following morning the new Battery had drained.
The Latch I believe has a pair of small motors that must be constantly trying to close the Latch. Hopefully the new Battery will charge up today. If not I'll be looking for a Revolver.
I tried charging the battery via the under bonnet Jump Start connectors. No good. Got the battery out from under the Drivers Seat. That was not fun, it involved connecting jump leads to get power to shuffle seat about. I tried to charge the Battery. No joy with that. The battery looked like the original unit (2009), so I thought it may be goosed and therefore part of the original issue with the Soft Close Latch. Fitted a new Battery but the Latch didn't work.
Went to see the Merc independent and he said the Latch was goosed. I booked it in for the repair (£350) next week. By the following morning the new Battery had drained.
The Latch I believe has a pair of small motors that must be constantly trying to close the Latch. Hopefully the new Battery will charge up today. If not I'll be looking for a Revolver.
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