Cursed tailgate latch on 2014 Forester

[Finfan]

Hello all!  I'm here with a question regarding my wife's 2014 Forester.  We have had the rear latch replaced about 3 times now in a period of about 4 years, and the same problem keeps coming back.  After opening, it will not relatch when closed.  I happened again today and after messing around with it for a bit I removed the cover for the mechanism.  I found that if I moved a piece that seems to be attached to the latching mechanism to the left it will latch that time, but if I open it again it will refuse to latch until I mess with it again.  I think the mechanism just sticks at that particular place without returning to where it belongs.  Is this a known problem with this model and is there a solution such as using an after market part instead of an original?  Thanks for any info you might supply me with!

[idosubaru]

*** did you replace it with aftermarket or Subaru parts?

There won't be any better aftermarket solutions. The subaru one should work great for the life of the vehicle.   Great description and history. 

The most likely cause is the latch and the body-side strike that it latches onto are mis-aligned, or bent, and over time this mis-alignment is damaging the new latches.

Check the striker down by the bumper/rear cargo floor and see if it has any non-symmetrical or excessive wear, or to see if it's compromised in anyway.  Look very closely. 
Post a clear focused picture here if you can.  

I would buy a used Subaru latch (maybe two!), and the body side striker as well to replace just in case, and check the alignment with the strike pin on the body side of the vehicle.  There should be an adjustment on the latch or strike side, one of them should be able to be loosened and slightly shifted.

If you replaced with aftermarket parts I'd get Subaru.  You may have had a very unlucky, or previously damaged, original latch that failed and then replaced with aftermarkets of lower quality.  This seems unlikely if it's happened 3 times but it happenns often enough with copious amounts of other parts it's smart to at least mention it. 

Has this car ever been in an accident before you owned it?  It sounds like maybe it was and the hatch and strike are a little off? 

Since I can't physically look at it myself, let's try to be thorough: 

1. How positive are you that this is a mechanical issue? 
2. Typically I'd suggest checking the wiring as something is shorted and causing it to activate but it sounds like you're fairly certain replacements fixed this and you can tell it's mechanical failure while working on it?

Edited February 3, 2022 by idosubaru

[1 Lucky Texan]

I doubt this will help, but we owned a vehicle in the distant past that had remote lock/unloclck button at the friver's position for the hatch. It started being unreliable and what I discovered was a rod was adjusted TOO LONG such that, yes, while it solidly and reliably moved the end all the way to lock, it held some xtra force as well, and when the solenoid released, it would spring back with enough force to unlock!

[Finfan]

The replacements were done by local shops.  My wife says that she isn't sure if they replaced it the last time or just repaired the problem so it may have only been replaced twice. Since it wasn't done by the dealer the parts were very likely aftermarket. The latch opens with no problem when we press the button at the rear, it just won't latch when we close it.  If I manually close the latch and press the button it opens fine so the problem is with how it latches when it hatch is closed. Apparently the mechanism won't go into position unless I move the part into place.  To make things even more fun it is intermittent.  Since I messed with it yesterday it is now working again.  It seems like the latch itself won't catch in the closed position unless I mess with the mechanism when the problem is happening. 

[Finfan]

I've been letting this thread slide for now since my wife is out of town with the Subaru, but here are some pictures I took of the parts involved before she left. If you look at the picture of the latch mechanism the part I moved to get it to catch was the triangular plastic bit.  When it won't catch that part is pretty much centered in the slot and if I move it all the way to the left the latchwill catch.  Seems like a mechanical problem with the latch to me but I might be missing something.

Edited February 6, 2022 by Finfan

[forester2002s]

The rear hatch has to be properly aligned with the body of the car.  If there is any misalignment, the rear striker/latch may not engage fully. When the hatch is closed, the gaps around the perimeter have to be more or less equal (the Factory Service Manual has details).

There are 3 adjustment points:

- the mounting bolts for each of the 2 upper hinges;

- the mounting bolts for the lower striker-bar (hidden under the plastic trim on the sill).

I would start with adjusting the lower striker-bar: side-to-side or front-to-back. See what happens.

[idosubaru]

1.  Try greasing the latch. And copiously moving the mechanisms around to help the grease migrate.  There are spray greases that you spray into hard to reach areas and congeal into grease. 

Alternately you could try a lubricant or penetrant like liquid nails or WD40 as a temporary test or solution.  But follow that up with proper grease. 

I can’t tell if the striker is damaged or not. I see some discoloration but can’t tell if it’s rough or shows wear.

If you have it replaced again a Subaru part, even a used one over after market, may be wise. I have a 2014 Forester parts car but doubt it’s worth pulling that part off of it. They are readily available. 

[1 Lucky Texan]

maybe a kid was messing with those adjustable bumper things? I think some cars have them on the rear? kinda like forester2002s said. could disallow a smooth closure.