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'05 Outback Wagon: Dash light for "hatch open" stays on


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Hello all,

 

I have an '05 Outback Wagon. The open door warning light on the dash used to intermittently show that the hatch (rear door) was open; now it always shows it open no matter how hard I slam the hatch shut.

 

I opened the little diagnostic door in the hatch trim which gives access to the latch/lock mechanism. I also pulled off the trim on the trunk floor that goes around the hook it latches onto.

 

First, I tried adjusting the hook so the door might close a little tighter. No change, the warning light stays on. 

 

Second, I started looking at the latch/lock mechanism inside the door to see if there's an adjustment or something else. I can't figure out what to do. If all else fails, I'd like to disconnect the sensor wire to permanently turn off the warning light.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Jeff

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lubricate the lift handle and work it a bunch back and forth.  That should take care of it.  Mine did the same.

 

^^ this. Have had the same problem with other yrs/models.. lubing the release handle and getting it operating smoothly* again solved the problem

 

*operating smoothly means when you lift/squeeze it, it should return to fully closed again on it's own via the spring - if you have to push it down/closed - even a little - it is not working correctly

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did you have to remove the interior panel to lube the assembly or can the handle be lubricated from the exterior at the hinge points?

 

Also for the op, there may be a broken wire within the rubber channels at the upper corners of the hatch. i will dig out one of my previous posts on my 05 with pics. Does the door lock via the switch?

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/163213-broken-wire-to-rear-hatch/

Edited by brus brother
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Hello all,

 

I have lubed the release handle as recommended above. It snaps back nicely, doesn't get stuck in the "in" position. If I am correct, the handle operates the latch via a cable. It works smoothly.

 

No change in the warning lamp.

 

The electric locking mechanism still works fine.

 

The comment from Brus Brother about the broken wire seems plausible. Anyone else have any experience with this? If so, the fix will probably be worse than the problem, and I would instead resort to the tried-and-true black electrical tape repair -- putting a little piece of black electrical tape over the warning lamp so it doesn't bother me anymore.

 

Any other thoughts out there?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Jeff

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it is possible the wiring itself is at issue, but not fun to try to fix... you would need the appropriate wiring diagram, and a good multimeter to trace things, drop the headliner down in the back (at minimum) and remove the interior panel on the hatch. Even then, trying to determine EXACTLY which wire from the main body into the hatch can be a chore.

 

sort of related - my first Subaru was an 89 GL wagon that the PO had replaced the rear hatch on due to broken glass - they had cut the wires in the process instead of unplugging things & fishing the wiring through. Lots of stuff didn't work like it was supposed to... Took me the better part of a day to figure it all out & get things working properly... there were several wires with the same color coding running through the bundle into the hatch - figuring out which went where was a real treat.

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The broken wires in the 05 and other OBs appear to be a common problem. Before you peel back the headliner, slide up the rubber boots on either side of the hatch and separate the bundled wires. My broken wire(s) were pretty obvious. BTW in my case the breaks were within the boot on the passenger side (of course I checked the drivers side first). Since there isn't much spare wire, I ended up splicing in/heat shrinking a piece of wire.

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Dadgummit! Today, unable to unlock rear hatch. no actuator sound. so I climbed in and there is an access panel dead center right at the bottom of the interior panel that pops right out. Little white lever on driver's side operates the lock.

Pulled the boot on the passenger side and sure enough one of my previous repaired joints (solder and shrink) failed. Failed at the splice of the new wire added!

I am asking myself for a full refund. Shoddy workmanship!

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Dadgummit! Today, unable to unlock rear hatch. no actuator sound. so I climbed in and there is an access panel dead center right at the bottom of the interior panel that pops right out. Little white lever on driver's side operates the lock.

Pulled the boot on the passenger side and sure enough one of my previous repaired joints (solder and shrink) failed. Failed at the splice of the new wire added!

I am asking myself for a full refund. Shoddy workmanship!

 

That's why the dealer just replaces the harness. If one wire is broken, the others usually aren't far behind. And the repair joints have to be far from the part that flexes otherwise it will fail.

 

The dealer I work at has all 3 part numbers for '05-'09 OBKs in stock, one is about $250, the other 2 are about $90. IMO, $90 is worth it to be done with it for another 10-15 years (probably the rest of the life of the car). But for $250, I'd probably keep replacing it. So call up your local dealer with your VIN and see.

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Well, I investigated the broken wire in the rubber boot theory. On the passenger side, just for kicks, I slid the boot down to expose the wires. There's about 800 of them (a slight exaggeration). I realized that the only way for me to fix this is to get a new harness and drop the headliner, strip the hatch trim, and start putting in the new wiring. Not something that I will have time for anytime soon, so I put the rubber boot back over the wires and fixed it back into place.

 

BUT, it seems as though the MERE ACT of exposing and manipulating the wires has (at least temporarily) fixed the problem. I find that the warning light on the dash has gone out, and another fault -- the rear wiper wouldn't park in the down position -- have gone away. So the problem is definitely the wiring, and I'm sure the issues will come back after the wiring harness goes through 50 more open-and-close cycles.

 

But for now, I'm happy. Thanks to all for the great suggestions that led to a definitive diagnosis and a temporary repair.

 

Jeff

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Dadgummit! Today, unable to unlock rear hatch. no actuator sound. so I climbed in and there is an access panel dead center right at the bottom of the interior panel that pops right out. Little white lever on driver's side operates the lock.

Pulled the boot on the passenger side and sure enough one of my previous repaired joints (solder and shrink) failed. Failed at the splice of the new wire added!

I am asking myself for a full refund. Shoddy workmanship!

 

This may sound strange - but Don't Solder the repair!

Soldering the joint introduces rigidity - something you do not want.

 

A good 'Western Union Splice' and heat shrink are all you need.

 

I have made many wiring repairs with this method (on both passenger vehicles and large trucks) and have yet to have one fail again in the repair area.

As noted, you do want to try to make the repair away from areas that get flexed a lot if at all possible.

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post-80-0-36381500-1502885718_thumb.jpg

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