Does anybody know what you call this plate? And is it available brandy new?? Mine's nasty. Looks like the handle is part and maybe the linkage etc. It's just rusty and scale-y and it bleeds down the white. And the handle's soooo slow to rebound. Usually, I have to snap it and play games with it and the unlock/lock buttons to get the trunk open. PITA.

IIR the new parts are under 30 bucks.

 

Common problem.

 

Not hard to install.

The handle is cheap and easy to replace, the plate is best left alone. It's rediculously expensive for a piece of stamped sheet metal. You also have to get the screws that hold the plate lights out of the rusted piece of metal and it ends up turning into a mess.

 

The handle is 2 10mm nuts from the inside and one plastic clip.

One of the earlier things I repaired on my '97 was this handle. I was so rusted up for so long it didn't even latch. In retrospect it was because the car was remote entry so long stuff just seizes up. Then the remote went bad. Well the remote went good after i had it awhile. The latch plate i tried to get out from the wrong way for awhile. The lift gate panel is easy to remove yet there may a visegrip to the exterior bolts. That isn't the point.

I expected this rusty plate and spring would fall apart.

It didn't. I PB Blasted it and wire brushed it and it worked fine.

Yeh plate light. I remember taking all that stuff apart because it needed cleaning anyway but was avenue to that handle plate. It required getting access inside the lid to remove it. It's all 8mm or 10 and smaller hands prevail at some areas. What was interesting is that I had already procured a piece of coil spring from my stock and was going to replace it but it worked.