How do you open the tailgate on a RAV4?

RAV4 XLE Hybrid 2021.
Found tailgate wide opened on parked vehicle five times so far. Once it was opening while I was driving.
First I assumed that may be due to inadvertently pressing the tailgate button on the car key. However when trying to open it by pressing this button, it requires to press and hold this button for 3 sec. in order to start opening the tailgate.
Complained about this at Toyota service shop recently. They replied that I will have to remove an after market installed remote starter wiring in order for them to do any investigation. Last winter I asked the same service shop to install remote starter, but they replied that Toyota service does not do this. They recommended me a shop that can do this so I had this installed by that recommended shop. Now they ask me to remove this?
I asked this shop if they had any similar issues with this installation on RAVs. They said that this kind of remote they installed on hundreds of Toyota RAVs but had never any issue of this kind before. They recommended that they will disconnect remote starter which will be enough for Toyota to continue investigating. So I plan to do this next.
I started suspecting that Toyota car key may be faulty, some sort of shorting and sending a signal to tailgate to open. This I can detect by simply swapping this key with the second (spare) key, but I don’t want to do many things at the same time, I could not find the root cause.
Anyone with similar experience, or if somebody know what may be the cause of this malfunction?

359 příspěvků · Připojeno 2021

I’m thinkin it’s related to the aftermarket remote starter and the kick sensor that can be used to open the tailgate. Leave your key somewhere far away from the car, walk up to your car when it’s locked or however you normally leave it, and see if you can use the kick sensor to activate the tailgate. (Like.. car must be able to detect key to remote start when you’re not there, and the rear kick sensor also detects the key, allowing kick sensor to work at all times)

4.5 Hybrid Limited, locked, alone, in garage, rear hatch.

The first time (maybe a month, maybe two months ago?) this happened, I did not write down a time or date but dismissed it as a mental holiday due to the amount of alcohol and drugs consumed at a much earlier age. Tonight, about 8:24, the Toyota App lit my iPhone up with an alert that a door was.

www.rav4world.com
DTomanic Discussion starter
3 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017

You said it opened while you were driving. Were you stopped at the time or were you moving?

I haven’t tested this but I would assume that the activation of the power lift gate is blocked once the vehicle is moving.

I remember, I was driving, just approaching the red lights. Stopped at red lights and my wife got out and closed the tailgate manually. it was scary!

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726 příspěvků · Připojeno 2014

I have read about other cases of this happening.

I think it might be related to the remote starter.
When purchasing my RAV4 my dealership refused to install an aftermarket remote starter and recommended I not take it somewhere else and have it done.
They told me the reason they don’t install remote starts in hybrids is because it seems to mess with the electrical system of the car and they have had too many problems with cars with them installed.

Not sure how true it is, but I have the remote start through my fob and app anyways, so I didn’t need it.

57 příspěvků · Připojeno 2022

I have read about other cases of this happening.

Not sure how true it is, but I have the remote start through my fob and app anyways, so I didn’t need it.

Interesting. One of the the deal breaker items we wanted installed on our 22 premium is remote start and heated seats. If we couldnt have those then we would find something else and the dealer said no problem. We didnt opt for the bigger infotainment and JBL. So im assuming its just an add on some place else.

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882 příspěvků · Připojeno 2019

I have not added anything like that to my car, and I have had the tailgate open by itself probably 10 times in the last couple years. I blame the keyfob in my pocket pressing up against a key on my keyring. I am not sure what I can do about that.

It’s especially annoying when it does it when the car is in the garage, and the door jambs up against my garage door, and I do not notice and press the garage door opener button, and the garage door jambs against the tailgate. I have lots of little nicks on the edge of the tailgate from when this happened.

83 příspěvků · Připojeno 2021

I too have not added remote start, etc to my Rav4 and have had the tailgate open twice now. The most recent occurrence was a couple of night ago in my garage as I was removing something from the reardriver side floor. Lucky for me I heard the beeping warning and grabbed the hatch to stop it from hitting the closed garage door. Both instances I had another key in my pocket along with the key fob. I guess I may have to start carrying the key fob in an empty pocket.

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2023 RAV4 Prime XSE — Magnetic Gray Metallic, WP & PP
——————–
2022 RAV4 XLE Premium Hybrid (aka the «DeerSlayer»)
— 2 days before I took delivery of my Prime a deer ran into this vehicle at 45 mph. Not pretty for the deer.

3794 příspěvků · Připojeno 2019

You said it opened while you were driving. Were you stopped at the time or were you moving?

I haven’t tested this but I would assume that the activation of the power lift gate is blocked once the vehicle is moving.

2019 RAV4 Limited — magnetická šedá metalíza
Omezený balíček pokročilé technologie, zatemňovací emblémy, boční lišty karoserie, panoramatická střecha, chrániče hran dveří, blatníky
Vyrobeno v Japonsku 12/18

359 příspěvků · Připojeno 2021

If you google «tailgate opening on its own», it’s wild how common this is across many different makes and models. Wonder if there’s a RF aspect to it?
(Edit: Sometimes it’s accidental and user error of course, but I’m also reading about other situations where it’s not)

2 příspěvků · Připojeno 2022

Try replacing the battery in the key fob. The battery is supposed to last 1-2 years. See p. 120 of the manual. I have a 2021 Rav4 Hybrid. It started randomly opening the rear door on its own a month or so ago, which was about 15 months after I got it. I looked in the manual, which states, «If the key battery is depleted the following symptoms may occur: The smart key system (if equipped) and wireless remote control will not function properly. The operational range will be reduced.» I replaced the battery in the key fob (it’s a CR2032) and it has stopped randomly opening. See p. 618 of the manual. It’s supposed to give an alert when the battery needs replacing, but I didn’t get one.

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8 příspěvků · Připojeno 2022

I have a stock XLE that is not quite 2 months old. No remote starter nor a kick sensor. Other than a dash cam I’ve installed no after-market accessories. This has happened to me once.

Details are: I went out to walk my dog one evening and saw the the tailgate was open—I had had the car for less than two weeks (Bought March 20 and key hook delivered from Amazon on March 30, so, yeah. Right after I got it.). Like you I thought I had pressed the button on the fob accidentally while bending over, as I kept it in my pocket pretty much 24/7. I used to set off the car alarm on my previous car, a Kia Sportage, all the time (like, weekly) bending over with the fob & other crap in my pocket.

I put a key hook next to the door and I’m getting in the habit of hanging my key there when I return home, and it has not happened since.

3 příspěvků · Připojeno 2015

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We have found our tailgate open three times over the past 6 weeks. Twice in the garage pressing against the garage door, and once outside while parked on the street. (2022 RAV4 XLE we bought end of September 2022)

On other vehicles we have owned, I have inadvertently had the panic buttons pushed while in my pocket with other keys. So I think that is the problem with having the Tailgate Lift button on the key FOB. So on another post I read that the cars computer can be programmed so you can disable the key FOBs Tailgate lift. I found information where the Dealership can program the cars computer to disable the remote tailgate lift in the user manual «Power back door 9-2 Customization page 689».

Our dealership Service Rep was unaware of this ability to «customize». I had even photocopied the page in the user manual with yellow highlighter for what we needed, but the Service Rep’s assistant failed to give it to him and left it on the console for the first mechanic who must of missed seeing the photocopy. An hour later, the Service Rep said it couldn’t be done without completely disabling the key FOB remote. So I showed the Service Rep the photo on my cell phone of the user manual page, then he came back saying the Master Technician could do it for one hour service fee of $189.19 because it was customization and not warranty work. (Oh brother). Be prepared to educate them. Most are newer employees.

One more thing. While walking out to the car I tried the remote Tailgate button and it still hadn’t been disabled. The Master Technician forgot to save the file while he was showing us other options that could be changed. LOL. It happens when you get distracted. But he should have tested it after programming.

If the power liftgate on your Toyota RAV4 is acting up or quits working, you’re probably wondering if there’s an inexpensive way to repair it. The problem may be small or easy to fix, but sometimes the repair can cost thousands of dollars and include replacing your entire liftgate.

Rather than go that route, it’s possible to convert your power liftgate to manual operation. In this article, we’ll cover how to do that as well as how to open and close the power liftgate manually on your RAV4.

Jak ručně otevřít a zavřít elektrické výklopné dveře

Power liftgates like the one on the RAV4 are designed to be opened and closed manually. They have an override to disable the power operation.

On newer RAV4 models, you can access the power liftgate functions from the settings screen on the instrument panel. First, open the settings menu and then scroll through the menu functions until you locate the option for the power liftgate. Then select the «off» setting.
On older RAV4s, the on/off switch will be located on the dashboard or the liftgate itself.

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Once you have switched off your power liftgate, you can open and close it manually.

How To Convert Your Power Liftgate To Manual Operation

To perform a manual liftgate conversion on a 2014 to 2018 Toyota RAV4, here are the parts you need. Note that lift cylinders are also sometimes called gas struts:

Číslo	Popis	Cena
68945-0E030	Right Upper Lift Cylinder Bracket	$18.10
68947-0E010	Right Lower Lift Cylinder Bracket	$16.23
68946-0E010	Left Upper Lift Cylinder Bracket	$18.10
68948-0E010	Left Lower Lift Cylinder Bracket	$16.23
68960-0E102	Left Lift Cylinder	$54.61
68950-0E102	Right Lift Cylinder	$54.61

Once you have the right parts, here are the steps to complete the manual liftgate conversion:

Turn off the power to the liftgate by removing the fuse for the power liftgate. The fusebox is located on the lower left of the dashboard, near the driver’s door. The one for the liftgate will be a 30 amp fuse located in the slot marked «PBD.»
Raise the liftgate to its maximum height and secure it to stay open. You can use a step ladder and wood blocks to hold it open, as shown in this YouTube video on Toyota Nation for the Toyota Highlander. Make sure you have safely secured the liftgate. It is heavy enough to hurt you if it comes down unexpectedly.
Remove the access panels on both sides of the liftgate using a flat-bladed screwdriver or pry tool.
Disconnect the electrical connectors and pull them out of the liftgate. Then reinstall the access panels.
Using a 10 mm socket, remove the two bolts holding the strut assembly and upper brackets on each side of the liftgate.
Remove the lower brackets on the lower sides of the liftgate.
Install the new upper and lower brackets to the liftgate and frame of the RAV4.
Install the new struts, noting their location for either the left or right side of the vehicle as marked.

Once the new struts are secured, remove the prop holding the liftgate open, and you’re set to go.

Olathe Toyota Parts Center vám může pomoci vyřešit problémy s výklopnými dveřmi

liftgate supports

Whether you need parts for your liftgate, want to do a manual liftgate conversion, or need to replace the entire liftgate on your RAV4, we have the OEM Toyota parts you need with up-front wholesale pricing. Contact us if you have questions or would like to know more about the liftgate conversion.

If you need other help, check out our free resources, including a Toyota VIN decoder and diagnostic info for common Toyota trouble codes.