Rear Hatch Opening Handle Malfunction

[SRX]

This morning, I could not open the rear hatch of my 2000 RX300. The doors and hatch are unlocked. As I pulled the handle to open the rear hatch, I heard something fall inside the rear hatch (presuming it was the mechanical connection to the handle which allows the hatch to be opened). There is now nothing connected to the rear hatch handle.

Have any of you experienced this? Did you repair it yourself (any helpful hints on "how to" would be appreciated) or have a dealership do the repair. A ballpark figure of what the dealership charged for your repair would be helpful. Looks to me as if I could get to this and repair the problem by pulling the carpeted panel off the inside of the rear hatch.

Looking forward to your guidance. Thanks!

[gbhrps]

First off, you are posting on the wrong forum. That aside, from what you describe the fix is relatively easy, provided there are no broken parts. What usually happens is the the rod from the hatch handle to the lock mechanism pops out of its hole at one end or the other. Either the clip came loose that holds the rod in place or the rod somehow worked its way loose. Be prepared to find the clip in the bottom of the tailgate, or still attached to one end of the mechanism, maybe even broken.

Getting the inner tailgate panel off is the first step. Its held on with screws hidden under plugs, with push in plastic plugs, or a combination of both. If after removing any screws you see no other fasteners, the panel usually just pulls off with a firm grasp along its sides and bottom. Once off you will be able to see the inner workings and find the problem. Its an easy DIYer on almost any vehicle. Good Luck!