I used to carry 1/2" 9/16" when driving older cars but now it will be a 10mm.
Rear power lift gate won't operate and won't latch
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So I just had this issue, my own fault because there was way too much snow on the back hatch and my snow brush was back there. The info in the manual didn't work for me either, but I didn't want to give up, so kept going. I tried the routine holding the button opening closing, no good. During all this the latch was unlatched, so just to try something different I used my key to close the latch with the gate still open. Manually closed the tailgate and tried the procedure from the manual again and this time it worked. So the key seems to be that the latch has to be closed for the reset procedure to work.
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Thank you for the info about disconnecting the battery and that it worked. Same just happened to me at Home Depot while loading a sheet of plywood on the roof rack. Door started opening, so I pushed it closed. Thought it was ok til I started to drive and heard it buzzing. Wouldn’t actually latch. Negative terminal battery disconnect worked, and all settings and stations were preserved.
Subaru should include a 10mm battery disconnect wrench in their emergency kit, but since they don't, it's something to add to yours!
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784 Posts
Yep, after this happened to me once soon after I got my car I added a wrench (I thought it was 8mm but I might be wrong) to my cars emergency kit. Of course it never happened again in over a year.
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3 Posts
This is yet another problem with the Outback. Mine (2020 XT) started opening as the garage door came down. I had just insulated the door with reflective silver foam insulation. When I got out of the car, the rear hatch would start up and bang the garage door. I raced back and pushed it down, starting the "Now the thing won't open" dilemma. The **** hand wave thing won't work when I "wave" my hand, but the garage door it recognizes!! Yes it's been to the dealer to check it out. I have to pull in at least a foot+, or leave my keys in the car. Mine is haunted.
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No. Turning things off that do not work properly, is not the answer. I paid nearly $40K for my Subaru. I expect that the things that were included in this price to operate properly. The electronics are haunted. The garage door opener will not open the door from INSIDE the garage, eyesight alert tells me to keep my eyes on the road when looking straight ahead. The radio changes channels at will, along with the heater changing temp, screen black out etc. I could go on and on but Subaru is trying to compete with Hyundai by loading their cars with electronic toys. They need to do their homework before releasing said electronics to the public.
If your screen is blanking out then please take it to the dealer because that's not normal - others have had that issue and had their cars repaired for it. The relatively inconsistent behavior of the rear emblem sensor is normal (I can operate it consistently but not everybody can - it is finnicky).
Because it's a proximity sensor that detects something approaching and then staying still, it seems plausible that the sensor is detecting the bottom of the door moving towards the emblem and then once the bottom has passed, the continuous material fools the sensor into thinking it's a stationary surface. In that case the sensor is supposed to give a single beep and not open the hatch unless there is movement away from the emblem. You could bring it to the attention of the dealer but my gut says they can't do much about it. It's possible there's an undocumented setting or method of making it less sensitive, maybe repositioning the sensor further back into the body?
Sympathize with your problems and hope you can get them resolved.
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65 Posts
I just went through exactly the same problem TNgal reported, as i described in this thread:
www.subaruoutback.org
I kept being told to disconnect the battery. I contend the most a customer should be reasonably expected to do under the hood is fill the wiper fluid. And, besides, the battery terminal required a metric socket wrench that i lacked in the THREE socket sets i own.
My solution turned out to be holding the external latch over the license plate for 5-10 seconds. It beeped during that time, then the next touch opened the gate via the motor normally. That was it.
2021 Outback tailgate/hatch won't lock
I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere, but i haven't found it. I also haven't delved into the 500-page manual yet, though i'm annoyed that i would even have to. On my 3-month-old 2021 Outback Ltd., the hatch suddenly fails to lock, and when i press the open/close button on the back of...
www.subaruoutback.org
I kept being told to disconnect the battery. I contend the most a customer should be reasonably expected to do under the hood is fill the wiper fluid. And, besides, the battery terminal required a metric socket wrench that i lacked in the THREE socket sets i own.
My solution turned out to be holding the external latch over the license plate for 5-10 seconds. It beeped during that time, then the next touch opened the gate via the motor normally. That was it.
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65 Posts
yeah, that's what i ultimately did to fix it. And it's in the manual as you said. But it's not distinctly clear, because it's woven into paragraphs -- inapplicable in my situation -- talking about unlocking the gate first (mine had refused to lock, period; that was the problem) or pushing it down until the motor kicked in (tried that several times).
it needed to be reset, and that's where it required holding in the button a few seconds till it groaned with endless beeps like a demon being exorcised.
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1 Posts
I just had this same issue, I called the dealer and he had me hold down the hatch open button that is above the license plate until it reset (felt like a long hold) and latched the hatch. After that the system is back to working.
I was out of town and did something stupid by pushing the FOB tailgate button more than once in rapid succession. The gate would no longer respond to the FOB and was stuck at ~6-8 inches open. OK, I was planning to go for the 10mm wrench in the glove compartment but had the time to try some different options. I went to the tailgate and by feel found the close, not lock, button under the gate's lower edge. It closed the gate and locked then there were no further issues.
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65 Posts
Yup. Hold the latch in long enough until the unit begins to squeal in agony like an exorcism in progress. That was my ultimate, simple fix -- even though no expert service person grasped that it was the solution and could tell me so.
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