Rear hatch won’t open unless engine is turned on.

I have a 2004 4wd v8 4runner, and there’s something screwy going in the rear hatch. I’ve seen posts here about rear hatch problems, but not this one in particular.

1. The rear hatch won’t open unless the engine is running

2. Rear window will roll up and down but you have to hold the button down the whole time (except when I’ve been driving for awhile, it will be good and auto-roll up and down)

3. Rear wiper and defroster won’t work (again, unless I’ve been driving for a while)

4. Using the rear lock doesn’t roll window up or down as it should.


In regards to the first problem, I’ve recently replaced the brain in the rear hatch and now the hatch will open if a.) the engine is running or b.) the engine is off but the ignition key is at “start”, which is an improvement.

Im baffled by all this weirdness. I gotta think that’s there is one fix that will restore regular function to the rear defrost, wiper and rear window.

could it be a relay?

 

Check the battery, even if you’re certain it’s okay. These are typical bad battery symptoms. Alternator too (actually Toyota calls it a generator). Sometimes the battery is good but not getting enough power to charge properly.

 

I just replaced the battery. No luck

 

Still might check the alternator. The charging system on 4th Gens can be a rabbit hole. My issues went away when I swapped out the alternator.

 

Wondering if you found a fix? My rear door will only work when the key is in the ignition and in the on position as well and have to lock and unlock the power locks to reset every time before it will work.

 

Maybe buy her a drink first?

 

Am I the only one who immediately caught on to that?

 

The only idea I got is to check every cotton picking fuse every where. And use an ohm meter to verify that they're good, not just a visual check.
Maybe one is blown/broken that powers that circuit when the ignition is off.

 

I believe I have checked every fuse and changed a few even though they looked good. I’ve taken the rear door apart and checked the voltage, it seems to have the necessary power even when the key is not in the ignition but it doesn’t open. Specifically the “lever” to open the rear door which is actually just an electric switch does nothing when pressed unless the key is in the ignition, turned to on, and I cycle the power locks to reset it. After that it works fine until I take the key out of the ignition. Also using the key on the rear hatch does not work unless there is a spare key in the ignition and turned on. Then all functions of the key in the rear door work as normal. Last thing, not sure if it is related or coincidental but my two keyless entry fobs stopped working at the same time. With those I’ve checked the batteries in the fobs and checked the power to the door control receiver everything seems fine.

 

Just want to share for future readers of this thread that my rear door is back to working normally. After all the connections and fuses that I checked looking for a problem, I never found anything wrong. After months of it not working it just randomly started working again. Wish I knew what was happening.