V70 tailgate latch light, check engine light, alarm
 

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had these issues and if so, what needed to be repaired. I am the original owner of this V70 with 157000 miles. The first thing that happened was the rear hatch light on the dash came on, first intermittently, then consistently, then the hatch would not close properly, this was followed by the alarm not arming, now the check engine light has come on. I just spent a ton of money on new tires, and inner tie rods. I am not mechanically inclined, but my son manages to fiddle with the hatch and close it for me when it won't close. He tried taking the hatch apart, but found he didn't have the right tool to open the area where the wires are. Does someone know the correct tool, and size of the tool necessary? Now that the check engine light is on,and the alarm won't arm could these problems be related? If so, what needs to be fixed, and is this something a mechanically inclined teenager could do? Responses would be so appreciated

update:The check engine light was resolved, and the hatch is closing, but the light is still on indicating it's open.

Have mechanically inclined teen flex their interwebs muscles. Have them do their research and tell you what tools are needed for accessing and testing of parts suspected of being out of sorts. Buy them the tools if necessary. Encouraging a natural talent is priceless.

Shouldn't be more than driver and bits (torx, philips and or flat head), small sockets or wenches and an inexpensive multi-meter to diagnose and fix this issue.

A proper fix should have a proper payment.

(Hint for you, I think it's the electrical switch on the door that's faulty. If it closes all the way mechanically but electictricly the switch says it it's open that's a good bet that's it.)

Best of luck.

Late to the party here, but I believe you need to ignore the latch and focus on the striker plate. It's held in place with 7mm torx head screws and has a molded plastic sleeve on the striker where the latch grabs it. My bet is that the plastic is pretty ratty after 157000 miles of use. You can either try to wrap it with something else (masking tape, fabric tape) or loosen the screws and slide the striker plate inward a tinch. This will tighten the grasp and hopefully inspire the latch to give the closed signal (which will also allow your alarm to set). A new striker plate with fresh plastic can be had for a small investment (maybe $20) at fcpeuro.com. If you have to replace the latch itself it will be closer to $180.