I broke something somehow... I had the gate propped up with a stick since the struts failed long ago. I was going to transport a thin piece of 4x8 paneling sticking out the back, and realized it was not strong enough to tie the tailgate down against it -- the panel would have been damaged while driving with the gate resting & bouncing upon it.

I tried shoving my stick between the roof and the open tailgate, but after 60 seconds I decided that the weight of the tailgate bouncing would damage something while driving, and that I had no way of tying the gate firmly in a fully open position.

I removed the 4x8 sheet and tried to close the gate. I _think_ that the locks were locked, and the tailgate would not latch. Is that the normal behavior? I would have thought that the latch would close even if the key had been used to lock the car while the tailgate was open.

After unlocking the doors, I discovered that now the tailgate will not close tightly. It is very loose (not merely a rattle).

What did I break & how do I fix it? Maybe I pushed the latch (aka Lock Brace) out of proper position, or even broke something? It looked OK but that was before I Searched and found info on how it breaks.

I found this on how to fix a broken latch (aka Lock Brace)
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index...te-rattle-fix/

And another way to adjust the door tighter if it were just a rattle:
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...rattle#p117843


Or perhaps holding the tailgate up by putting my stick on the roof caused the hinge connection to "stretch?" It appears that the hinge is a curved rod that seems to be attached to the tailgate with some Torx screws -- so maybe it got yanked "longer" and now the angle of the tailgate in the closed position is incorrect?

I need to find some photos & info on how the tailgate hinge works, but Searching yielded no information.

 

Close your hatch and check it for fitment on all four sides. If it's not set properly, you can make adjustments at the hinge along the top - but you'll need another pair of hands - maybe two pair - because of its weight.

If the hatch is aligned properly, then odds are good that it would be the lock brace that needs adjustment - or replacement. It might be possible that the locking mechanism in the hatch itself has become loose, so check that.

And get a couple of replacement struts from FCP. They're cheap and the repair is very easy. It took me a few years to get around to it, but I kicked myself after doing it 'cause it was such a relief not having to monkey with it anymore!

 

But what caused it to happen?

If the doors are key-locked with the tailgate open, should the tailgate close?

 

How do you adjust hatch fitment? I have a small gap on the passenger side at the top of the hatch and the right side is flush. the hatch seems to close fine and has normal rattles from plastic.