For the last few weeks, we have had problems with the tailgate on my wife's 2000 Volvo V70 XC. At first, we thought that something might have gotten in the latch or the door frame & prevented the tailgate from closing. After having to slam it repeatedly, the interior panel came loose in one place & later on in others. To make sure it wasn't obstructing the tailgate, I ended up taking it off before buying the repair kit for it.

Even with it off, we still have the issue of closing the tailgate multiple times & it will never "catch" enough to hold. You can shut it, but if you lift up slightly, the tailgate will come up maybe 1/2 inch or so. Enough to keep the idiot light in the front on, and is enough to concern me that it's (a) not locking, or (b) might come open on the highway.

Somewhere between the 49th and 80th time I slam the tailgate shut, it may catch and will be fine until I open it again. Then the process, which resembles OCD-like ritual behavior & is accompanied by a four letter spoken word soundtrack, begins again.

When the tailgate eventually shuts, it will stay shut. I've looked at the latch and the post, both appear relatively clean. The latch itself - what I think is happening - is that it's got 2 stages that are supposed to trip & I believe that only the first one is getting tripped. You have to engage the handle in order to make the tailgate open when it hasn't caught completely.

I bought the repair kit for the moulding where those plastic posts have broken off, but before I put it on & have to slam it a zillion times to make it close (and break them again), I wanted to make sure the tailgate latch would work without any issues. I'm not 100% certain if it's cold weather related, as we do not open the tailgate very often. We've done it less often since this issue has occurred.

I've seen posts online where people have moved the latch and post, but before trying that, I wanted to ask here if someone has had the issue similar to how I have described it and how the issue got resolved, short of a new $150 latch. I'd appreciate any feedback.

 

Definitely sounds like an adjustment issue. Mark the current position and then move it upwards slightly and retest.

 

You are talking about the latch in the tailgate itself, correct?

If so - the adjustment that needs to be made "upwards" - is that relative to how the tailgate is oriented when you have it open & working on it, or do you mean forward (towards the interior of the car) when the tailgate is in the normal driving position?

I apologize if that is confusing, but it just occurred to me that "up" (with the tailgate open) was actually toward the rear of the car.

 

Not the latch, the striker. The part on the body of the car. It needs to be moved up (toward the latch) to allow the latch to fully engage. That's my fault for not specifying.