Failed Electronic Tailgate Release On 2016 T6

[Doddypower]

Hi. Can anyone help me fix my tailgate? My van is a conversion (van with windows) that only has the external latch. When I operate the external handle nothing happens - there is no whirring sound as there should be, and the tailgate does not release. The button on the remote does nothing either. Does anyone no how to fix this - is there a fuse somewhere? I'm hoping it's simple. The VW van specialist is telling me that he has to take the kitchen out! Thanks in advance for assistance.

 

[Pauly]

Could be a variety of things, think first would be to open up the inside of tailgate and check everything’s plugged in then check handle button and release motor are ok
Does the tailgate lock and unlock ?

 

[Doddypower]

Thanks Pauly - very helpful. I will try that over the weekend. It's a camper conversion so getting at the tailgate from the inside could be a challenge. Where is the release motor - is it in the tailgate? I'm not sure if it's unlocking or not - it seems to be doing nothing at all. The problem was intermittent before it was terminal, so something may have worked loose as you suggest.

 

[Northern Monkey]

Didn’t @Salty Spuds have something like this on his van?
Power Latching Tail Gate Problem

 

[Ads_Essex]

Didn’t @Salty Spuds have something like this on his van?
Power Latching Tail Gate Problem

I thought his was just the power latch, as opposed to the tailgate momentary switch (they work independently)?

 

[Northern Monkey]

I thought his was just the power latch, as opposed to the tailgate momentary switch (they work independently)?

Ah right my bad, ignore my post then

 

[Salty Spuds]

Ah right my bad, ignore my post then

Nope you’re right. It was actually 2 faults. The bent bit of coat hanger that VW call an “actuator rod” had fallen off inside the tailgate, so the external handle didn’t work. And the micro switch had failed in the tailgate mechanism, so the power latching didn’t work either. I was in a similar situation to the OP, I had the Cali chair kit fitted as part of the conversion, so couldn’t get to the tailgate gubbins. There’s a rubber grommet on the inside of the tailgate near the bottom centre, just above where the striker is on the body. Remove the grommet & you can poke your finger/screwdriver/tool of choice into the hole & flick the catch to the left (offside) this will open the tailgate. I had to partially dismantle the Cali kit from the inside to access the grommet.

 

[Doddypower]

Thanks all - your advice was very helpful for a T6 novice like me (I have a T2 also which I know much better). I've fixed the tail gate by taking the trim panel off from the inside. It must have been a loose connection inside because I fiddled with everything and it now works fine. I plan to cut a "hand-sized" hole in the trim panel before putting it back, and then covering that over - I have some spare lining. It was all a good learning experience. Not sure how he VW dealership got it so wrong though - taking the kitchen out??

 

[Salty Spuds]

Thanks all - your advice was very helpful for a T6 novice like me (I have a T2 also which I know much better). I've fixed the tail gate by taking the trim panel off from the inside. It must have been a loose connection inside because I fiddled with everything and it now works fine. I plan to cut a "hand-sized" hole in the trim panel before putting it back, and then covering that over - I have some spare lining. It was all a good learning experience. Not sure how he VW dealership got it so wrong though - taking the kitchen out??

Depending on which side your furniture is, you may have had to remove some of it to get to the control module which is in the nearside rear quarter panel, most furniture is on the offside.

 

[CaptainZag]

My T6 Shuttle Tailgate possibly has a similar problem. I cannot unlock it from the outside, but I can press the button on the inside of the tailgate and it will open?
If I try to open it using the keyring (either the open van or open tailgate buttons) the indicators flash. The doors all open, but the tailgate doesn't. Any help with fault diagnoses would be welcome - please?

 

[rogersibe]

My T6 Shuttle Tailgate possibly has a similar problem. I cannot unlock it from the outside, but I can press the button on the inside of the tailgate and it will open?
If I try to open it using the keyring (either the open van or open tailgate buttons) the indicators flash. The doors all open, but the tailgate doesn't. Any help with fault diagnoses would be welcome - please?

Hi CaptainZag, did you solve this? I have exactly the same problem, except more difficult for me as I have built-in dog caging in my van and it's not easy to access the button on the inside of the tailgate. The rear wiper has also failed, so I was suspecting a fuse, but not sure if any of the downloadable fuse maps on this forum (premium) apply to my T32 Kombi (though thanks anyway to those who posted them). And actually changing fuses is a nightmare (standard dash fusebox). (The strip that holds the fuses looks as if it might be detachable, and come out partly through the gap, anyone know if this is true?).

 

[Pauly]

No it’s not detachable the fusebox is fixed in place
I can tell you the wiper and locks are not related as they are on separate fuses/systems

 

[rogersibe]

Thanks very much Pauly. So how on earth does anyone change the fuses at the bottom of the panel - even the most accessible fuses look very difficult to change.
As these problems both occurred after everything was solidly frozen after a recent thaw then rather cold weather, any other suggestions? The rear wiper was switched on accidentally while it was still frozen solid (VW feature to give a single wipe when you go into reverse when the front wipers are on auto), so I thought it had either burnt out the motor or blown the fuse. Then the issue with the tailgate happened the next day. (So, trying to open from the outside doesn't work, opening from the inside does work, opening from the boot open button on the remote also doesn't work.)
Temperature here in North Scotland hasn't been very low, nothing like it gets down to in Germany.

 

[JasonW]

even the most accessible fuses look very difficult to change.

Not sure if you have a fuse issue or not... But there is a white coloured fuse removal tool in the top right corner of the fuse box.... it makes it a little easier to remove fuses to check any that might be suspect...

 

[JasonW]

Bottom middle red 10A fuse is for the rear wiper... courtesy of @Loz

 

[rogersibe]

Not sure if you have a fuse issue or not... But there is a white coloured fuse removal tool in the top right corner of the fuse box.... it makes it a little easier to remove fuses to check any that might be suspect...

View attachment 100099

Thanks very much. I found the white tool, but it's still pretty difficult for many of the fuses.

 

[rogersibe]

Bottom middle red 10A fuse is for the rear wiper... courtesy of @Loz

View attachment 100100

Thanks very much. I missed the rear wiper fuse. I found the document difficult to read on my mobile, and was going to look at it on my desktop. I notice that the document isn't searchable, I will discuss with @Loz if he would like me to create a searchable version (so, e.g. you can use Find in Page, type "wiper" and it will show all places in the document with the text "wiper".

 

[rogersibe]

Back to my problem with the tailgate (exactly the same as CaptainZag above "My T6 Shuttle Tailgate possibly has a similar problem. I cannot unlock it from the outside, but I can press the button on the inside of the tailgate and it will open? If I try to open it using the keyring (either the open van or open tailgate buttons) the indicators flash. The doors all open, but the tailgate doesn't"). This is more critical for me than the rear wiper, as half the time my dogs stand up and block my view through the rear window anyway.
If they don't share a fuse, could it be the cable to the tailgate has become partly unplugged? Where is the cable plugged in?

 

[CaptainZag]

Back to my problem with the tailgate (exactly the same as CaptainZag above "My T6 Shuttle Tailgate possibly has a similar problem. I cannot unlock it from the outside, but I can press the button on the inside of the tailgate and it will open? If I try to open it using the keyring (either the open van or open tailgate buttons) the indicators flash. The doors all open, but the tailgate doesn't"). This is more critical for me than the rear wiper, as half the time my dogs stand up and block my view through the rear window anyway.
If they don't share a fuse, could it be the cable to the tailgate has become partly unplugged? Where is the cable plugged in?

I did post that this was solved in another post, with part numbers and a few photographs. Please look here. Also some useful tips from @Pauly about shorting the connections etc. Have a read of this post - should help quite a bit:

https://www.t6forum.com/threads/tai...-but-not-the-outside.18759/page-2#post-264289

 

[Pauly]

Its worth pointing out that the internal and external switch are joined on the same cables, there are two wires that run into the lower section of the tailgate and are spliced inside the loom, two wires to internal button and two wires to external button
If the internal button works then the wiring is good and it can only be an issue with the external button itself (possibly wet/frozen ?) or the connections onto the external button