Hi everyone,
I have a 2001 CR-V, the latch for the tailgate is in the closed/locked position, but the door is open. The latch was pushed up,so when I look at it, I see the piece that locks it, but I cant move it back down so it can latch correctly. (My wife took a screwdriver to it when I wasn't home). (Prior to this, the plastic handle on the outside of the back door had been sticking, but I was able to hit it with my fist, and loosen it enough so it could close.)
Also, the button under the dash hadn't been opening the latch when I pressed it for a while, I'm assuming that's related, but I'm not sure.
Any suggestions to fix it, or do I have to take that part of the back door apart?
Thanks in advance,
Paul

 

my lever sticks in the open position sometimes. i need a flat head screw driver to pry it back to closed position to even close it.. i think you have to take it apart and grease it.

 

^^ i couldnt have said it better.

 

i replaced mine as soon i started getting this issue.... most of the time it gets rusted especially
if you live around salted roads during winter... manual opening through the removable plastic part
on the inside plastics and yank the metal part of the latch if its already stuck badly, as long as you
can still open the glass you could somewhat use this way to open the tailgate...

good luck!

 

My wife had this happen on her '97. The outer handle rusts to a point where it won't spring back; subsequently the internal linkage jams in the open position. I just replaced the handle outright ($25-30 on eBay) which wasn't hard. Popping the inner cover isn't hard, either -- three screws around the J-hook, and two inside the storage pocket. Did this frequently to pull down on the inner linkage as an interim fix until the new handle arrived and I could put it in.

I've heard one could grind the rust off with a Dremel and wire brush and then re-lubricate the handle, but man, just looking at the corrosion on the old part was enough to give you Tetanus...

 

i had this problem for a while, resulted in my wife trying to shut the hatch and messing with the handle eventually breaking the plastic clips that hold the license plate surround on. So needless to say, I have bought a new handle and license plate surround from Majestic Honda. They actually have the plate panel in various colors available

I did lubricate and mess with the rusted handle for over 2 years before i finally broke down and bought all brand new parts.

 

In mine the door handle seems to be ok, but the glass latch is sticky - have to slam the glass down to close it (makes me cringe every time I do it).
Need to take the whole back apart one day and clean everything out.
What kind of grease does everyone use for lubing of this kind?

 

silicone grease works good. dont worry about breaking the glass, just press down where the latch is. that glass is really strong as well, ive got a spare one that ive been throwing around my room for about a year now.

 

Thanks everyone for your quick responses.
I will give it a go this weekend.
I've used white lithium grease on the squeaky door hinge (the rear drivers side door is the consistant culprit). Seems to work pretty well.

 

Oh speaking of, my rear passenger door doesn't lock with a button push. I always have to manually lock it before exiting the car - otherwise it won't lock at all. Guess I need to take the door apart to fix that one. :/

 

I was able to fix it last night. I just greased the lever mechanism and kept moving it up and down. Works perfectly now. I will make a note to give it some grease on a regular basis. Haven't checked to see if the button under the dash works now, but if not, I can still use the key.This vehicle is amazing. It's a 2001 with 165,000 miles. We bought it in '04 with about 28k on it. Just regular maintenance so far. Oil changes every 2-3000 sure help, but it runs like the day we bought it.
We live in an area where we get snow, and salt on the roads of course, but I get under it with the hose as soon as its warm enough that the water will flow from the spicket, and I keep it clean. The body looks great too. All wheel drive, 28-30 mpg, how do you go wrong??
Thanks again everyone for your input.