Tonight I tried to open my trunk. Trunk latch makes noise like its releasing, but trunk seems jammed shut. Worked fine this morning. Remote works fine in opening doors. There is some stuff in the trunk, so maybe it shifted during the day while I was driving.

Any ideas on how to unjam it??

Thanks!!

 

Sounds like you've caught some soft material in the catch. First thing to try is to press down heavily on the trunk lid while you unlock on the fob.

 

Thanks!

I'm trying this without success - at least so far...

What would be your next suggestion??

 

Kevin I have a wagon and the latch will get stuck every now and then. You can hear the solenoid working but it doesn't open. I figured out how...grasp the edge of the lid and pull up while using the fob release. Try it by pulling the lid hard to left and then right.
I can now open mine every time it wants to be uncooperative. Again mine isn't a sedan but perhaps the mechanism is similar on yours. Just thought I'd share that in case you hadn't tried.

If that doesn't work you might have to remove the rear seat cushion and back cushion and work something in through the cargo back there to clear it away from the latch.

Tom

 

Thanks, pinecone. I'll give this a try tonight.

You've probably got the seat warmers turned on by now...

 

Last resort. You may have to smash a back light and pull the emergency release.
Some guys have done a small trick and removed the release tag in the trunk and fitted a plastic tie that comes out of a hole under the license tag. So if we get the problem you have all we do is remove the tag and pull the tie to open the trunk.

 

Any luck opening it?

Yes, I sure do have the heated seats working every day now. I've been thinking of a way to have them come on automatically when the temp falls below 25 degrees.

.

 

Not in yet...

Right now, it looks like my best shot is going to be to go through the tail light and try to grab the release...

Stay tuned...

 

OK. No luck yet. Looks like we're going through the tail light.

Question: In a US car, on which side of the latch is the Emergency Release Lever located? The Owner's Manual shows it on the left (driver's) side...

Thanks...

 

Here is a photo of my trunk in happier days. The emergency release is not visible, but I know it's behind the latch assembly. So to answer my own question, I really don't think "right" or "left" is a big issue. It's basically in the middle. Right??

 

I see you have drop down rear seats. It's got to be worth a try to get in past them! The rear seat squab is secured with two spring clips that, if your strong, will allow you to undo them by sharply lifting the front edge of the squab. If you can't unclip them, they're only plastic (cheap at the Dealers) and can be cut through with a suitable saw blade. With the squab removed, you get access to the four torx bolts that fix the hinge plates to the rear bulkhead. Now if you're lucky, you'll be able to manoeuvre the seat backs enough to get at - maybe with a suitably made up tool - the release knobs inside the trunk to allow the seat backs to come right out.

Just been out and checked mine and I reckon it's feasible - certainly worth a try!

 

Thanks to astromorg and everyone else for their comments and suggestions. And a very special thanks to Barry Hartzel at Hartzel Automotive in Sand City, CA for all his assistance.

The problem was finally solved over the weekend. Using astromorg's suggestion, Barry was able to move the rear seats enough to access the bolts that attach the rear panel. Once the rear panel was removed he was able to use a coat hanger to access and pull the emergency release.

Once access was gained, a quick test showed only minimal power going to the trunk latch. Turns out that the problem was a broken wire to the latch motor. One of the wires inside the rubber conduit on the left side going from the front of the car into the trunk lid had broken - probably due to several years of repeated flexing.

Barry also devised an ingenious emergency release which can be accessed by removing one of the license plate lights - just in case this ever happens again...

Thanks again and Happy Jaguaring to everyone!

 

Good outcome Kevin! Maybe you can post some pictures of your emergency arrangement?

I've put mine on a new post here https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...e-only-107951/ for those who may wish to fit it.