Hatchback trunk unlatches but won't open

Hey all -

My 2012 Prius V hatch trunk won't open. I've had the issue with a Gen2 Prius before where the 12v was dead and I needed to unlatch from the inside, but this isn't that problem. The door unlatches but won't open up. I've gone from the inside and even pushed from the inside but it still will only budge an inch or so. It seems to get stuck more on the left side (from inside the car) than the right side - I can see more light coming through on the right when I push from the inside.

My first thought is maybe there's something going with the left side hydraulic/lift strut? If that's the case, how would I go about replacing if it won't open to gain access to the lift strut?

Thanks in advance!

 

Well, a bit of an embarrassing follow-up just to close this thread...

I purchased a rear bumper protector from the Prius Chat store months ago and the protector has started to separate from the bumper and the hatch door was simply getting stuck on the protector.

Good news though - don't have to fix the hatch door!