Hatch garnish loose only at driver's side edge

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pasadena_commut, Dec 24, 2024.

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ChapmanF Senior Member

Joined:

Mar 30, 2008

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Location:

Indiana, USA

Vehicle:

2010 Prius

Model:

IV

Davor said: ↑

2) Cover the tailgate latch. I used one of my car's floor mats. (Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.)

Why do this? You'll need to swap over the latch release switch and the wiring harness it's attached to. If you close the tailgate while that's disconnected, the only way to open it again will be to climb into the car and use the mechanical emergency release, which is a PITA to get to. By covering the latch, you keep it from latching
Click to expand...

I usually just poke the latch closed with my finger. Then the hatch can't close and latch (it just goes bonk instead) and then when things are swapped over and I'm ready to close it again, I just touch the latch release switch and the latch pops open and it's ready again to close and latch the hatch.

Poking it closed to the second click also turns the dome lights off, so they're not draining the battery during the work.

#41 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM

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