How to Replace Gen II Prius Back Door Opener Switch

great write up and pix, well done, thanks!

 

Nice work.

For another perspective, see:
How to Replace the Hatch Opening Switch | PriusChat

 

Many thanks, Zedhomme, for this incredibly well-documented DIY Guide. It's by far the best such article I've found anywhere.

That said, I'd like to offer three small suggestions, if I might, about things that I learned while going through the steps.

1. After removing the four nuts from inside the hatch (the ones that require the 10mm Deep Socket), I briefly tried to pull the METAL framework that makes those nuts hard to reach toward me (that is, pull it into the car with me)-- thinking that it was the assembly that was held in place by those nuts. But in fact, as the name "Outside Garnish Sub-assembly" should have informed me, it's actually the PLASTIC piece with the Toyota logo on it, on the outside of the car, just below the hatch's rear window glass.

2. When re-installing the Outside Garnish Sub-assembly, I found that the rubber gasket at seals the gap above that sub-assembly tends to get caught (trapped? pinched?) and needs straightening out. To prevent it's getting caught in the first place, I used a wide, thin flat bladed tool, covered with a layer of electrician's tape. (technically, it's a tool you use to spread and smooth drywall compound). By bending the gasket slightly, away from the sub-assembly, it can be kept out of the way, while you "snap in" the connectors on one side, then moved to the opposite side, and used again in the same way.

3. When reinstalling the Trim Board, pay special attention to the area where the u-shaped, tubular metal "striker" protrudes beyond the edge of the hatch. By Striker, I mean the sturdy metal piece that actually "engages" ("sticks into" or "is grabbed by," if you will ) the lock mechanism that's just below the floor of the hatch area. There is a squareish plastic plate surrounding this striker, and that plate should NOT end up above the Trim Board, but rather should be under the Trim Board -- and thus, be held in place once the final piece snaps into place.