Thanks for your response. However, I think you may be referring to a rear door operation. The latch in question is located on the outside of the rear tailgate (lift-up) door. It's concealed between the license plate lights and (apparently) cannot be accessed from the outside.
The interior panel has no obvious removal points. There is a pull-down strap which is bolted to some sort of sub-frame, but this does not provide removal of the panel. Remember, the tailgate is closed so I need to know how to remove the panel in the door-closed position, preferably without jaming a flat head SD between the door lining and back panel and just hoping.....
Any ideas? By the way, I'm from Torquay, but live in Tennessee, USA
Remove your tag bolts and remove the cover by pulling easy as not to break the tabs. The tag lights can but do not have to come out. At this point you can access the handle. You will find that the handle has a plastic arm that trips the latch by pulling a cable it will be broken. To open the door just pull on the cable. Once I open the door I removed the inside door panel and a metal cover which has about 8 10mm bolts it gives you more room to work.
Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30mb2rNf46I
Watch this video..It worked great for me
I beat the system. I have a 2003 sequoia, I do not take care of my cars and it is not in great shape. It runs great, but not the kind of car you want to spend $300 to get the latch fixed. I took the back door apart and found the wire that the latch works. I was able to simply disconnedt it and push it through the opening where the handle is on the back of my sequoia and now you pull the little ball on the end of the wire and the door opens. Maybe not the easiest way to open the door, but works really well. My wife thinks I am crazy for doing this, but saved the money!
Mine broke Jan 2 door shut...if you follow the link you'll find a solution.
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/1gen-sequoia/40507-rear-latch/
I have a 01 sequoia with the same problem. first take off the strap, then the three upper interior panels by rolling down the window and pulling down the rubber seal. then the three upper ones can be pulled off (do the upper center first). there are just some snapping clips holding them on. then climb inside and in the upper right or left side of the interior panel there will be a little opening. the only way is to give that a good pull. just took mine off, came off pretty easy. ideally it should come off with gate open and from the bottom first, but with it closed, this is the only option.
After two replacements of my 2003 Toyota Sequoia rear door latch I came up with an inexpensive solution - I used a thick wire to make an alternative hatch release: (here's a video I made of the repair http://youtu.be/igDuqe5pa7w). I hope this helps! Toyota Sequoia Rear Door Latch Handle Fix How to Repair
I liked the idea first read over on TundraSolutions to reinforce the plastic arm at the base where it breaks off.
Before installing the new handle today, I took modeling clay to make a collar on the underside of the new handle where the plastic arm attaches.[covered three sides of the new arm] I made up a good glob of two-part JBWeld epoxy and filled in the void to provide very strong reinforcement of the arm's base to the underside of the handle.
Interesting development: I put the new handle with JBWeld into the oven at lowest heat (~150d) to speed the epoxy setting. The heat accelerated the set the epoxy and the modeling clay melted and ran out --- leaving surprisingly little cleanup of the modeling clay collar I had installed.
{True Confession: Had I anticipated the clay melting I would have put a piece of aluminum foil under the piece to catch the melting clay. But I didn't so, I had to cleanup the gooey melted clay on the bottom of the oven!}
For those looking for the rear hatch handle go to wwwToyotaPartsBarn.com. It is a similar site to buying direct from Toyota, but slightly cheaper
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Yesterday my rear door latch on the tail gate broke on my 2003 Toyota Sequoia
Mine broke yesterday and I just paid $80 for a new latch. Me and my brother are about to attempt to replace it.
My just broke yesterday as well. When I purchased the part there was not a soul to help me figure out how to get the tailgate open in the service dept. Not only that but the parts mgr. said he had sold 4 others earlier in the day. I called another dealership today and the service dept. told us they were not sure how to open the tail gate. Hmmmmm you think they want me to bring it in and pay them the $273 to install it?
Oh, come on guys,  If this is such a serious problem there should be a tech note or something to tell us how to fix it.  I have the same problem with my 2001 Sequoia.  I can't get the interior panel off because the door is closed.  Doesn't someone have a reasonable solution.  I need to fix it soon.  I will  appreciate any and all help
MIKE
The latch on my '03 just broke this week. Seems to be an outbreak for this part failure. I have tried to open the tailgate with a screwdriver with no luck. The last thing I want to do is make things worse. It seems like a relatively easy fix if you could just get to the latch from the inside. I hate to have to take it in for this.
I have a 2001 Sequoia. The truck overall is fantastic in terms of its drivability, engine, etc. But, it is a piece of **** as far as the tiny things are concerned-the things that will nickel and dime you to death.
Since we first had the truck, there has been nothing but problems with the rear tailgate. First, the rear window would not work. I took it to Toyota and they "gave" me a "courtesy" repair. Yeah, right. It was defective and 4 years later, it does not work again.
Insofar as the latch is concerned, it broke once a couple years ago and it has broken again. Just so we are clear I am talking about the handle you grip with your fingers up in the recessed area of the license plate and between the license plate lights. At first, when it breaks, it feels like some kind of cable has broken or a string of some kind. Once you look, it turns out that the handle of this thing (where your fingertips go when pulling it) is just a cheap piece of plastic that has broken. The piece is a formed piece that goes into a hole up under the lip of the license plate. But, there does not, as mentioned in the earlier e-mail, appear to be any exterior method of getting into this area for repair. It appears that it must be done from the inside of the vehicle only, I don't know how to remove the inner panel of the rear hatch door without it being open. I am sick and tired of giving any toyota dealer or anyone affiliated with Toyota another nickel of my money for such things. I wonder if I paid 75,000 for the vehicle instead of only the 40k it cost, would I get a vehicle where such things would not break? Ridiculous. Anyone with a remedy please give me the instructions. I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks, Frustrated Sequoia owner
can you tell me where you bought the latch? i'll give it a go rather then pay those thieves $400 to fix it.
thanks
I have this same problem with my 2004 sequoia, the latch broke when i was trying to open the cargo door to get my child's stroller out. Brought it to the dealer hoping that it would be under warranty but instead it was and they were asking for 330 dollars to fix it.
Would any one be able to tell me where to purchase this part? I've searched online for this cargo handle but so far no luck.
2005 Toyota Sequoia tailgate latch broken. How can you get to it?
After two replacements of my 2003 Toyota Sequoia rear door latch I came up with an inexpensive solution - I used a thick wire to make an alternative hatch release: (here's a video I made of the repairhttp://youtu.be/igDuqe5pa7w). I hope this helps!
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