I can't open my 2002 Mitsubishi Montero tailgate. Nothing happens when I pull on the handle, as if it's stuck in the locked position. All other doors work so I know when it's locked and when it's not. Can I access this mechanism from the interior and if so how?
This happened to me on my 2001. The door assembly rusts shut from condensation. I had to remove the plastic panels on the inside of the door and oil it with penetrating oil.
To get it to open, take off the license plate cover carefully starting at the bottom (6 plastic tabs hold it in place.) then use a screwdriver to push up on the latch inside the door until it opens (or resets so you can use the handle again.)
I had to add an additional spring to the assembly that I had laying around because it was too rusty and stopped working again even after oiling. You can also replace the internal handle if you can get one from the dealership.
I have the same problem with a 2001 Mitusbishi Montero XLS. Door handle is stuck and feels mushy when trying to open it. Is there a safety from the inside panel to open the cargo door? At this point, until its repaired, all I want to do is to be able to release the lock and open the door.
Having just fixed this on my 2002 Limited, I can say that it's just as annoying to have to fix this as it was on my 1992 Montero, which had about the same spring rusting issue inside the tailgate as my 2002 Limited/Gen 3 Montero. I went with the inner trim panel removal even though my tailgate would not open.
The upper trim overlaps the lower main trim panel just enough to make this a pain to do with the door stuck closed. Use a panel removal tool to gently slip around the plastic clips holding the trim panel to the tailgate. You also need a #2 Phillps screwdriver to remove the handle that's mounted on the center of the upper trim panel[pull handle]
Going through the outside with the removal of the license plate bracket makes a lot of sense now that I've worked on my own stuck Montero to just getting the door open to work on it.
The downside is that you get the best view and angles for spraying oil or lube into the seized parts of the inner tailgate assembly when the lower trim panel is out of the way and you peel back the plastic water shedder to work with the fairly large access hole in the tailgate itself versus trying to do this from the outside of the tailgate with the license plate bracket off the door.
I have a 2003 montero sport and had the same problem..tore off the back inside area and found that there was a small piece blocking the area of the latch from releasing completely..try using a flashlight down there and see
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