Seperation between rear hatch door and body panel

[Socaljim67]

I open/close my trunk lid many times throughout the day due to my job duties. I started to notice that when I pull the handle in order to open the trunk the whole assembly is seperating from the trunk lid. I can't seem to figure out how to tighten or snap back to stop this from completely coming off the lid. Any help with this issue?

[icanhazc-max]

As an owner of an SEL, I can see how the rear hatch may have been designed with the power opening mechanism in the forefront of mind.

 

Any time I've had to manually open the boot when it failed to open fully via the power function, it's always felt as if it wasn't engineered to endure the stress of pulling repeatedly. Curious to know if the handle is designed differently for the SE models and the experience of others without the power vs manual liftgate.

[SnowStorm]

You're not the only one who has had trouble - read this topic.

[plus 3 golfer]

Maybe a year ago I stopped using packing tape to hold the handle in place because I’d have to redo the taping every several months as the tape would pull away from the 90* angle made where the handle meets the lift back body making the handle somewhat loose again. So, I decided to use epoxy to hold the handle tight against the body. With the lift back fully open, I liberally applied epoxy along the joint opening making sure plenty flowed under the handle. I then applied tape over the handle to the body to hold the handle tight against the body. After the epoxy hardened, I removed the tape. After 6+ months the epoxy is still holding.

 

The negative is that epoxy will seep out prior to setting and turns yellow with age and on a white body is very noticeable. I was able to use a razor blade to peel / cut most away. If I have to do it again, I’ll apply tape to within say 1/16” inch of the joint and then epoxy. So, then once the epoxy is set (not fully cured), I’d remove the tape.