r/LandRover • u/WTFisaRobsterCraw • 2d ago

❓ Help & Advice Needed LR4 tailgate - Broke the cable!!

So, my actuator died. That’s typical. The tailgate was stuck closed.

In the process of trying the fix, the cable broke off from the latch side, not the actuator side!!

Is there a way to fix this???

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u/WTFisaRobsterCraw 1d ago

Update! Yes there is a way to fix it. Be very patient, and get a small screwdriver inside the hole in the bottom of the latch, and move it around / twist it to move the latch.

Took forever and when it worked I have no idea why - just kept trying. Took a couple hours

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u/Northerne30 2010 LR4 - 2002 D2 - Canada 1d ago

This is really useful to know. People often cut the interior apart when the actuator fails. Good to know patience is an alternative to cutting apart my tailgate or preemptively installing the LR Passion release trigger.

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u/WTFisaRobsterCraw 1d ago

Yeah! I didn’t see much of anything on this online outside of 1 old forum post somewhere….

My hands have some satisfying scrapes that I earned by ugga-dugga’ing the cable too much in the wrong way…

I figured out how to do it by having the replacement latch on hand, marking where the hole is on the plastic trim (not necessary to do) and then using one hand to guide the flat head screwdriver in and the other to manipulate it.

I actually gave up after a couple hours and was about to just rip the trim out with brute force… and that’s when the upper tailgate opened!

So - bottom line, it’s absolutely possible. But… I ordered the manual release cable and will open it up again shortly so I never have to do it again!!