Hello -

I would greatly appreciate if anyone can give me advice for replacing my rear hatch (motorized) striker on my 2010 Sport SC.. after many issues with my tailgate not registering as closed, I got a replacement striker assembly (used though), and it didn't seem complicated to install - 2 bolts and the cable.

But it just won't work.. the striker came with the motor in the 'closed' position, and when i plugged it in, nothing happened - the hatch shuts, but it doesn't always recognize that it is 'closed' - dash warning comes up, and it won't let me lock/arm it.. also, there seems to be a slight rattle back there when i'm driving, but the door seems securely shut (I'll try the felt pads trick mentioned elsewhere here).

I tried adjusting the striker, but nothing works. I am able to get it to shut such that it registers as closed (and can lock it)... but when this happens, i can't release the hatch with the button.. i have to use the key.. which is ok I guess, but inconvenient.. and also, when i do open the gate, the striker doesn't come out to the 'open position'..

So essentially the motor is doing nothing.. this is the second one I've tried - after the used one didn't work, i decided to buy a new OEM part.. but it still doesn't work..

is there something special that I have to do when installing it aside from just plugging cable in and installing bolts? Do i need to do something special for it to recognize the new striker mechanism and start the 'logic' process of whether it is open or closed? unplug the battery? haven't tried that yet..

or could there be something wrong with the button or latch itself? both seem to work at times (again, button will unlatch it if it is not registering as closed). The remote will unlatch it if it is registering as 'closed', but they only work individually and always in the same discreet case.. i.e both methods of unlocking will not work at the same time, regardless of whether it is registering as closed or not.

i'm really trying to avoid a dealer visit for this so any help would be greatly appreciated..