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2003 Tourer tailgate won't open/. warning light on

PaulE

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Location
Buckinghamshire
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2003 Tourer Exec
Guys,

Searches of the internet have found many results, some confusing, some wrong and some.. well, I dunno. There are reports of Honda wanting hundreds of pounds for fix. :)

The tailgate won't open on the button. It's completely dead. Usually if it's locked and you try to open it on the fob, there's a quiet beep, but mine won't even do this now.

The only way to open it is to climb inside and pull the emergency release. Trying the outside handle doesn't work.

The dash warning light is on permanently.

I've not had a chance to check fuses yet - I'll do that and report back, but meantime, does anyone have any suggestions.
 
Well well. Some more searching found this thread on another forum, from a user who was curiously banned and now has post count of one. Weird... anyway, for those who don't follow the link, here's what he said.

Had the same problem and this seemed to sort it out. If this doesn't work then your stuffed and you'll av to spend the muny

-The problem started when i tried to close the boot- closed the boot then tailgate light went on the dash display.....same problem.

-anyway to fix it. I left the tailgate door on open position, then i disconnected the battery and reconnected it. Then i switched the ignition on so the lights of the dash were on and shut the tailgate.

for some reason the tailgate light turned off and it was sweet after that.

Hope it helps, I feel much better now.

I followed this procedure. I left the battery disconnected for less than half a minute. I reconnected it, turned on the ignition and after the dash lamp self test, sure enough the tail gate light went out. I closed the tailgate and hey presto, it works as it should. Excellent
 
Glad you sorted it matey:) worth bearing in mind for when/if mine goes wrong. Martyn
 
Man I wish I found that information when mine failed...

I tried disconnecting the battery except the boot was closed though. -sigh-
 
Hi all

i have had this tail gate problem for 2 weeks now, i took my car to Crown Honda to have the problem diagnosed and they said it was 100% the ECU. They wanted £500 for a new one! i explained that i would find an ECU and fit it myself as the price for a new one was almost 25% of the value of the car! I have since fitted the ECU but it didn't fix the problem. i have removed and cleaned the position contacts on the lock mechanism but still nothing. has anyone got any useful advice as I'm at the end of my tether having to climb in to open the boot. I'm also well annoyed at Crown Honda, i paid for a full service and £90 extra for then to find the fault and they couldn't even do that. In fact I've yet to find a decent Honda service centre that don't just want to charge you for parts.
 
Hi all

i have had this tail gate problem for 2 weeks now, i took my car to Crown Honda to have the problem diagnosed and they said it was 100% the ECU. They wanted £500 for a new one! i explained that i would find an ECU and fit it myself as the price for a new one was almost 25% of the value of the car! I have since fitted the ECU but it didn't fix the problem. i have removed and cleaned the position contacts on the lock mechanism but still nothing. has anyone got any useful advice as I'm at the end of my tether having to climb in to open the boot. I'm also well annoyed at Crown Honda, i paid for a full service and £90 extra for then to find the fault and they couldn't even do that. In fact I've yet to find a decent Honda service centre that don't just want to charge you for parts.

Did they stick a HDS on it to diagnose it? Surely, it can be diagnosed by the HDS?
 
Did they stick a HDS on it to diagnose it? Surely, it can be diagnosed by the HDS?

They got a fault code B1390 ECU fail?? but i have changed the ECU and still nothing, need help as this is driving me insane!!
 
I had the tailgate issues with mine when I first brought it. Trader payed for the diagnostic via honda who said it was the tailgate motor! (It was intermittently working), I think it was just getting weak, it did go in to lock down mode but by doing the battery disconnect it allowed me to open it manually with the handle.

I was chatting to the service guy who said they are pretty common to fail and but also said to try ebay. Which I did and got a motor and ecu for 80quid then got the trader to get his guys to fit it for free.

Where did you get the ecu? Is it defo working? With my issue I could still open the tailgate by using the handle outside the car!


where are you based? As I still have the old ecu and motor in my garage (for spares)
If your not too far from Oxford you could always try my spare!
 
I had the tailgate issues with mine when I first brought it. Trader payed for the diagnostic via honda who said it was the tailgate motor! (It was intermittently working), I think it was just getting weak, it did go in to lock down mode but by doing the battery disconnect it allowed me to open it manually with the handle.

I was chatting to the service guy who said they are pretty common to fail and but also said to try ebay. Which I did and got a motor and ecu for 80quid then got the trader to get his guys to fit it for free.

Where did you get the ecu? Is it defo working? With my issue I could still open the tailgate by using the handle outside the car!


where are you based? As I still have the old ecu and motor in my garage (for spares)
If your not too far from Oxford you could always try my spare!

The ECU came from ebay! i cant be 100% sure its working. im in North London so a bit far to try a part!
 
Ah shame mate. Could you try returning the part (as faulty) and then try find another. Most scrappys offer 3 month warranty these days?
There was a post on here somewhere for a mod to gain access from outside using the internal release! The guy had dog cages in the back so couldn't get to the internal handle....just a thought if its gonna be a massive ball ache to sort your electrics!
 
DTC B1390: Tailgate Closer Unit Malfunction

There's a full test procedure for this including continunity of the circuits, etc. Do you know if the dealer tested this or simply diagnosed a faulty ECU? Looking at the procedure its a full on 26-step troubleshooting guide for this.
 
DTC B1390: Tailgate Closer Unit Malfunction

There's a full test procedure for this including continunity of the circuits, etc. Do you know if the dealer tested this or simply diagnosed a faulty ECU? Looking at the procedure its a full on 26-step troubleshooting guide for this.

They didnt say what procedures they carried out only that the ecu had failed! i will give them a call. is this test guide available online?

Regards
Scott
 
hey didnt say what procedures they carried out only that the ecu had failed! i will give them a call. is this test guide available online?

Not sure if it's available generally online - also don't want to post here in case there's a copyright issue?!

Send me a PM (for some reason I can't send you one).
 
Not sure if it's available generally online - also don't want to post here in case there's a copyright issue?!

Send me a PM (for some reason I can't send you one).

I don't seem to be able to PM you either!
You can email me at


Cheers
 
Ok, got the email address. I suggest you edit your post to delete it now to prevent spam! :)
 
UPDATE

I finally lost my rag with the Honda dealer (Crown Honda Bushy) and had a good old rant over the phone!
Armed with the knowledge provided by jayok i tackled the dealer on the subject of exactly how they came to the conclusion that the ECU had failed. At first they tried to blind me with science stating that the technician had run a full diagnostic program on the car and that the ecu was the problem, i then told them that Honda UK customer services (i lied it was jayok) had just told me that the diagnostic code was just a pointer to the problem and that the fault code should have been investigated with a 27 step continuity test, to establish which component exactly was causing the problem! Was this carried out i asked, if so what results are on the job sheet???
After putting me on hold to check the job sheet for 3-5 mins the guy then informs me that the job sheet has not been uploaded to the system! but its the ecu because the engineer said so. I then informed him that the ecu had been changed for a 100% working one but the tailgate is still not working. They asked if i could bring my car in so they could run the tests again with the second ecu free of charge, i took the car in and left it with them. mid afternoon i got a call to say that the tailgate was now working fine :D

This is the bit i don't get, they stated that the new ecu needed programming to the car? can anyone support this? or did the guys just not test for continuity 1st time round and find a broken cable at the second attempt? or worse still did they want to charge £550 for a ecu when they were just going to fix something much more simple like a broken cable?

Anyway thanks for all your help guys.

Regards
Scott
 
Hey Scott,

First things first - the boot is working! Woot!!! :)

With regard to re-programming the ECU for the car, I don't believe so. Well it's not mentioned in the service manual anyway. What it does talk about is ensuring that the ECU is installed and that the tail gate is closed before re-connecting the battery (the battery should be disconnected before swapping the ECU) - that's about it. I can't see anything related to "coding" the tailgate ECU for the specific car (why would there be)

Regardless, why didn't they do this in the first place?
 
Good news on the tailgate working mate :)

Im pretty sure it doesnt need coding as mine came from ebay and wasnt coded in.

as for the diagnosis...id imagine they plugged it in and as the fault came up as ecu and it being such a common fault just said it needed a new one. I guess a bit of laziness on the technicians behalf! Kudos to you for challenging them!
 
I finally lost my rag with the Honda dealer (Crown Honda Bushy) and had a good old rant over the phone!

They are my local dealer - one to avoid maybe for when I get my Accord? Have you tried the one in Hemel, a mate has used them for his Type R and S2000 with no issues I think?

Glad you got the problem sorted :)
 
My tailgate went for the second time today and what happened is the motor on the lock had over rotated causing the lock malfunction. Took it to BLADE HONDA Gloucester for some Honda happiness and their technician fixed it quickly. This is something that does happen if too much stuff if boot and tailgate sort of forces itself shut. Just thought I'd mention for future reference :)
 
I just fix is problem by disconnect the battery and reconnect it after Jew mins, and tailgate work fine, light on dash gone! But need to rework the Clifford alarm, very simple fix.
 
-anyway to fix it. I left the tailgate door on open position, then i disconnected the battery and reconnected it. Then i switched the ignition on so the lights of the dash were on and shut the tailgate.

for some reason the tailgate light turned off and it was sweet after that.
I tired this and for one minute the WHOLE tailgate was working; it opened via the hob, then closed...wow, then I tried again, and it got stuck trying to open, so I think it's misaligned somewhere, but closing via the tailgate button is fine atm! To reset quickly, I just had to squeeze the tailgate 'Emergency' lever, after crawling through the back once again! :wacko:
 
Hi, I had the PTG hinge wiring broken and repaired, and then the code error B1390. When I reset the PTG, start working and after while didn't open again, with the PTG sign in the dashboard. After performing the troubleshooting of the B1390 and after lots of hours.... I discover that the problem was in the tail lock motor. The motor brush were very worn, commutator isolated, and dry grease.
After cleaning the commutator and lubricate the shaft, the PTG start working. I will try to replace the brushs...
I hope this can help.
Regards
 
My tail gate has just stopped working on my 04 cdti right before the MOT, didn't make a difference to the outcome of the MOT, I wasn't sure if it would.
Anyway, ill have to strip down the trim and have a look at all the wiring. The tail gate on these are a real pain, I wish it was just manual. If I find anything I'll post it up here.
 
Hi, I had the PTG hinge wiring broken and repaired, and then the code error B1390. When I reset the PTG, start working and after while didn't open again, with the PTG sign in the dashboard. After performing the troubleshooting of the B1390 and after lots of hours.... I discover that the problem was in the tail lock motor. The motor brush were very worn, commutator isolated, and dry grease.
After cleaning the commutator and lubricate the shaft, the PTG start working. I will try to replace the brushs...
I hope this can help.
Regards
Thanks for this, I'm gonna have a look soon :)
 
Hello, I had the same problem on my 2004 Honda Accord Tourer 2.0. I had thought that the tailgate hit an umbrella while closing and that it tripped some safety mechanism. I was dead wrong. After much frustration and screaming at Honda about what a stupid idea it was to not have a manual override on the tailgate I thought about taking it to a Honda dealership. I discovered that a diagnosis alone would be around 100€ not to mention the cost of repair. I had seen on forums that sometimes the wiring going to the tailgate can be the cause and proceeded to pry off the trim. I don't think I have ever been happier to see a broken wire in my life. After splicing in some speaker wire everything worked fine and has been ever since (for over a year). By the way, I had the same thing when I would open the hatch manually, it would still close automatically. I tried the battery trick and everything. It was a simple wire. I would recommend starting there before giving anyone money to fix it.​
 
I had also read about the lock mechanism and had already taken it out and torn it down to see if I could fix anything. I then ordered a new old part and that didn't fix the problem either. It was simply one broken wire. They have no slack and I think the casing must shrink with age and they snap. The wires I am referring to or on the top left when you open the tailgate. They come up from behind the left rear window and then along the roof to the rear. These are the wires that then run into the tailgate itself. You shouldn't need to touch the roof mounted motor or wiring going to it.
 
I have a similar problem. I posted new thread then found this one.
I have had an intermittent fault on my tailgate on my 2006 Tourer for the last six months.

When it refuses to unlock I get the PTG code. The problem can be remedied by simply disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds. Then it works fine. Just have the added hassle of reprogramming the radio stations every time!

The fault usually happens when something falls against the tailgate on the inside when driving or when I close it with something in the way. I guess it is some sort of pressure safety sensor.

Anyway the last week it has been tripping the PTG more frequently, even when there is nothing touching the tailgate.

Any ideas how this could be resolved. Is it possible to replace the sensor?

I also read in the thread above about a garage in Gloucester who mended it by adjusting the angle of the motor somehow.



P.s I do have an emergency pull wire attached to the catch on the inside that I can crawl back to to open when I cant be bothered with the battery trick, but it does not reset the PTG so i still have to do the battery disconnect anyway.
 
Im having a similar issue! repaired broken wire in hinge loom last summer then all was fine until october.Works as it should most of time but if car has been stood for a few days it can result in tailgate not opening or sticking in the open position with light illuminated on dash.
Like you i perform the easy fix....disconnect battery for 2 mins then all works ok.Only takes a few seconds reprogramme radio/clock,more of a hassle to pop bonnet and mess with battery on a wet day so i just leave it in this instance.
I fitted a new higher capacity battery in july and having tested it a few times since i know this is not my problem.Im pretty sure winter causing the issue maybe allowing dampness into a sensor/module somewhere i dunno.....wont be an easy one to sort out imo.
I can live with it although id rarther not so if anyone does have a solution id be grateful to hear it too...
 
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