My tailgate opens when I put my car into park. What is going on?

Posted by Ok_Employee_9612@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 21 comments

When I put my car into park, the back gate unlocks. Just started. Someone suggested unhooking the battery and see if that resets the switch. Google has a couple suggestions. Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

2022 Chevy equinox

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One_Evil_Monkey@reddit

Aside from hitting with your purse...

Disconnecting the battery and leaving it disconnected for about 10 minutes is good place to start. Seriously. Reason being is sometimes the BCMs (body control modules) get glitchy.

HOWEVER, be aware that depending on how dirty your throttle body is, you MIGHT have a crappy idle for a while. Because over time the TB slowly gets dirty and the motor for the throttle plate slowly compensates for that. It does so by the readings the TPS (throttle position sensor) sends back to the ECM (engine control module). Disconnecting the battery clears the ECM's memory and the ECM will command the throttle plate back to its default setting, not the setting it had slowly compensated for. The ECM doesn't know the TB is dirty, it's just trying to close the throttle plate farther than it was before the reset. The result could be that it's a harder to start and a rough idle. Short of actually cleaning the TB and taking care of the issue right then, driving it around for a bit so the ECM can relearn the position of the plate is your only option if the bad idle thing pops up.

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Ok_Employee_9612@reddit (OP)

I’m going to try disconnecting tonight or tomorrow, thanks

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One_Evil_Monkey@reddit

Okay.

No problem. Hopefully that clears up your issue.

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gtiguy12@reddit

Does it pop when you put it in reverse or when the parking lights come on? There is a possible short in the trunk wiring harness sending power to the release actuator. Inspect the harness where it bends as this is where the insulation in wires likes to crack and come apart.

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Ok_Employee_9612@reddit (OP)

Reverse

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Talentless_Cooking@reddit

I don't know this vehicle specifically, but it sounds like a wiring issue. Because one switch is being activated and another is activated, clearly current is getting across to the second switch.

You just need to find a shop that's good with electrical, not all shops will be interested in this type of work.

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Ok_Employee_9612@reddit (OP)

And it does t happen every time.

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Turbulent-Matter501@reddit

this post is a weird anomaly because while there are always a lot of jokes in here, they're usually not quite this brutal and people are usually more helpful than this. maybe it's because you said that disconnecting the battery for a reset was a good suggestion you received but you hadn't tried doing that yet...I would have tried that first and if it didn't work, Then come and ask for more help. that might be why this post went off the rails some LOL

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Ok_Employee_9612@reddit (OP)

Well it started when I got to work, and upon posting this, I had yet to have dinner, so I didn’t have time to do anything yet. Asking here, was Molly attempt to see if disconnecting the battery was a good idea. But, I was flooded with a wealth of automotive knowledge that I’m just not sure what to do with. Today I’m going to the local mall to buy a purse.

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Ok_Employee_9612@reddit (OP)

No, not yet

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