1998 Subaru Legacy Hatch no longer opens

no year car told. the now lost free users guide is by year.
made 1994 to present (even 1989 as legacy outback)
no country told at all
sorry cars not the same world wide.

open glove box, read the users guide? oops locked too>?
most cars sold in USA , called wagons
opening the rear gate hatch by accident driving
kids fall the ground, or cargo hits cars behind you. (so is illegall that feature)
and is never called a truck ever, in a wagon
only on sedans. a hatch or 5th door it is named.
In Europe then even call them 5 door cars.
so I am confused.
so all keys lost to the car. and can not drive it
nor open any side doors
and rear hatch is locked and valuables in cargo area to fetch, right?
I say call a locksmith
and pick the lock.
the door lock(mechanism) in the hatch internal, is accessed from the inside of the hatch open.so no why to attack it that way.

call a locksmith,

its possible you dont have the right key. some vehicles were made with a valet feature, door key only works the door and ignition switch but not hatch

If you can get a screw driver to try to push the latch with the screw driver. It should open. Once you have it open you need to spray it really good with WD-40. Or take it off and replace it with a new one.

Usually it is a little rust on the outside handle and it does not return fully. try to push the handle back to the return position and unlock the doors again. It should work then. The lock will not unlock if the handle is not fully returned. I sure hope this helps and have a great day.

This is very common. The hinge on the handle gets dirty and rusty and it does not return all the way. Push the handle all the way to the return position then unlock. It should open then. I use WD-40 on the hinges of the handle every 2 months to keep it free. Hope this helps and have a great day.

try spraying wd-40 around the key into the lock,pull lightly,and work it gently back and forth

before you pull stuff, go to the back of the car. Instead of pulling the latch (away from the car and towards you) to open the hatch, push the lever in the other direction (towards the car, away from you).

i had this happen to me and read about it online, worked totally fine. It's just stuck towards you and not "sitting" correctly. Hope it works!

Unfortunately, you will have to remove the panel of the door, Use flathead screwdriver to pry open. It is very likely the spring fell off.

pull the rear interior cover from the door and check to see if the latch rod clips are broken or misadjusted. the moisture could be a result of a failed heater core, poor defroster operation (A/C not working, vent door, or blower motor), or the window seal could be defective.

have you tried releasing it from the inside?