'99 subaru legacy wagon rear hatch won't unlock

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,

wires must have been trapped,shorted when engine was removed, check loom for damage

Check for a blown fuse for the lock system.

Check the alignment with the door pin. Might be out of adjustment and will not let the door close all the way. That will cause the lock to not be operable. Good luck and have a great day.

Had the same problem... hosed the latch down with WD40 and problem solved. I think salt and road grit build up on the latch. Same thing with the rear hatch release.

I have this same problem with my 1996 Subaru Legacy 2.2 Wagon. There is a Subaru Service Bulletin #16-62-97 dated 5/16/97 with a Subject entitled "Transfer Clutch Binding And/Or Bucking On Turns". There is also an important follow-up to it numbered 16-64-99 dated 09/15/99 entitled "Revised Transfer Clutch Assembly Replacement Procedures" that should also be used should you decide to go ahead with the transfer clutch replacement.

I just got these Service Bulletins from my mechanic who got them from a Subaru dealer.
The estimate was about $700-$1000 to fix. This is more than likely the cause of the binding problem on slow, sharp turns.

Dan Hunt
Danbury, CT

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.

Most of the time these rivits break when you pull them out but sometime you get lucky. They can be bought from subaru at a cheap pruice tag. Just slip a butter knife or something of the sort under the head and pry up. Good Luck. I hope this helps. Don't forget to rate my answer.

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.