Rear door (lift) won't latch/lock. I am having to tie the door down so it won't open while driving. Any suggetsions on fow to fix it? Thanks

The door catch is down or has lost a spring inside the hook
No simple fix but too replace door latch inside
In order to drive car with door that way no back seat passengers till fixed but use tie down ratchet straps from door to door inside handles
This will keep door shut then can drive vehicle normal till door catch is fixed its simple hour job to replace just buy parts have mechanic shop install

well it sounds like you knocked a rod loose that connects
to the door latch. now you would have to take off door panel and fix this issue from the inside good luck.

This worked for me on 2008 Mk5 Golf, after the rear passenger door would not open fro outside or inside.

Hold the inside door latch open and keep it extended, then with the key fob open and close the door locks (still holding the inside latch open). Keep locking and unlocking the door, then it made a kluck and it released.

I have had this issue twice on my '98 Pathfinder. The hinge inside the exterior door latch rusts over time and sticks. As suggested in some other answers, the BEST way to get it open is as follows: Pull the latch open and spray WD-40 into the handle openings using the spray tube that came with the WD-40. You may need to repeat this. Note, when I use the word 'latch', I'm talking about the part you pull to open the door, not the lock, which is a separate part inside the door connected to the latch by a metal rod.

There are many ways to then hit the latch to jar the stuck hinge loose. To prevent damage, I folded up an old dish towel, placed it over the latch, and pounded it with medium force with a rubber mallet. It may take just a few hits, or it could take literally hundreds. Initially, the exterior latch will flop loosely. You can see if you're making progress by checking the latch periodically. It will gradually start to break loose and this will be reflected in restored tension in the previously floppy latch. The longer you hit, the tension will eventually be felt through the whole range of motion in the latch. Once full tension is restored, it will open the door.

The first time I did this repair, I simply considered it fixed and stopped working on it. Big mistake, because the locks stuck again in just a couple months and took a lot more work to get open the second time. These latches are cheap and easy to replace (check rockauto.com or other sites - I got my new latches for $12 each).

You must be VERY careful when changing them, otherwise you'll be opening up the door, which isn't necessary if you do it right. To change the latch - remove the two grommets from the door jamb at the latch. Use a 10mm nutdriver to remove the two nuts holding the latch. Care must be taken not to drop the nuts inside the door, but the nuts are angled slightly upward, so gravity is on your side.

Next, CAREFULLY pull the latch out of the door the minimum amount necessary to clear the opening and expose the latch rod that runs from the latch to the lock. IMPORTANT: Before removing the rod from the latch, get a pair of small locking pliers (long hemostat or needle nose vise grips) and attach it to the rod about 1/2" below the latch to hold it in place. This is necessary because once you remove the two nuts holding the latch to the door and the nylon grommet that attaches the rod to the latch, the only thing holding the rod in place is gravity. If you lift the rod more than about 1" while doing this work, it will disengage from the lock inside the door. I learned this the hard way on my first door and actually dropped the rod to the very bottom inside the door. Once the rod is secured with pliers, remove the rod from the nylon retainer clip on the latch and pull the latch free from the door. Installation of the new latch is the opposite procedure.

The second door was a breeze to fix since I didn't have to remove the door panel to retrieve the rod - the whole replacement took less than 10 minutes.

Go inside the rear hatch area remove the trim panel and manually trip the hatch release.

those door latches use a very tense spring that engage the closing mechansim. If the handle lifts without any restiction at all,,the sping is missing...if the handle when pulled or lifted offers slight resistance,this means it is very weak and needs replaced. it does not have enough rigidity to release the lock works from the lock pin that is fixed to the inside door facing.

It may be possible, if you have the rear seat out of the way. On some cars, it is possible, just a little tricky.

The locking mechanism on the rear lift gate for the Chevy Uplander has some plastic and rubber-coated parts that can get jammed. If you can pull back the panel from the inside top near the glass, you can reach down and try to spray some silicone lubricant into the lock. This could help get those parts unstuck so they spring back when you pull on the handle latch from the outside. Once you get the rear hatch open, I recommend taking out the locking mechanism and thoroughly lubricating it. Your rear lift gate will start to release very easily from then on.

the latch rod has came off you will need to remove the top of the door panel to get access to it to open your door

My friend just had this problem and he reached in and pulled the inside door handle back as far as it would go, and then let it go, allowing it to 'snap' back. For some reason this fixed it. We have no idea why. By doing this on one door, both rear door locks freed up and the rear locks are now working. Before, both rear locks were stuck and you could not open the doors from the inside nor the outside. Not sure why it works, but maybe it will work for you!