Ok so heres the issue, when i press the trunk button i can hear the actuator but the trunk will not unlatch. I even had the car at the dealer when i was getting a oil change and they couldnt figure it out. I also stuck a pole thur the rear seat pass thur and tried to use the emergency truck release thing, but it had no tension on it at all. I have no clue where to take my car to get the trunk open so I can get whatever it is fixed. The dealer says they have no clue how to get the trunk open. Any ideas or suggestions on where I could take my car to at least get the trunk unlatched so I can get it fixed?

 

Remove the back seat. Here are instructions in link below.

How to remove the back seats (click here)


You should then see an opening that you can crawl thru (see pic below). There might be an additional cosmetic panel that you might need to bust thru.... I can't remember. It has been such a long time since my car was stock.






When crawling into the trunk, take a 10mm or 12 mm wrench (socket or wrench). I don't know which size, but it will mostly likely be a 10mm. Oh, maybe take your cell phone too in case you get stuck or trapped.

Once inside the trunk, remove the latch from the trunk lid as shown below. From the diagram, it looks like there are two bolts (shown with large black triangles) holding the latch to the trunk lid.







Please post a follow-up to let us know what you found. Good luck

 

tks inaccurate for the info this will deffinately help. forgot all about taking the rear seat out completely lol. Nice pic also, cant say ive ever seen a TL's insides before. Will post outcome!

 

before you do what Inaccurate said, I would climb into the trunk with someone standing nearby. Have them close the trunk, and using your keyfob, try to open the trunk. Get a flashlight in there to see if anything is sticking. Was the car ever rear-ended at all? Could be that the plastic is sticking to the flashing on the trunk. Let us know how it goes.

 

tks for the suggestion, if i can at least get it to open I will try this and see why its not unlatching.

 

I'm having the exact same problem...I can hear it trying to open but it won't with the fob, the auto opener in the drivers seat or the emergency latch in the trunk. I also tried using a rod poking thru the rear seat opening and to no luck. Dealer said they would fix it for $280-$340.

 

use the "kidnap" release! Open up the pass though and if you look maybe 4 inches forward from the top of it, you'll see a hole with a faint green glow to it. That's the handle that'll pull the cord to manually unlatch the trunk lock.

 

How about the trunk latch lock watchamacallit in the glove box? I was pissed the day I bought my car because the trunk would not open, until I found the watchamacallit in the glove box

 

I had the exact same issue. Trunk wouldn't open with the key fob, dash release, or manual release. I had to pull off the back seat and climb into the trunk when I moved the latch "cover" a bolt and a socket fell out. I used the emergency trunk release and it finally opened. Unfortunately I think I messed up the motor assembly because I can only open the trunk via the manual release cable from the back seat. The piece I need to replace is the only piece not identified in the diagram above. It has the emergency release lever built in, has the manual cable hooked to it, and has a power plug going into it. If any one knows how I refer to this piece it would make it a lot easier to order a new one.

 

Before you rip out the back seat, have someone press down on the trunk as you press the button. If that doesn't work, have them pull up on the trunk. If that doesn't work, make a fist and pound lightly on the trunk as you press the button. Sometimes there's just enough opening tension that if you jar things a little bit it will open. If that doesn't work, you'll have to rip out the seat and go in from the wrong side.

 

That's good advice. I second that. I did all of that before I had to take out the seat.

 

What was the result of this? I have the same exact issue. I have crawled into the trunk and manually opened the latch with a screwdriver. There are 2 "levers". Lever 1 is connected to the manual release "rod" and moves when the trunk is released and hits "lever 2". Lever two slides to move a spring and release the lock. It seems like I am missing a piece, spring, SOMETHING connecting lever 1 and lever 2.

IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT I'M REFERRING TO PLEASE HELP! My whole audio system and back seat is in shambles because of this f*$%ing stupid trunk.. VERY IRRITATING.

 

Wait?!! S%#@! You mean there is no rear seat split 70/30 to bring the seats down?!!! WTF?!! Its a luxury car for crying out loud. My civic had those type of seats. You gotta gut the car (almost)? That makes no F$@#%$ sense! Sorry, for all the exclamation marks. I'm just very disappointed that this car does not have something so basic. I have an 08 TL, that i just bought, and I seriously didn't know there was no other way to open the trunk than electronically. Or that my car did not have the rear seat split/take down feature. I'd like to know who the dumb ass clown was that decided to omit this feature?!! he should be slapped. Multiple times. Not all of us have butlers that drive cars where you can fit in things too big to go in the trunk of our cars. Shoot! I once fit a a futon in side my civic, AND me and another person in there too.
I just can't believe it.

 

Does anyone have a repair manual with a close up of the trunk latch? I need to find out what piece I'm missing.

 

Its not there for structural rigidity and safety. If you look above you'll see two braces that run across to help keep the car stiff and help dissipate energy in the event of an accident. Yes it's an inconvenience but it's well worth it.

FYI luxury cars don't have split seats that fold down. My 760 doesn't have it, S class doesn't have it, A8 doesn't have it, Bentley doesn't have it, etc. It's more of an economy car feature if you are using your car as a pickup truck.

I'll look in my manual and see if I can find something for you!

 

Looks like #008 here:
http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...p801_b5510.png
Part #74851-SDA-A22 $28

 

the only thing I could find is replacing the whole darn piece which is 3 steps on removing 1 bolt and installing in reverse order.

 

Thanks guys --

I have a feeling when I took the trunk liner down the first time I lost a spring or something in the process. I'm going to see if I can jimmy-rig something with a small spring before I replace the whole damn assembly. I'll post the results afterward

 

As I figured, the solution to this was stupidly simple. After tinkering around and really seeing how the whole mechanism works, I figured it out. All it took was moving the release cable a half an inch to either add more tension or just give more room for the lever to move. Hopefully this helps someone out in the future if it ever happens to them.

 

fyi, even the gas release door cable is adjustable the same way too



and did you tighten the cable up, or loosen it, not very clear as far as what you actually did, other then adjusted it