Momentary electric tailgate crisis !

[HaxbyPete]

We were out in the countryside on the sunny Sunday of last weekend, enjoying coffee and cake at one of our regular stops for such delights. I had opened the tailgate by the release button and taken out our folding chairs to place on the grass. Can't remember whether I used the button on the tailgate or the button of my remote to close it but I did so and walked away while it closed.

Half an hour later, coffee and cake having been enjoyed, I went to the back of the car to find that the tailgate was still open in the half-way position ! I zapped it wuth the remote - but no reaction. I pressed the button on the talgate, still no reaction. I locked the car from the remote, and pressed the tailgate button, still no joy. I got into the car, started the car up, pressed the internal tailgate button on the centre console - still not a murmur of either opening or closing the tailgate.

I could hear a relay clicking each time but no movement on the tailgate itself from the half open position. It was bloody stuck !

So I'm thinking "oh hell, what now, am I going to have to drive back to the dealership in York with the tailgate half open - and it's Sunday so there will be no service staff there anyway ?"

If all else fail, I say, use brute force ! So I placed my hand gently but firmly on the corner of the tailgate and pressed downwards against the pressure of the gas struts until the door was closed - and it locked. Press the remote to open it - and it did. Press again to close it and it did ! Jobs a good 'un - got on with the rest of my day !

Information offered just in case it should hppen to you !

Otherwise a wonderful car - just 10 days in and very happy with it. Thank God I have an electric car - with the queues at the petrol pumps - even if they have petrol to sell - I feel rather smug ! At least I can drive 32 miles every day !

 

[Jto]

this happened to me the other day, i had something in the way and it bounced open, moved the object out of the way push it close but recommend in the middle not a corner and test it and work ok. You may have hand somthing in way or covering the lock.

 

[JABO]

i has happened twice to me, for no reason at all.......

 

[GCB]

I've found that if the tailgate is left open for a fair period of time (something like 20 minutes), it will always fail to operate and need closing by hand before reverting to normal powered operation.

I did this yesterday. I had the tailgate open with tools in the boot while fixing my son in law's car. Then went to close the tailgate and just got the beeps but no movement. I tried, like you, unlocking the car with no change, then relocked the car and still no joy and I had to close it by hand.

This scenario has happened more than once and so I think there's some kind of timeout. Why, I have no idea.

This isn't exactly what seems to have happened in your case, but certainly the tailgate operation is buggy.

 

[Dragonfly]

The timeout thing, I wondered if something isn't designed to hold pressure or similar. So you leave the boot open, and the closing mechanism looses pressure so that it doesn't have enough force to close the tailgate. Then obviously, once it has been manually closed, then re-opened it is re-pressurised. That was my take.

 

[GCB]

I think you'll find that the tailgate powered strut (left hand one) is a Stabilus Powerise and, basically is an electric motor within a strut. I don't think the issue can be anything to do with gas pressure. It seems likely it's either something in the car software (maybe yet another SAIC software bug!), or possibly, something in the strut's safety mechanism that is 'over sensitive'.

 

[Dragonfly]

I think you'll find that the tailgate powered strut (left hand one) is a Stabilus Powerise and, basically is an electric motor within a strut. I don't think the issue can be anything to do with gas pressure. It seems likely it's either something in the car software (maybe yet another SAIC software bug!), or possibly, something in the strut's safety mechanism that is 'over sensitive'.

Okay, I hadn't really investigated them, just a theory. I hadn't even noticed the struts were different on either side lol

 

[JavaDaHat]

Sorry for digging up ancient posts but this has happened to me too just today. I thought I will need to make a trip to the dealer but similar to others, the tailgate fixed itself. In my case the only thing out of the ordinary was the fact that I left the car unlocked and went to the shop (forgot to lock it!) and as I was coming back 15 mins later or so I wanted to open the tailgate with the remote - it didn't budge. Pressed the button on the tailgate - it only unlocked but did not open. Eventually I opened and closed it manually with no resistance as if the motor was disengaged. Locked the car, unlocked and it worked. Strange and probably another item to add to the list of "quirks and features"

 

[PaullyB]

Yes, this has happened to me aswell, opened tailgate, put all our camping gear inside ( Lots of gear !!! Glamping I guess ) and the tailgate wouldn’t close, this was second time this has happened to us. I just shut by hand and all is well again, I tried turning car on, starting, stopping, all sorts. It just doesn’t do anything, so shut by hand, and it resets itself, hey ho ! So as JavaDaHat says, a Siac quirk ! I shall ask dealer if There is an update sometime this week or so…. I must say though we had a Ford Focus estate with a 1700 cubic feet boot, the MG HS is supposed to be smaller, around 1400 cu ft and we got all our gear in with room to spare, better than the Ford… weird, I would say it was quite a bit larger although the official figures dispute that. Strange but true ! I feel like an anorak now !

 

[Deleted member 3150]

Yep me too, it happens every time the boot is left open for any prolonged time. manually shut it and alls well again. Not as annoying as it stopping to close every time a grandchild opens a back door

 

[ajw1100]

As this seems to happen on a few occasions and most shut the tailgate by hand when it does not shut automatically, can I assume this shutting by hand does not cause any problems? I only ask as in winter with the car iced or covered in snow I usually put a small fan heater in the boot with the lead out under the tailgate while it warms up. This normally means a little extra 'down push' to get the tailgate to close. I guess this has a pinch stop point and I do not want to damage the struts etc.

 

[sky0000547]

It is normal that the power is cut from the tailgate once it has been left open for too long. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the boot light goes out as well? I’m wondering whether the power to the boot area is cut to conserve the 12v battery so it doesn’t run out hence why you have to manually shut it.

 

[BAZIL]

Hi to everyone with the MG Tailgate problem.

I recently purchased this MG SUV HS Executive and collected it in January 2022. Since receiving this vehicle it has gone back 8 times regarding the tailgate but they still cant sort it out, in fact the electrics kept shutting down and even RAC missed that and said there was nothing wrong with my vehicle, not impressed and would never use them. Now its going back in again for the last time as I will be giving it back

 

[Deleted member 3150]

Hi to everyone with the MG Tailgate problem.

I recently purchased this MG SUV HS Executive and collected it in January 2022. Since receiving this vehicle it has gone back 8 times regarding the tailgate but they still cant sort it out, in fact the electrics kept shutting down and even RAC missed that and said there was nothing wrong with my vehicle, not impressed and would never use them. Now its going back in again for the last time as I will be giving it back

What do you mean, electrics keep shutting down please?

 

[Jto]

What do you mean, electrics keep shutting down please?

You do know the tailgate has a time out If not touched, ie when the car shuts down after 5 minutes.

 

[BAZIL]

NO, IF I USE THE KEY FOB OR THE BLACK BUTTON TO SHUT THE TAILGATE IT KEEPS GETTING STUCK HALF MASK, AND SOME TIMES THE TAILGATE WONT COME DOWN. AS FOR THE ELECTRICS IT WAS FOUND OUT THAT THERE WERE 2 FAULTY SWITCHES IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE BUT IT HAS TAKEN THE DEALER A LONG TIME TO FIND THIS DESPITE THE AMOUNT OF TIMES IT WENT BACK

I KNOW THAT THE TAILGATE HAS A TIME OUT BUT THIS PROBLEM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TIMEOUT, IT HAPPENING EVERYTIME I TRY AND CLOSE THE TAILGATE

 

[Alb]

Is your CAPSLOCK broken Bazil?

 

[Jto]

At least they found the problem but if its not a know one it can take time to find.

 

[googywilly]

Have the same but the electric power is not working at all. Have to manually open and shut it