The day after I picked up my 2002 LX V6 AWD, the rear window is not locking and the horn does not beep when the lock button is pushed twice on the remote. I checked to make sure the wires to the wiper motor and defroster are not in the way, but I think the latch is not responding to the remote command (when the window is open and the button is pushed, I don't see any movement on the latch). The handle to open it is moving freely ie. not stuck. The latch seems to move without binding when I manually move it.
Does anyone know what this could be? I don't like leaving the rear window unlocked, for obvious reasons.
I contacted the former owner, but she's not aware of the problem (must be coincidental).
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me figure this out.

Cheers, Mark

**Sept 22 - called the local Mazda stealership- according to the service tech, it's likely a solenoid gone bad, a part ~ $100, with at least an hour's labour to verify and install, so likely an out the door cost of ~ $250 after our lovely Canadian taxes. OUCH!
Would really like it if it just mysteriously started working again on it's own (since the wiper motor also has to be replaced, and that part is $201 at Mazda and $116.50 for a remanufactured FORD part)

 

I had the same problem with my 2002 Ford Escape. All the other doors locked and unlocked but the tailgate door and window. The Ford dealer wound up replacing the hatch lock/actuator assembly. I can't tell you the difficulty of replacing it yourself or the cost to have it done because fortunately for me I was still under the 30 day warranty from the Ford dealer.

 

Thanks for your reply. I also spoke with the local Ford dealership and was hit with a price of over $300 for the actuator! The Mazda part, thankfully, is different, and cheaper ($100). They call it a solenoid. I still don't want to spend the money on this part if it's unnecessary.

I used white grease on the lock assembly itself and worked it open/closed a few times. I got it to close/lock ONCE after many attempts. I'm thinking if this doesn't improve, I'll take it to the dealership, where they can make any adjustments (the fasteners to the window handle are rusted).

Thanks, Mark

 

I got a 01 Tribute and the lock actuator burned out
Anyway I have the same dealership story and ended up taking the door apart. On mine there's four screws on the bottom and several pressure clips that hold the plastic on. Remove the screws then pull off. I had to remove a few linkages and the lock assembly. I found a cheap actuator
at:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...TOKEN=48765803
I'll post up pictures when my new debit card comes.
BTW it's not a silinoid. It's a motor and gears inside the actuator.

 

Hey, I'm very interested to see your pics, as long as this is the correct replacement part to open/close/lock the hatch glass. All posts I read indicate the hatch, but not the glass, and they are separate controls (I assume?).
Certainly is a good price, and hope they can ship to the Canadian friends north of the 49th parallel. I'm not the most handy person figuring out how to fix something, but I assume the required mod is fairly intuitive.

I may be pushing my luck here, but does Parts Express carry the correct rear wiper motor for the 02 Tribute? I don't know what to search for (tried rear wiper motor in the search window, nothing came up). I'm sure they could beat the $116 CDN price I was quoted at the local Ford stealership (that's with old motor as trade). If I order the actuator from Parts Express, I may as well order the wiper motor too (one stop shopping).

Appreciate your input - Cheers, Mark

 

I wouldn't know... on mine the lock actuator only unlocks the rear glass and door. It doesn't open it. I know some of the newer models have buttons on the remote that open it also. I found the actuator from another post in a ford escape forum. Plus I extracted my broken actuator. I just ordered it btw. Shipping cost as much as the entire unit less a few cents. Fedex was cheaper than USPS. Post back soon.

 

Here's the pictures: http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/e...bute/Liftgate/
BTW the rod that was kit in the pictures was kit shorter to fit it. A the bigger screw is cut in length to fit, and the bracket was cut to fit. I used a 10mm socket, phillips head screwdriver, dremel rotary tool with cutoff wheel, soldering iron, hot glue gun, tape, and a 100W power inverter. I used everything in the kit.

 

Thanks so much for your effort here - this will hopefully help others as well.

After several applications of white grease and many times opening/closing the liftgate glass, I got the glass to lock properly. It's still fussy, but fine for now.
If it gets worse, I'll definitely order this part and follow your instructions.

Thanks again! Cheers, Mark