Rear hatch handle fell out - 04 XC70

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 23 Jun 2017, 18:33

So.... my son's car... the battery was dead and we was trying to open the hatch. He got the idea that if he removed the truck latch handle, there might be a way in. He took out the two screws that hold the license plate light lenses in, and then... possibly... popped out the handle. This is the plastic insert, about 8 inches long that contains the plate lights and the handle. Now, I've replaced the two screws, which obviously do nothing but hold in the light covers, and I can't get the handle to 'pop' back into place. Not sure if he broke some clips, or if I'm missing something else. The hatch still does not open, even if I hold the assemble in place and play with the lock/unlock button, etc. Figured the first step would be to repair the handle.

Any ideas?

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 26 Jun 2017, 10:26

So... no ideas yet. Can anyone with a shop manual maybe post the procedure for removing the handle/license plate light assembly? That may answer my questions....

Thanks!

mikeamondo · Post by **mikeamondo** » 12 Jul 2017, 16:58

Just a follow up on my own post.... so the handle comes out from the inside, and if you've been unfortunate enough to try prying it out from the outside, you've probably broken it. The black plastic handle has 4 small bolts with are molded into the plastic and stick thru the structure of the hatch. Small nuts hold the assembly in place, which contains the handle and the plate lights.
IMPORTANT.... When removing the handle, you must remove your license plate, and then remove the plate lights, letting them dangle from their holes. You can't get the unit out with them in place, and if you try, you'll likely crack and break the socket connectors.

I ended up causing both sets of damage on our car... my son had pryed out the handle, and broke the bolts free of the handle assembly, and then when I figure out how to remove it from the inside, I failed to drop the lights and broke one working it out of the hatch.

To remove it, you take off the interior trim panel, remove the wiper and wiper motor assembly, and then you can access the nuts. Maybe that'll help someone else!