I haven't found anything that quite matches this issue. Dealer has had van for 2 days now, and they still can't get the rear gate open. Here's a summary:

- Gate started responding intermittently to all methods of activation (buttons, fobs, exterior handle). Sometimes it would work fine, other times nothing. We were on a tight schedule 1000 miles from home, and decided to wait until we were home to have the issue checked out.

- Sometimes EVIC would display something like "MANUALLY CLOSE BEFORE OPENING" which tends to make you think a latch position switch was not making. Sometimes you could bump the gate toward closed, and then it would open. But NOT always.

- When we arrived at home, I parked the van and turned off the ignition. The piezo chime mounted in the jack storage well beside the rear gate controller started to sound. It would sound constantly for about a minute, stop for about a minute, and repeat (over and over). The gate would not open via any input.

- I pulled Fuse J2 for the rear gate module, and I pulled Fuse J13 for the Main IOD to reset the CAN bus. Pulled and re-seated the rear gate module connectors. Re-installed J2 and J13. The alarm stopped sounding, but the gate still would not open.

- When the dealer scanned for codes, the only result was "Lost communication with gate module."

When I last talked to the service manager at the dealership, they were waiting for another response from the factory with ideas on how to get the gate open.

Anybody out there ever see anything quite like this? I'm not a big fan of doing the dealer's work for them, but I would kinda like to get my van back...

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Hi Black Iron,

Did you let your dealership know that those fuses had been pulled so that they are able to properly troubleshoot everything? I'd be happy to reach out to the dealership if needed to get updates as well.

Kori
Chrysler Social Care Specialist

 

Hi, Kori.

Thanks for the reply.

I printed out a detailed summary of events and left it with the van when I dropped it off Monday morning. (copy attached)

I've worked on industrial electrical systems for years, and I know several of the comm bus configurations can be a real pain in the tush. If it weren't for the piezo alarm going off constantly, I wouldn't have tried to reset the CAN bus. That alarm was terribly annoying.

If you would like to reach out to the service department at the dealership, our T&C is at Sunbelt Chrysler Dodge in Lake City, FL. I had been dealing with Tanner at the Service Desk. Phone: (386)755-3444

Just for your info, the van is a 2016 T&C Touring, VIN 2C4RC1BG9GR198995, with just over 30,000 on the ticker.

Feel free to call me if you need any additional info. My number is on the attached document.

Thanks again,
Ed

 

Dealer installed new latch assy Wednesday morning (3/15). Gate is still not responding to any inputs. Service tech is continuing to troubleshoot.

 

Received a very helpful voluntary call from Kori at Chrysler Wednesday afternoon. I'm really pleased with the level of concern coming from Chrysler. I've been riding around on this rock for quite a few years, and I can remember when things were very different at the pentastar.

Just wanted to say 'thanks' again, Kori. I'm sure, with your assistance, we'll get this bug hammered out soon.

Ed

 

Thanks Ed! We'll talk soon!

Kori
Chrysler Social Care Specialist

 

Just a quick note regarding the rear gate issue.

The folks at Sunbelt Chrysler Dodge ordered a new rear gate control module and installed it on Saturday, 3/18. That fixed the problem. All of the operator inputs work correctly again, the in-gear lockout works properly, and best of all, no annoying alarm going off.

My thanks to the Service Department at Sunbelt, and a special thanks to Kori from Chrysler for taking an active interest in resolving this issue.

Ed