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Where is a manual trunk release

96K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  texhawk0 
#1 ·
Car was not registering that is was in park, therefore, the trunk will not open. There is no way to open the trunk manually. On the older style, you could fold down the rear seats and reach inside to pull the manual release tab. However, on the new body style they moved the latch for the fold down rear seat into the trunk, leaving me with no access. I could not find any keyhole either. Does anyone know if there is another way to open the trunk manually.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I also wondered how to get the trunk open if the actuator failed on the trunk release, and could not find a manual release, so I used fishing line and a pull ring to create an emergency release for the rear seat. Once you have access to the trunk, you can reach in an pull the emergency trunk release.
Concealed the excess line and pull in the hatch for the car seat anchor...
Just open the anchor cover in center of seat back, slide the pull ring to the side so it lines up for direct pull on the lever, and pull until the latch releases.
 

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#5 · (Edited)
Just open the anchor cover in center of seat back, slide the pull ring to the side so it lines up for direct pull on the lever, and pull until the latch releases.

I could have run the line through an opening inside the anchor compartment so everything would have been concealed, but you would be pulling the line straight up instead of being able to slide it off to the side to better align with the latch pull (note the steel cable release is horizontal and pulls to the right) Also, if run to the compartment, there were metal edges that could have cut the line when pulled.

The electric latch release being locked out by the BCM is another reason to have a manual release. You could be locked out of the trunk even if the actuator has not failed..

I am not sure why GM felt compelled to protect us against opening the trunk with the car not in Park... It is similar to not being able to pop the hatch on my Corvette while the engine is running, even though it is a manual transmission and it is in neutral.
 
#8 · (Edited)
That is correct.... This is actually an emergency seat back release. Once you get access to the trunk, you can reach in and pull the emergency TRUNK release...

It would be more difficult to run a cable to the actual trunk release since it not only is longer, but would move up and down with the trunk lid. The seat back release only has to be a few inches and the latch is stationary.

With older models the seat back releases were inside the car...now they are inside the trunk.
 
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