Threw some stuff in the back of my '03 H2 today and when I got home the handle no longer will open the back hatch. Am I going to have to somehow take the huge panel off from the inside in order to reach the handle mechanism to open it and probably fix it?

 

I took mine off from the inside, just be sure you remove all the screws first. It's a tight fit but it will come out. Once the panel is off you can just reach inside and open the latch.

 

Veteman40404... How did you figure out how to remove the back hatch panel? I only found (3) visible screws?? Two along the bottom (near two hooks), and one under the strap handle. Do you just PULL on the panel to remove it after removing those three screws?

Did you use a manual or diagram?

Thanks for any help. I too need to remove my back panel. Thanks!

 

You cant tack the inside panel off unless the hatch is open to remove the 2 plastic push in fasteners and 2 bolts on cargo straps. So I would like to know how you did it?

 

Made mistake of trying to open frozen back hatch when it was 0 degrees last week. Thanks for the advice.

 

You need to remove the screw from the pull handle to give the cargo trim some give then pull it away from the window from the top to get your arm down there. Grab the cables and pull up on them to release the locks. Once the hatch is open completely remove the trim piece and replace the actuator and/or cables.