My liftgate actuator stopped working and still does not work after replacement
Asked by TLX_6105 Mar 05, 2017 at 11:05 AM about the 2010 Ford Escape XLT FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Following the information found online I replaced my liftgate actuator. After
replacing It still does not activate. No activity or sound when hitting the open
button. I believe the open button works as the license plate light activates
when I hit the button. The liftgate ajar switch works as well as evidence by the
warning message on the dashboard. Any advice on a next step?
4 Answers
Pull the harness connector to the actuator and check for proper voltage - if none, you may have a short or open somewhere in the circuit.
I pulled the connector off the actuator, atachhed probes from a multimeter to the slots in the connector and had a 0 reading when hitting the switch. I'm not very familiar with a multimeter but didn't seem to get a voltage reading. Any way to tell if I tested it correctly?
Make sure it is set to volts (not Ohms or Amps/Watts), then make sure you are testing the connector to the wire harness, not to the actuator. I'm assuming at this point you have the harness unplugged from the actuator. You could also, if you have a 12VDC source, plug power into the actuators connector and see if it moves. However the voltage pulse if very short, so you may not be able to see it if your not watching it directly with a helper applying the switch. So try testing the actuator with 12V, you can use a ground wire for the ground, and just need to run a wire to the positive battery terminal, just remember red (positive) to red, black negative/ground) to black. If you have the actuator out of the door, you can move it next to the battery to make it easier to run a wire.
Google "how to test an actuator" for more help, or try Youtube for videos.
