# Trunk won't close



## samphoebe (Mar 3, 2004)

My trunk will open using the door switch and the key fob. But when pressing the button on the inside of the trunk lid, it will not close about half of the time. Anybody have this problem? Also, does it hurt ot manually close the trunk like I've been having to do?


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## samphoebe (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: Trunk won't close (samphoebe)*

Ok. I'm admittedly nowhere near as mechanically inclined as many of you gentlemen on this site are but I do try. I'm reluctantly finally going to take my precious Phaeton back in to the service department to address issues. My most recent is that my power trunk button has essentially quit working. 
Looking at a post some time back from Michael, I see that the TPMS control module is linked very closely to the truck module. My TPMS is still malfunctioning after that module was replaced and immediately thereafter my trunk began acting strange. Also the rear sunshade motor was replaced. At the risk of sounding stupid, is there any chance that all of these problems are related as they've just appeared pretty much all together? Any info is much appreciated.


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## 1.6.liters.of.fury (Dec 19, 2007)

May have happened all together, coincidentally. Or it could be related.
Mine did the same a few weeks back. TPMS was acting up and the trunk button stopped working. Dealer replaced the trunk switch and all is well.


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## Aristoteles (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: Trunk won't close (samphoebe)*

I can't diagnose the problem from your post but I will say this. The trunk power closing mechanism can get out of synchronisation with the controlling unit. 
This can happen (as it did in my case) if the trunk has not been allowed to fully close automatically (or open). 
I had a large object in the trunk and pressed the trunk lid an inch or so to close it. The result was the locking mechanism failed to engage and at journey's end the power opener wouldn't function for the simple reason it had never completed its closing cycle. I had to open the trunk lid manually to get at the cargo. 
As the closing mechanism was then out of synch with the lid position, the closing motor would not operate. So I closed it manually (although the locking mechanism did not engage, as was evidenced by the tell-tale 'trunk open' indication on the driver's digital display). 
IF this is your problem (it may not be) the solution is to manually resynchronise the position of the lid with the power mechanism so the lid is where the hydraulic controller 'thinks' it is - aka trial and error.


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## Aristoteles (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: Trunk won't close (Aristoteles)*

IF the cause is as just discussed, go to this post:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1714577
The relevant advice is:
If the trunk lid gets 'confused' as a result of too many button presses, or as a result of pressing the key fob button when the lid is in the process of closing, there is an easy way to get it back in synchronization again:
1) Manually lift the trunk lid to the fully open position. It is not difficult to lift if you lift it slowly, however, for safety reasons (protection against strong wind gusts), there are flow restrictors in the system that limit the speed it can move at. In other words, don't try to lift it to the fully open position quickly, you'll just get a hernia and the trunk lid won't go up any faster. 
2) Once the trunk lid is fully open, press the button on the key fob that you normally press to open the trunk. The lights on the car will flash (like they usually do).
3) Wait a moment (one or two seconds), then press the button on the edge of the trunk lid that you normally press to close it. The trunk lid will now power down to the closed and latched position.
Many thanks to Jack from Dallas, who discovered this trick about a year ago, and wrote it up for all of us in this post: How to reset the power trunk lid when it gets out of synch.
If the J605 trunk lid controller (a slave to the J393 
If the cause is different, there are threads and links in the link that may help out.


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## Jim_CT (Jan 25, 2006)

*Re: Trunk won't close (samphoebe)*

Karen,
FWIW, assume you already reviewed this FAQ...http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1814496...
Jim


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## samphoebe (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: Trunk won't close (Aristoteles)*

Thanks Andrew & Jim. Yes I tried re-syncing the trunk with no luck prior to taking it to the dealer. They've had my car for a day now and as far as I know, they can't figure the problem out. Fortunately I've got a nice clean Passat to drive while they work.


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## Aristoteles (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: Trunk won't close (samphoebe)*

Nice car the Passat but not as nice as me, said the Phaeton!
I guess if it's an intermittant problem it must be a faulty module or poor connections etc. Going off at a tangent, as I did, comes of being up too late...


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## samphoebe (Mar 3, 2004)

*Re: Trunk won't close (Aristoteles)*

I appreciate what you might call a tangent! I hope my Phaeton doesn't miss me as much as I miss it. I'll be sure to tell the Passat tomorrow that it shouldn't get used to my garage!


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## paddyh (Mar 14, 2008)

*Re: Trunk won't close (samphoebe)*

I was having the 'trunk close' problem for the last couple of days. None of the tips (manual open, remote button, close) worked. 
I used VAGCOM to clear the error code on the J605 controller (314 error if I recall), and all is well again.
Patrick


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