How can I open my 99 Cherokee rear hatch from the inside? My dad backed into me and not the hatch won't open from the outside. I don't wanna take paint off or mess up the hatch. Any ideas?

 

Take the inside panel off and see what you can do. If its jammed bad the you might just be sol and have to pry/beat on it.

 

have someone pull the handle and you push from the inside and see if it gives any. If it does kick it a little and see what happens

 

The inside panel doesnt come out without opening the hatch... Had that problem with my old 97.

 

Did he push in the bumper or where did he hit it at!

 

That sucks! I thought mine could.

 

i heard a trick once that if you push right beside the handle with your hand while trying to open it, it should open.

never done it, but heard it worked.
always worth a try.

 

the inside panel can come out you just have to "make" it come out. i did it on two xj's and didnt break them.

 

If it won't un-latch because the pin is pushed forward putten too much pressure on it, pushing the hatch in WAY hard just might let it free.

Getten a hatch gasket last month at the JY, the yard guy climbed in, (it's up on another car), crawled back and had the hatch open in a minute or so. Don't know how much damage he did to the panel, but it's defiantly easy to open the latch once you get it pulled out enough to reach in there.

 

what kind of dog you got Dflint?

 

my question exactly, i got rearended once and it just pushed my bumper up enough that it wasnt noticeable to look at it but a couple good downward hits on the bumper did the trick and i was able to open the hatch again

 

I once nearly tore a Corolla in two. Dead-maned it to a stump and was pulling the ......dent with the power-wagon end 4 lengths of cable on the block and tackle. (she thought the light was green, good thing for the "crumple zone")

 

He Hit me litterally right to the left if the handle and there is a good sized dent there.

 

Do you think you could need a new hatch? You might find a paint match at the JY.

 

until I adjusted the pin I had to do this, but it took so much pressure I had to like throw my shoulder into it to get it opened lol. It just might work