90 cherokee laredo

got this jeep 2 weeks ago and been so busy gettign it running right i hadnt had time to go through the rest of it, but anywaay tailgate is stuck closed, button is out on the tailgate but doesnt do anything and i dont have a key, also unlock button doesnt do anything for it. how can i get it open?

 

You should be able to unscrew the panel from inside. There are four screws on the top of the panel and either one or two on each side. The rest can be pulled off because it uses pressure clips. Once you have that off you are able to get the mechanism. There should be a rod that looks like a thin long bolt. Pull this up and the lock should disengage. Hope this works out had to do the same thin to mine when I got it. Good luck

 

Clime over the seat, take the panel apart, and really just play around tell it opens... That's what I did, until I could run a wire to make it unlock with the switch.