I've got an F11 and the main boot release stopped working today. I can open the glass section but the main boot will not open. We're away on holiday at the moment and lifting a double pushchair out of the glass section isn't ideal. Does anyone know if there is an emergency release within the boot which I can use until we get home? I've had a look but haven't so far located anything. Cheers
AL2504
Hiya.
I have a 2011 F11 and having stripped all the back panel to check (after locking myself out of it previously), I can confirm there is no emergency release.
the only way of opening the boot are
it's worth mentioning that on mine, the drivers door needs to be unlocked before either of the boot lids will unlock..
hope that helps, enjoy your hols!
Thanks
I have a 2011 F11 and having stripped all the back panel to check (after locking myself out of it previously), I can confirm there is no emergency release.
the only way of opening the boot are
- keyfob
- button on outside of tailgate
- button in driver footwell
it's worth mentioning that on mine, the drivers door needs to be unlocked before either of the boot lids will unlock..
hope that helps, enjoy your hols!
Thanks
In my 2012 F11 I found a steal cable with a loop at one end that looks as if it was meant to be pulled to release something. I always assumed it was the emergency trunk release. It is tucked away near the battery. But I cannot imagine how someone could access it with the trunk closed, since you need to open the floor trap and remove a part of the floor storage compartment liner to get to the battery area. I don't think the floor trap opens high enough to reach in through the open window with the trunk closed.
I'll try to get a picture of it tonight.
I'll try to get a picture of it tonight.
I can now confirm that my F11 indeed has an emergency trunk release. I can only assume yours has one as well.
I took some pictures to help you find it. The floor compartment opens relatively high and you should be able to get to it through the open trunk lid window.
Open the floor compartment. The storage compartment liner under the floor has one plastic retaining plug. Use a flat screwdriver to lift the center part of the nut until you can grab it with your fingers. Pull the plug out.
![Image]()
Now you should be able to lift the liner to get to the battery compartment.
In there you should be able to find a black plastic cable coming from the trunk locking mechanism. At the end of the cable there is a blue loop.
![Image]()
This is the emergency trunk release. It is a narrow steal cable surrounded by a black plastic guiding tube. I have tested it to confirm. Hold the plastic tubing at the yellow part near the blue loop. Now pull the blue loop away from the yellow part until you hear the trunk lock disengage. I think I needed to pull the loop for about an inch or two.
You can easily route the emergency release outside the storage compartment into the trunk so you can use it through the open window without having to access the battery compartment, that way you can use it when you have stuff in the trunk that would block access to the storage compartment under the floor.
![Image]()
I took some pictures to help you find it. The floor compartment opens relatively high and you should be able to get to it through the open trunk lid window.
Open the floor compartment. The storage compartment liner under the floor has one plastic retaining plug. Use a flat screwdriver to lift the center part of the nut until you can grab it with your fingers. Pull the plug out.
Now you should be able to lift the liner to get to the battery compartment.
In there you should be able to find a black plastic cable coming from the trunk locking mechanism. At the end of the cable there is a blue loop.
This is the emergency trunk release. It is a narrow steal cable surrounded by a black plastic guiding tube. I have tested it to confirm. Hold the plastic tubing at the yellow part near the blue loop. Now pull the blue loop away from the yellow part until you hear the trunk lock disengage. I think I needed to pull the loop for about an inch or two.
You can easily route the emergency release outside the storage compartment into the trunk so you can use it through the open window without having to access the battery compartment, that way you can use it when you have stuff in the trunk that would block access to the storage compartment under the floor.
Thanks for replies. I did the other night manage to release the boot by lifting the boot floor which gives access to the tailgate lock and it can be release by manually operating the actuator. Next I removed the panel from the rear of tailgate to investigate the switch and putting a jumper across the wires resulted in the lock operating. I then removed the hand/switch part to discover the failure was due to a poor design. The micro switch in the handle is operated by a flat section of plastic that pushes the switch when the handle is pulled, this is achieved by the flat plastic rotating by way of the rubber seal. The rubber had split hence no rotation occurring and therefore contact with the switch not be achieved. As I didn't really wish to have to take it all apart again I set about repairing this and manufactured a piece to hold the rotation part in the correct position . Works perfect now.
I have a Sept 2010 F11, and the tailgage won't open. Fuses 153,155 and 183 pulled and checked - all ok.
The tailgate window opens, and I had a VERY good search around underneath the boot floor and found no emergency release cable
There is what looks like an actuator motor on the left side of vehicle, with a sheathed thin steel cable coming from it towards the centre of the boot. There is a 2-3 inch of cable exposed, so gave it a tug, but didn't make a difference.
Any other ideas?
The tailgate window opens, and I had a VERY good search around underneath the boot floor and found no emergency release cable
There is what looks like an actuator motor on the left side of vehicle, with a sheathed thin steel cable coming from it towards the centre of the boot. There is a 2-3 inch of cable exposed, so gave it a tug, but didn't make a difference.
Any other ideas?
Hi, i just registered especially to answer on this thread.
I too had a problem with the boot opening switch, meaning that my F11 would open the glass window, but not the main boot.
I Searched on this thread about the emergency unlocking mecanism, but only found a small cable connecting to a white part , that's the soft close as far as i know.
don't pull on that .
On my case i just uncliped the handle from the exterior, and then i pressed the inbeded micro-switch manually (by hand) it opens,
i then took the plastic handle with switch home to figure out what's wrong.
it seems that there's a plastic part that broke , that part when pressed acts as a lever and presses on the microswitch.
I had ABS plastic from old parts laying arround so i melted some of that plastic and fixed the handle using plastic rods and a soldering iron.
but i'm going to buy a new part soon, in case this one breaks.
pretty easy to take this off, just two clips on front of the switch, you kinda have to guess where they are, don't scratch the paint !
I too had a problem with the boot opening switch, meaning that my F11 would open the glass window, but not the main boot.
I Searched on this thread about the emergency unlocking mecanism, but only found a small cable connecting to a white part , that's the soft close as far as i know.
don't pull on that .
On my case i just uncliped the handle from the exterior, and then i pressed the inbeded micro-switch manually (by hand) it opens,
i then took the plastic handle with switch home to figure out what's wrong.
it seems that there's a plastic part that broke , that part when pressed acts as a lever and presses on the microswitch.
I had ABS plastic from old parts laying arround so i melted some of that plastic and fixed the handle using plastic rods and a soldering iron.
but i'm going to buy a new part soon, in case this one breaks.
pretty easy to take this off, just two clips on front of the switch, you kinda have to guess where they are, don't scratch the paint !
I got quite concerned reading this when I had the same problem. I purposely didn’t go to BMW as I thought this would be very pricey...wrong. Instead I went round different German and BMW private repair garages and got many quotes and usually the same answer that they did not know but would plug in the analysis devise and then there would be labour time and then the parts running into £100s....anyway instead as a last resort I went to BMW in Cheltenham and they new immediately that it was a failed sensor under the rubber cap. They changed it (Part was in stock) and within an hour problem was sorted...£47 all in....happy days...
Part no is B51.24.7.463.161 F# Tailgate Microswitch
Part no is B51.24.7.463.161 F# Tailgate Microswitch
Glad to hear dan h had satisfactory resolution to his problem. If I was the cause of the trouble he went to before getting the fix I am sorry not to have posted earlier how my problem was resolved. As I said earlier I had bought the whole replacement tailgate switch as BMW parts had told me, correctly, that while the part had once comprised of two parts, since the switch was updated in 2015 it was now just the one, and my problem was identifying the micro switch and where the electricals were connected in this part. I managed to speak to a technician at my BMW garage who not only answered my query but proceeded to fit it for me there and then in my presence - taking all of about three minutes to do so! Although I could see that it was in fact a straightforward operation, despite the new switch being of different design to the original one, it was a bit of a fiddle faddle easing the old one out and I was glad to have been relieved of having to do that (the trick was to use a plastic card - an expired credit card would be ideal - to prevent bodywork damage while levering old switch out with screwdriver). Freebies from a large main dealer are hard to come by but such good service helped me resolve whether to stick with BMW or, now car is coming up to seven years of age, going to an independent for the main service which is now due.
Hi all. I also have this problem and have replaced the old switch/handle with a new one from my local BMW dealer.
Sadly in my case this did not solve the issue. If I’d been clever enough I would have listened to my old switch and discovered it was not the problem as it was still audibly operating.
So did anyone ever have this issue that wasn’t the switch/handle as in my case? I have checked the fuses relating to the tailgate as indicated earlier in this thread and in other BMW forums regarding tailgate issues.
I get 2 fault codes. 8020D8 Central locking tailgate contact: tailgate stuck, lock defective or short circuit to ground. And 8020D9 Central locking SCA rear contact: SCA and tailgate stuck, lock defective or short circuit to ground.
Thank you guys and hopefully we can figure out the issue!
Sadly in my case this did not solve the issue. If I’d been clever enough I would have listened to my old switch and discovered it was not the problem as it was still audibly operating.
So did anyone ever have this issue that wasn’t the switch/handle as in my case? I have checked the fuses relating to the tailgate as indicated earlier in this thread and in other BMW forums regarding tailgate issues.
I get 2 fault codes. 8020D8 Central locking tailgate contact: tailgate stuck, lock defective or short circuit to ground. And 8020D9 Central locking SCA rear contact: SCA and tailgate stuck, lock defective or short circuit to ground.
Thank you guys and hopefully we can figure out the issue!
I went to my mechanic and he solved the problem. The problem was with the "soft close" module which is on the (center) left side, beside the lock. It was stuck in the close position and wasn't letting the lock to open.
Solution to open the trunk is to disconnect the cable from the soft close module (it's the one showing on the video) and remove it from the lock. Afterwards the lock will work. There is no quick release cable in the trunk and ISTA can't unlock it either...
In my situation the fix was opening the "soft close" module and turning the cable driver by hand to release the cable as much as possible and then reinstall it. After reinstall, it gets a couple of tries for it to work and a power off/on of the car for the "soft close" to work properly.
My guess is the water that got in from the wash and shorted the PDC (I had LIN, CAN and Flexray errors) had the sideffect of making the soft close module stuck in the wrong state.
Solution to open the trunk is to disconnect the cable from the soft close module (it's the one showing on the video) and remove it from the lock. Afterwards the lock will work. There is no quick release cable in the trunk and ISTA can't unlock it either...
In my situation the fix was opening the "soft close" module and turning the cable driver by hand to release the cable as much as possible and then reinstall it. After reinstall, it gets a couple of tries for it to work and a power off/on of the car for the "soft close" to work properly.
My guess is the water that got in from the wash and shorted the PDC (I had LIN, CAN and Flexray errors) had the sideffect of making the soft close module stuck in the wrong state.
So I've just joined as I've got the same issue, tailgate won't open with fob, manual or button in the footwell. I can hear it making a noise and trying to release either so I guess the switch is fine. I took it out and looked okay.
My next guess is the soft close module but I'm having issues separating it. How can I take the white clip out? Also, the boot is stuck shut and can't open it. Please can someone help as I can't find anything on YouTube.
Thanks
My next guess is the soft close module but I'm having issues separating it. How can I take the white clip out? Also, the boot is stuck shut and can't open it. Please can someone help as I can't find anything on YouTube.
Thanks
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