I picked the wife up tonight in town on the way back home as she had been doing some shopping. She tried opening the rear door to put the shopping in (while I was still in the drivers seat with the engine running), I unlocked the auto door lock on the dashboard but the rear door wouldn’t open, so I pressed the rear door button on the key fob and still no luck? In the end she had to put the shopping on the back seat.

Can anyone please tell me how the rear door can be opened in this situation?

It sounds like the rear door actuator has failed or on it's way out.

I had rear nearside door actuator replaced recently under the AA Warranty

You should be able to unlock the door from the inside by pulling out the small black plastic lever, then open the door
either by external or internal door handle.

By rear door ........ he means the tailgate.

If it's the tailgate, just feel for and press the microswitch above the number plate under the chrome strip.

Yes it’s the tailgate.

It opens no problem normally, I know as a security measure the tailgate locks so that no one can open it while the vehicle is stationary in traffic for instance, if you turn the engine off and go round the back of the car you can open it ok.

It just seems like if the engine is running and the doors have locked you can’t access the tailgate. It may be that once you open the drivers door the tailgate will unlock, haven’t tried that.

Two quick presses of the unlock button on the keyfob should open all doors?

Baker69 wrote:

I picked the wife up tonight in town on the way back home as she had been doing some shopping. She tried opening the rear door to put the shopping in (while I was still in the drivers seat with the engine running), I unlocked the auto door lock on the dashboard but the rear door wouldn’t open, so I pressed the rear door button on the key fob and still no luck? In the end she had to put the shopping on the back seat.

Can anyone please tell me how the rear door can be opened in this situation?

TooBlue wrote:

Two quick presses of the unlock button on the keyfob should open all doors?

I only pressed it the once.

Badger51 wrote:

Baker69 wrote:

I picked the wife up tonight in town on the way back home as she had been doing some shopping. She tried opening the rear door to put the shopping in (while I was still in the drivers seat with the engine running), I unlocked the auto door lock on the dashboard but the rear door wouldn’t open, so I pressed the rear door button on the key fob and still no luck? In the end she had to put the shopping on the back seat.

Can anyone please tell me how the rear door can be opened in this situation?

I’m fairly sure that pressing the unlock button on the dash should unlock all the doors & the tailgate (whatever the vehicle state is), so as previously stated I’d be suspicious of the tailgate lock/actuator.

Pretty certain I have had this with my D4 & that it is a security measure to prevent the tailgate being opened when the car is moving or could move, i.e. you need to stop & turn the engine off before the boot can be opened.

I understood it would lock from a security point, and I think it details this in the Owners Manual, but I thought it would be possible to unlock this by pressing the unlock button or the tailgate release button on the key fob?

I didn’t think that if you need to stop and get something out of the boot you have to turn the engine off first, there must be a way round this?

I think that to open the tailgate from the dashboard you press both the lock and unlock buttons At the same time

From the handbook:

To lock or unlock the vehicle press the respective button on the facia. This will lock, or unlock, all doors and the tailgate.
Note: Pressing and holding both buttons simultaneously for three seconds will release the tailgate.

I did read that somewhere but not in the Owners Manual.

Will give it a try, thanks Andyju.

If you're Freelander is Automatic you must be in park before rear tail gate will open if engine is running.