Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sun 12 Apr 2015 18:42
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Tester

Hi all -- first time posting on this site and really hoping someone else has managed to solve this problem!

I've had this car since it was 6 months old and it's actually been amazingly good apart from odd Citroen-style electrical niggles. The current one is driving me mad: it often detects an open tailgate, even when it is definitely shut, and sounds the warning alarm. This can go on pretty much continuously for a long time, leaving me as a dribbling wreck. I understand that there is a microswitch to activate this warning, housed in the tailgate's catch, and have replaced the catch unit. It was OK for quite a while but the problem has come back with a vengeance.

Any suggestions, please, for how I might persuade the beast to pack in its complaints? I love the car apart from this issue!

Many thanks.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 13 Apr 2015 09:05
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - elekie&a/c doctor

Check the wiring where it runs from the body to the tailgate door ,through the rubber flexi-tube.Does this have double open glass/tailgate?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 13 Apr 2015 10:56
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Tester

Thanks, I will try that when I get back to the UK -- currently away for 3 weeks. Yes, it has the double tailgate but the glass bit has not worked for many years. (I never found it much use, to be honest.)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 May 2015 21:32
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Tester

Thanks, I checked wiring as you advised -- no obvious problems with the wires themselves. I was hoping to find a dodgy connector but (as I'm sure you know) it was just wires and more wires. The insulation looked OK to the naked eye.

As a 'shot in the dark' at mad Citroen electricals I disconnected/reconnected the battery and it actually seems to have improved matters for now. There were two or three 'beeps' when I first drove it again (a big improvement on the more-or-less continuous alarm that it had become) and it's actually kept quiet since then. Maybe it's just something to do with the changed weather, though ... will have to see if it continues to behave itself next time we have cold and wet.

Any further suggestions will be gratefully received! I really appreciate this forum -- thank you to all contributors, not just on this thread.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 12 May 2015 10:40
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Peter.N.

Mine does this but wiggling the rear wiper about usually stops it, something isn't quite fitting properly. I have usually forgotten about it by the time I get home so have not done nothing yet.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 12 May 2015 10:57
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - skidpan

We had the same issue with a Nissan Micra about 10 years ago. Turned out to be water in the boot release button just above the number plate. Since your car is 14 years old the sealing could have failed and be letting water into the contacts.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 27 May 2015 10:16
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Tester

Thank you for this suggestion; it's certainly a possibility. I'm away in the Middle East again but will have a careful look at all the seals when I get home in a couple of weeks and report back!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Dec 2015 17:15
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Tester

A belated update in the forum's spirit of sharing experiences ...

Bearing in mind the replies from Skidpan and Peter N, I did check carefully around the rear wiper mounting (which incorporates the defunct switch for opening the rear window). Nothing obvious but I went around it with a fillet of clear bathroom sealant and am happy to report that the problem went away and, six months down the line, has not yet come back! I'm very happy, as the rest of the car is still going beautifully.

Many thanks to everyone who offered guidance. This is a great forum!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 27 May 2015 10:24
Citroen C5 Estate 2.2 HDi (2001) - 'Tailgate open' warning - Tester

I appreciate you taking the time to post, sorry it took me a while to respond. With mine, there's no way I'd have forgotten about it as it is capable of keeping going for a long, long time without drawing breath! (It has been back to its tricks again after some temporary respite following the electrical reset.) But I guess skidpan's suggestion below about seals could also apply to the rear wiper so I will have a close look at all the seals. As skidpan says, it is a right old beastie so who knows? I've kept the rest of it in good nick, though, so am reluctant to give up on it yet.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....