2001 volvo v70 rear end troubles

have a non-functioning keyless entry on the hubby’s volvo v70 crossover…it’s about to drive me insane. There doesn’t seem to be any way to open the blasted thing. I have changed all the fuses, have changed the battery in the fob. I have crawled over seats in 95 degree heat to try to locate an interior latch and came up empty! When I click the fob to open there is a “clunk” noise but the trunk remains solidly shut. any ideas? Volvo dealership said it is an expensive fix as they have to “saw off the back door” then replace the lock motor, then replace whatever they just sawed off! Surely there is a simple fix that will let me once again have a reason for keeping a station-wagon wannabe.

Did Volvo forget to add a key latch for the trunk area? I know they deleted the passenger side door key latch years ago.

I’m not familiar with the V70, but in any other car I’ve had trouble getting into the trunk, I can usually get it open if I can access the trunk area through the rear seat. You may need to pull back a trunk liner and manipulate the latch mechanism or unbolt it completely to get it open. Many cars even have an emergency handle in the trunk area with a glow-in-the-dark handle. Check your owner’s manual to see if there are other ways to get it open if the electric popper fails. Going at it with a Sawz-all seems a bit extreme to me, and I’d avoid doing that at all.

ok…update on the rear end problems. I managed to pull off the lovely carpeted back cover and noticed at once a slim piece of metal sticking out of the locking mechanism…it is about 6 inches long, bent on one end and looks like it should be attached to something inside the rear panel…unfortunately there’s nothing in there that seems to be missing a long metal thingy! I can only assume that this is a piece of the mechanical arm that pulls whatever is latched tight in the bowels of the lock to make it let go of the body and allow the trunk door to rise…I tried pushing, pulling and prodding but no manipulation of assorted and sundry parts seem to do anything except allow my arms to become scratched and bloody and my hands to become filthy…any suggestions?

oh.almost forgot to say. Volvo seems to have a disinclination to place any sort of emergency door openers in their cross countries. There is NO interior handle, pulley or push button that allows one to open the trunk when one is trapped inside!

The V70 is a crossover, the new moniker for what we used to call a station wagon, so the “trunk occupant” (in mob terms) actually has free access to the passenger cabin, eliminating the necessity for an emergency release.

Re: the tailgate latch problem, I tried searching for a diagram of the assembly. I found none, but I did find a lot of Volvo forums with references to a tailgate latch problem. You might find your answer on a Volvo forum.

The good news is that the “clunk” is the solenoid activating. That means the repair parts should be reasonably affordable.

oh thank goodness…and thank you for trying to help. The next door neighbor (a mechanic) offered to "shoot it with a 20 ought 6’…