Thanks , you save me 4 hrs of getting fustrated and scratch up... I tried to pry it open from the outside before seeing this video . So I now have body work to do on the outside....Old van .. Old man driving it.... But no new car payments .....Thank You So Much !

Thanx a lot for your video on how to fix the Astro van hatch doors. I hadn't opened my doors in over 2 yrs but becuz of your video, I was able to fix it this morning!

I am a single old lady and my hatch has not opened for about a month now. I am going to try this tomorrow and if I can fix it, you will have been a god sent to this old lady. I am excited to try this. Thank you

Thank you for your instructions!! We took the van to a auto shop that told us that we needed a new left side latch because it was worn out. He told us that the part was discontinued so he would look for a used one. I went on- line and found your post. We followed your instructions and WE FIXED IT!!!

9 years later, this video comes to the rescue! Thank you sir.

Posted my problem and there you were. Thanks for posting the video. Five and a half minutes of your time has helped so many of us. Thanks.

Dude. Thank you. Fixed our hatch after it being broken for months.

Thanks! Exactly what was wrong with my Astro. After months of trying to figure it out I found your video. Thanks again.

Thank you sooooo much! This worked for my 1994 Astro. My hubby was trying to use a screwdriver and ruining my paint! I finally got him to watch and he had it open in 10 minutes!

Hi, I followed your video all of it and fixed my hatch that wouldn't open. I'm a women and I did it. Thank you so much for doing that video.

Thanks for the video- I have a 95 chevy astro and the hydraulic supports stopped working, so the hatch has been slamming shut for the past month and your video helped us fix it. THANKS!

I just got my Astro and this exact problem happened when my dad slammed the back hatch shut. Thanks for the info, I'm moving soon so it's pretty handy to have a door that opens. :D

Thank you very much Slimchiplee, Took me longer than most of these guys but I'm an old man and don't get around like I once did. Your video made it easy.

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I can now get to my spare and make it to work today.

SO glad u posted this. My 97 safari had the same deal. Thanks

I just came across this problem tonight. Thanks for making this video, now I can fix it in the morning!!!

THANKS FOR POSTING. . . My door would not open today. . . so now, I know what to do. . . going out to try this right now. This is the same side latch that won't open on my 1998 Astro Van. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had the same problem on my 2001 Astro. I was able to get it fixed in 10 or 15 minutes. Thanks for the great tips!

Thank you! I had no idea what to do. You really helped me, I am in the process of moving and this van is useless unless I can get into the back! Thanks!

A picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. I found I could see what was wrong and fix it by just removing the handle in the center. I plan to sneak a tie strap around it to keep it from coming out again

Thanks for posting. Helped me solve the same problem. I'm amazed always that 99% of the time if I don't know "how", just look it up on KZfaq.

You saved my pockets with this video brotha. Thanks a million.

Thank you 😊 you answered my question! Don't call yourself dumb. You figured it out!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! The rear hatch on our 2001 Safari stopped working and we had no idea how to fix it. I did a Google search, found your video, and the rest, as they say, is history! We fixed the hatch in about ten minutes and it now works wonderfully! Thank you for making and posting this video! As Dale posted about two weeks ago, "Dude, you rock!" Thank you!

Dude, I thought the fact that my door was stuck half way from being on an angle when I tried to open it was creating more of a problem, but I think that fact is what caused the rod to pop out of the hole in the first place. This worked in a jif. THANKS!

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. My job turned out to be a little more involved, but you shaved off quite a bit of my repair time by showing me how to get started. Thanks again. I liked the random dog shot, too.

Hey! Just wanted to say thanks a lot. This happened to me tonight and I easily fixed it thanks to your video.

Nice vid Dude. Can't believe I let such an easy fix go for so long! Thanks for the post.

Thank you so much for posting this. I have a blue Astro Van with a rear hatch that also would not unlatch on the driver's side. I don't have much mechanical knowledge, but thanks to your video I was able to fix it in about 10 minutes and it didn't cost me a dime.

Thanks for making the video. I was able to fix the door without having to take it to a mechanic. Not bad for a girl.

My 2000 astro had a little bit different trim and I had a screw I couldn't see holding down the trim, but I couldn't have gotten to it even if I had known it was there. I fixed the car in 45 minutes (most of that was getting off the trim!). Thanks for sharing the video...you saved me a lot of money and stress! If I can do it anyone can!

I was thrilled to see your video pop up from my google search. I can't live without a functioning Astro ('02 like yours), as I use it for my dog business everyday. Fixed it in no time, thanks to you! Life saver!!

i appreciate the rear hatch,mine wouldnt work and i couldnt figure out how to get to the actuater but you video really helped me out ..thank you

Thanks for this video! It was great help! Dealer was asking $200.00 just to ope this! Thanks very much!

Great Video!! My neighbor was having trouble with back door and we fix it in 10 min. Thank so much for posting.

Great video! All the instructions I had seen read were hard to understand. This cleared it up! Thanks!

Thank you so much for this video...I've let this problem go for way too long. I'm going to try this fix when I get home tonight...VERY helpful!

Thank you! Worked for my ‘97 Astro. Didn’t even need to remove the plastic casing-just bent it out if place long enough to reach the fallen rod.

Slimchiplee, Thanks so much for producing this video. You saved me around $200. a quick fix in only about 10 min.

I must around with my 99 for 2 days then I watched your video and Botta boom Botta Bing works great now! Thanks so much. October 2022.

Had the same problem with my 2001 Astro was able to put the rod back without taking the plastic cover off. There was a enough room by taking off the handle. Thank for a great video.

WOW. Thank you soooooo much for this video. I'm female and pretty mechanically inclined (grew up with a father who's a mechanic) but I couldn't figure it out. Its been stuck shut for 4 years now. Fixed it in 15 minutes lol THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! :-)

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been a problem for YEARS! My husband and I watched some other video's and got our spark plugs and wires done and I saw your video while searching for help on the spark plugs and wires. After that hours long job done and I felt we could do ANYTHING! I then watched your video, not only was your van the same color and have the same sports wheels as my 1999 but I could tell it was the exact problem. We got the tools you said we needed ready and I went in. We did get his long needle nose pliers to pull the rod so that we could open the window. I didn't take out that one piece you said to remove, I just went to my craft desk and picked up my curved needle nose pliers and used that to pull the rod over so I could slip it in place. Yes, my PINK pliers saved us a step! :) I hit it as hard as I could with the screwdriver to push it in. I'm hoping that after we replace the rear window shocks that the door won't be slamming so hard as to make it come loose again. If it does, I can take it apart again even faster and some tips below will make it stay in better. It had been so long since we could open it that the bottom doors took a big to get open but working great now. Thanks!

Thanks for the help. I had the same problem and could not figure it out. Your instructions worked beautifully and now the rear hatch is working like normal.

This worked with my 1997 GMC Safari. Just push up the small rear hatch handle cover and hold there while taking a small flat head screwdriver wedged behind the top of the cover, twist the screwdriver to pop the top tab of the cover out of the top slot. Now the cover will come off. After unscrewing the handle bolts and the two Phillips-head screws (left and right bottom corners), you can pull lose the bottom edge of the door cover. Then remove the bar that the handle was screwed into. Now you can see and grab the rod that has fallen out of the unlock mechanism and reinsert into the hole below where the rod from the other side is inserted. I should have taken pictures. It's all in the details! Thanks for the video!

Watched this video a while ago just out of boredom and now my Astro is having this problem so I’m glad I knew where to look!

Wow thanks. my dad's van messed up appreciate this video took longer to drive over to fix it than it did to fix it God bless and stay safe

Tyvm you saved me much time I was going to just tear into it.Thanks to you I knew what I was doing .Their good vehicles or at least mine has been besides the rear hatch. I also learned that closing the hatch gently will prevent it from happening again.

Thank you for your very informative video! I was having the same issue with my 2002 GMC Safari (which is the same as your Chevy Astro van). The cigarette lighter socket in the front and rear wasn't working so I checked the fuse box and replaced the blown fuse. That fixed the problem. Thank you again!

Thank you for making this video. I was able to fix my van while I'm on the DL. Made me look good with my wife.

Outstanding young man! I had the exact problem on my 03. Watched your video and fixed it right away. Thanks!

Thank you very much for posting this video, I have a 2000 Chevy astro van and this video gave me the information needed to fix this exact problem. Thanks!

Saved me time. Got er done in 10 min. Thank you so much for posting!

thank you slimchiplee , I had the same problem with my astro van , after watching your video , I went to fix it , it was really easy , before I didn't have a clue about it

Thank you! I watched this video and did it in less than 5 minutes.

I had the exact same problem on my van and the whole time I was thinking I would have to replace the solenoid or something else. Thanks for posting the video, it helped a ton!

Thank you so much for making this video! It took me longer to find the ratchet than it did to actually fix the problem...you rock!

I just fixed my Astro, thanks you rule!

Really, really helpful! Had the same problem and figured it was the latch mechanism and it was. Thanks for walking me through it!

Oustanding!!!! I cannot thank you enough! Had no idea what was wrong or how to fix it. As always, car dealer wanted major bucks. Lock smith also wanted major bucks! Now because of you and your video, I fixed if for free myself!! I have 2004 GMC Safari. (enjoyed the dog comment and pic)

Thanks for the help! This saved my husband a considerable amount of time!

same exact issue I have but I've got a 2001, I'm sure it's the same. I'm going to try this first thing in the morning. appreciate you taking the time to make and upload this. thank you!

Hey that was awesome....Just went out and fixed my hatch door in like 10 min thanks to your video....thanks a million

You are a life saver, thank you for sharing your skills an experience. I was also searching for information and your video was the only thing out there. Thanks again!

Thank you for a great video - we will now fix the hatch. Thanks again

Awesome, dooood! Thank you so much for posting this video. My wife and I fixed it in 10 minutes after watching your video.

Thank you!! I was able to fix it in 20 minutes! Hope that dog isn't coming around anymore.

I also had the same problem thanks for taking it apart,so I understand how it works.

Thank you, man. Five minute job and it solved my problem. You're awesome.

Thank you!!! Just used this video to fix my van!

Thank you so much! I fixed my work van in twenty minutes.

Great job explaining. I been wondering how ti get the damn things open.

Thanks Dude! You saved me hours of trail & error.

You're awesome for putting this on here. Just what I needed.

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Way helpful!

Huge thank you to you! I just inherited my father’s ‘96 Astro and I had exactly this problem. Your video made it a quick fix. Thank you!

This was exactly the video we needed to see! Thank you for posting this super helpful vid!

Thanks man, I had the same problem and thanks to you, now I don't.

Saved me a lot of trouble great video!!!

Thanks a lot dude, this video was really helpful and saved me some ca$h now that I don't have to keep going back to my mechanic when that rod pops out. Good on you hope you all the best!!

Thanks so much! I was having the exact same problem with my 2002 Astro van. You saved my day 👌

New sub. Your channel will be my go to for all things Astro.!

Thank you for taking the time to make this helpful video

Thanks a million!! Awesome video. Most helpful.....liked the dog humour as well

Thank you! This was exactly my problem. This video is awesome - you are a hero!

Thanks for putting it up was very helpful

Great help. This is what I needed. I thought I'd never get my hatch open again. Wish I'd checked You Tube 1st. PY

Perfect fix at just the right time. Thanks.

Thanks dude my door got stuck last night and i needed a quick tip.

I have a 2001 astro. One slight difference. The plastic piece covers the whole back window. I couldn't get it off, but I got it up enough that I could slip my fingers in, find the little metal piece and slip it on. My passenger side was stuck also, so it might be a little easier for me if it was the driver's side. Oh well. Got it done in about 20 minutes. Thank you. (Especially for the really good title that came up as my first hit when I googled the problem.)

Thank you very much for post this video I have a 2000 chevy astro with the same problem the only diferent is the trim but I'll give it a try once again thanks

This was exactly what I needed! Thanks!

Thanks..... my 2000 Astro. Just pulled the handle part off to get to the rod that had popped out. Didn't have to pull the trim piece off.

Very good instructions, I have the same problem with my van also and it is the side you had problems with.

Amazing, same thing happened to my 2003. Thanks for this!!!

THANK YOU! Dont know if i can fix it yet, but this is awesome info! :)

Much appreciated. Fixed my problem 🤙 thank you for making this video

omg you are awesome. I tried this and I actually fixed it myself. Thank you...Thank you...

Outstanding! Worked perfectly. You da man!

Just bought a 2001 Astro with this problem. Looks like an easy fix.