How to open the rear door (Sounds simple, doesn't it?)

No need to destroy the car, Just climb back there and start taking stuff apart from the inside and you'll get it open without much effort. I'm pretty sure on Gen2 you can jam a big screwdriver into the latch mechanism and force it open. Worst case scenario you use an oscilating tool to cut open the latch mechanism and then grab a used mechanism from the local junk yard for $20. But I bet you it you get it with force on the emergency latch mechanism before you have to do other options.

 

You haven't explained why the emergency release has failed you?

Ok I just looked again... Not sure what you mean by "window channel track" but if you mean the plastic cover/threshold at the bottom of the hatch back that covers the latch and its really truly jammed, just use a cut off tool to cut through that plastic and unbolt the latch mechanism so it goes up with the rear hatch when you lift it up.

 

Oh... I understand... The rear hatch is often called a rear door. Had you said passenger side or driver's side rear door then more people would be able to help.

Anyways, are the metal rods still connected to the the latch? Or are they disconected. You shoul be able to remove the arm wrest to gain access. Worse case scenario you'd make an opening big enough to get your hand inside the door knob to reach the actuator and release it. You migh have to remove the other one on the other side of the car to figure out how your arm and a tool are going to reach it and release it. Or got to a local wrecker that lets you pull parts and you can practice the job there without damaging your car.

 

I've only worked on front driver doors and rear hatch latches on Prius... It's wear all the wear and tear is... Here's the image I found of what you're dealing with online... Why can't you attach a pair of vice grips to the end of one of those cables and apply a huge amount of force to the cable while also forcing the door open?

Basically what I'm saying is its time to start applying so much force you start to break stuff.

If I was still working in a shop with air tools I'd find a way to fit my air-chisel inside that door from the inside of the car and I'd turn that entire latch mechanism into smaller and smaller pieces until the door opens.

Of course if I was still working in a shop I'd be so paranoid about something like this happening that I wouldn't of allowed the door to close and obstructed the latch mechanism in the first place because the level of ridicule my co-workers would put on me for making this a problem would be way worse than the problem.

 

You just wanna open back doors without a handle ? From outside car ? Inside handle works ? And door panels off ?so we looking at clear plastic protecting door innards ?

 

No specific Gen 2 knowledge here, but could it be something 'dumb' like the little switch to prevent the munchkins from opening the door? They used to be mechanical, as I recall, but I'm munchkin-less.

 

Seen cable passed thru old handle location wen handles broke off . Not sure the end game I've got a few doors opened up on a few parts cars rigging to open with Ron handles is reasonably easy

 

Is the OP certain the door is unlocked? On reassembly the electrical cable to the lock actuator may have not been plugged in, or maybe that actuator has failed. If the door is locked neither the inside nor outside handle will open it. If the cables are still in place then it can be unlocked using the little plastic toggle on the inside of the door with red on one face. Then it should open from the outside, even if the child safety switch is in the locked position. If the cables are not in place either reattach them or yank on the one which unlocks. (Not that I know which that would be.)

If all that fails I'm in the "cut apart the lock mechanism from the inside with a multitool" camp. (And thank your lucky stars the inside panel wasn't on when this happened.) The level of destruction needed may be extreme though, so buy a bunch of blades. As a thought experiment, consider what happens if the metal all the way around the lock is cut - the door still won't open because the lock mechanism is still attached to that loop. The actual "grabbing" part of the lock has to come apart. That will be thick hard metal.

It doesn't look like there is any simple way to cut the loop that the latch mechanism hooks onto. The metal of the door blocks access from the outside and the metal of the body blocks it from the inside. As an absolute last resort, carefully cut the metal back on the door until the loop is exposed, and then cut the loop. Then the door will open. The latch and door will be easy to replace after that.

 

I'm hoping you can cut apart the lock without damaging the door. Also, wear some serious eye protection, metal bits might be ejected back in your face after they bounce around inside the door.

We encountered a car recently where it seemed that every painted part on the outside that could be easily replaced had been - each with a different color. Oddly, it was kind of attractive. Easy to find in a parking lot too!