OPENING AND CLOSING THE TAILGATE
While the tailgate is open, the locking latch is exposed. Do not attempt to manually close the latch, as it may also automatically ‘soft close’ and trap items or body parts.
Make sure there is sufficient space above and at the rear of the vehicle, before operating the tailgate. Insufficient opening space may result in damage to the vehicle.
Do not operate the tailgate if a cycle rack is fitted to the tailgate. Remove any cycles and/or racks before operating the tailgate.
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Tailgate release: Press to release and then lift the tailgate to open.
The tailgate external release operates if all of the doors are unlocked and the gear selector is in the Park (P) position. If the gear selector is in the Neutral (N) position, the external release operates only if all of the doors are unlocked, and the ignition is in Convenience mode or switched off. It does not operate if the gear selector is in any other position.
The tailgate can also be released using the following methods:
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The interior tailgate release switch.
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The Smart key tailgate release button.
The tailgate does not open if the vehicle is traveling at, or above, approximately 3 mph (5 km/h).
Closing the tailgate: As the closing tailgate reaches its lowest position, it automatically 'soft closes’ to the fully closed position. Do not slam the tailgate.
If a valid Smart key cannot be detected within 39 in (1 m) of the rear of the vehicle, an audible warning sounds to indicate a mislock and the tailgate re-opens after approximately 3 seconds.
If the Smart key is inadvertently left inside the luggage compartment and the vehicle is locked and the alarm armed, an audible warning sounds to indicate a mislock and the tailgate re-opens after approximately 3 seconds. The Smart key may not be detected if it is placed within a metal container, or if it is shielded by a device with a back-lit LCD screen, such as a smartphone, laptop (including when inside a laptop bag), games console, etc.
Make sure the tailgate is fully closed before leaving the vehicle unattended. Visible and audible warnings indicate if the vehicle is locked and the alarm armed. If there are no visible or audible warnings upon closing the tailgate, the vehicle may be unprotected.