I don't like the KJ rear hatch.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:24 pm

I hate the rear tailgate setup, I much prefer the hatch of the XJ. The KJ has a window that comes open(like a ZJ or WJ) but then you have the spare tire mounted in the back which makes accessing the cargo area with the glass open difficult. You either lean against the tire and get a nice tire dirt mark on the front of your shirt, or you stand back and are barely able to reach in to put in groceries or get something out.

So since its hard to use the glass only you end up opening the tailgate anyways, which swings to the side. Now that you've got all that open to put in your groceries you decide that you need to put the drink you got while you were in samsclub/costco up in the cupholder first. But you left the kart back a little ways so you could swing the tailgate open so its sticking out into the parking lot a bit, with your kart further out. And there is a honda civic coming down the isle that doesn't look like it has much to loose and might just collide with your kart out of spite, and coming from the opposite direction is a geriatric who can barely see over the steering wheel of their buick/crown vic/Cadillac.

So now you've got your keys in your hand, a soda, and you need to move the kart quickly, what happens next is all a blur but you remember "spill" can be a verb and that "drop" and "your keys" often go together in the same sentence. Then in the process of getting your tire dirt imprinted, soda covered, shirt shook off while picking up your keys from the ground(which are also covered in soda now) you bang your head onto the handle of the shopping kart. Making what would have otherwise been a simple process of putting your soda in the cup holder into an minor nightmare of your weekend shopping trip to costco.

But maybe stuff like that only happens to me.

HoosierJeeper · **Joined:** Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:23 am **Posts:** 1218

I like it. Much better than the one piece tailgate that my Durango had.

sota · **Joined:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:44 pm **Posts:** 379

aim your shopping cart at the geriatric such that she'll swerve into the honda, thereby eliminating 2 problems at once.

liquidxit2 · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 9:26 am

I definitely like my hatch. I wish it opened on the drivers side though. As for the spare on the back is the only way to go imho, anywhere else doesn't make sense to me.

sota · **Joined:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:44 pm **Posts:** 379

liquidxit2 wrote:

I definitely like my hatch. I wish it opened on the drivers side though. As for the spare on the back is the only way to go imho, anywhere else doesn't make sense to me.

agreed, but I understand why it's hinged to open on the passenger side (safety, you're not standing in traffic trying to load stuff while on the curb) but I personally park in the RIGHT of a double garage so having it open passenger side is very much a pain in the booty. when unloading groceries.

maybe at the new house the wife and I will swap garage sides

brettacuff · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 10:54 am

Sir Sam- that's a awful occurance! However, I would blame it mostly on bad luck. :wink:

Personally, I like the way the KJ tailgate is designed.

For some reason whenever I open my back glass...In order to close it I have to press the open button on my key fob before it will close again. Anybody know why? :?:

irollgen4s · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 11:29 am

place cart at rear quarter panel on the passenger side, open gate, put whatever you have in your hand down, and put groceries in close gate, put cart away. I never though it was really that hard... :2cents:

DirtyKK · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 12:21 pm

i wish the KK had the same hatch so my spare would fit since it obviously doesnt underneath anymore.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 2:04 pm

sota wrote:

aim your shopping cart at the geriatric such that she'll swerve into the honda, thereby eliminating 2 problems at once.

Brilliant!

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 7:41 pm

that was a funny story. I LOL'd.

EAGLE01_2002Libby · **Posted:** Sun May 01, 2011 11:57 pm

JJsKJ wrote:

that was a funny story. I LOL'd.

X2

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 12:56 am

EAGLE01_2002Libby wrote:

JJsKJ wrote:

that was a funny story. I LOL'd.

X2

Glad I could get a laugh out of a couple of people.

bugnout · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 11:39 am

I've had days like that :oops:

If you were king for a day and got to design the next generation, how would you design the rear gate?

1. Flip up glass, Hinge from the drivers side - 2002 to 2007
2. Flip up glass, Hinge from the passenger side, a few less steps for the driver.
3. Flip up glass, Fold down like a pickup truck. Then you have something to sit on.
4. Frame around glass. - A full plug door
5. Frame around glass - Split doors swing both left and right
6. Flip up glass, Split doors both left and right
7. one piece Hinge up Hatch - Spare on a swing arm
8. Other?

ZoomZap · **Joined:** Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:23 pm **Posts:** 2

Just got an 05 Renny a few weeks ago. Love it overall and can't wait to mod it

Also new to this forum which I love so far.. (full of awesome info) However I find whenever I drive on a bumpy road that the glass for the rear window/hatch will shake. Causing a rather irritating noise... any ideas on fixing this/has anyone else experienced this?

Pote · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 5:09 pm

ZoomZap wrote:

Just got an 05 Renny a few weeks ago. Love it overall and can't wait to mod it

Also new to this forum which I love so far.. (full of awesome info) However I find whenever I drive on a bumpy road that the glass for the rear window/hatch will shake. Causing a rather irritating noise... any ideas on fixing this/has anyone else experienced this?

I have the same..would like to know as well...I read one post somewhere where they recommend replacing the latch and or latch spring...

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 5:20 pm

bugnout wrote:

I've had days like that :oops:

If you were king for a day and got to design the next generation, how would you design the rear gate?

1. Flip up glass, Hinge from the drivers side - 2002 to 2007
2. Flip up glass, Hinge from the passenger side, a few less steps for the driver.
3. Flip up glass, Fold down like a pickup truck. Then you have something to sit on.
4. Frame around glass. - A full plug door
5. Frame around glass - Split doors swing both left and right
6. Flip up glass, Split doors both left and right
7. one piece Hinge up Hatch - Spare on a swing arm
8. Other?

Option 3
If it were just a fold down tailgate and a swing up glass I would love that combo, my Isuzu rodeo was this way. It had a swing out tire carrier on the back that pissed me off though. I like having the glass to open with no tire in my way, store the tire inside the vehicle or under it or whatever, I just hate having to swing the tire out of the way. Having the tailgate is nice to sit on, or rest something on when hauling a lot. I do a lot of camping out of my Jeeps and I find the swing out style of hatches/tire carriers are very annoying when moving around the vehicle at camp.

Having the tailgate is nice too when your putting on your hiking boots or getting out of muddy gear.

Option 4 would be my second choice, this is the way that ZJs WJs etc are. I find this setup useful its easy to go from side to side when stowing gear or hauling stuff, having the swing out tailgate/tire in the way is very annoying when loading heavy things that require you to go back and forth and side to side quickly or often.

I also like having the full hatch(like a KK, WJ, XJ, WK etc) above you when standing at the year of the vehicle, its nice because when its raining it gives you a place to stand out of the rain to change clothes/gear.

I think that more people are probably of the opinion that I am, otherwise Jeep would not have changed the design of the KK to this setup.

ZoomZap wrote:

any ideas on fixing this/has anyone else experienced this?

Yup all the time. I ignore it.

ZoomZap · **Joined:** Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:23 pm **Posts:** 2

Hmm.. maybe that could.. I was thinking about trying to put more weather stripping around it.. So that it's pushing harder on the glass, thus not allowing it to move back and forth?

MonsieurGlen · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 5:51 pm

Sir Sam, you forgot the last event to happen in this chain:

then hitting corner of your eye on the glass, that doesn't lift high enough, when going back around the gate to close it. :furious:

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 6:09 pm

MonsieurGlen wrote:

Sir Sam, you forgot the last event to happen in this chain:

then hitting corner of your eye on the glass, that doesn't lift high enough, when going back around the gate to close it. :furious:

I hit my head a lot over the past two winters on my XJ hatch, I replaced the lift struts and now I at least don't have that problem.

I haven't hit my head on the KJ glass much, but I have crotch crashed into the rear swing away gate a couple of times. :oops:

bunkermonkeycw · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 7:31 pm

Love my window and door (indifferent on the swing)... tack my antenna down put em down and pop that one up. LOVE the air flow. :JEEPIN:

I don't like the KJ rear hatch.

Who is online