Replaced liftgate actuator
My ‘21 MME liftgate stopped working reliably, to the point where I had no idea if I’d be able to open the trunk when needed. The key fob, app, touch screen, kick sensor and liftgate button would not work to open the trunk, though closing it was fine. It would attempt to open, fail and play a chime, then re-latch, or just not respond entirely. It was a guessing game of how to get the trunk to open, as sometimes manual mode might work, or turning the car off with the driver door open might work, among other random tricks
Turned out to be the liftgate actuator which was a 20min replacement and just requires a T40 torx bit for 3 bolts. You’ll either want a drill with adjustable torque, or a ratchet for leverage. These 3 bolts are on pretty tight!
A genuine OEM part is about $200-300. I opted to give the $40 part from Amazon a shot and it works great. We’ll see how it performs over time.
This is the tutorial I followed. You don’t need to open the handle with the flathead screwdriver, nor remove the 7mm
bolts in the handle; the Mach E liftgate paneling is slightly different from the car in the video, making the repair easier for us. Everything else is the same as the video.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8eztIgm7TG8
Part number FA1Z-7443150-B