I don't believe the car will move out of park if the gate is not fully closed. Kia recommends against driving with the hatch open or manually closing it.

 

Firsthand experience here: no, not really. The car will let you drive, but after a short distance it will apply the parking brake.

Really bad design IMO, because it will let you keep driving while the brakes overheat.

You'd need a way to trick the door sensor, I'm not sure where it's located.

 

There was a thread where driving with the liftgate open didn't go too well for someone:

Not going to talk nice about my beloved EV6. This hatch.

Sooooo. I love my car but ya know what…. Our hatch area is structurally downright questionable. I have driven with the hatch open around my airport and that thing is flimsy. I could see it flexing And shaking at the crazy 15mph speed I was going at. I tried to close the hatch manually a...

www.kiaevforums.com

 

Can you call a friend with a truck? Or you can rent one from Home Depot, Menards or u-Haul. Not worth risking damaging the hatch IMO.

 

Don’t have my car yet but can you not just stick a bungee cord through the latch and tighten it down on the hoop where it would normally attach to?

Done this on every car I’ve ever had, with or without a power tailgate and it has always worked a charm.

 

This saved me thank you! I was picking up a load of timber but the car would not move. This tricked the car into thinking the boot (trunk) was closed and I could cruise around town with half a meter of wood sticking out the back of my car. Happy days.

 

Nope. This isn't about physically being able to do it, it's because the car will not let you have any door or the tail gate open and drive. You might get a few feet but the car applies the brakes

 

Yes which is exactly what pushing the bungee cord into this specific place usually enables you to do i.e. by pushing the latch into it’s closed position it thinks it is “closed” and therefore doesn’t flash up any warnings / enable / disable safety features.

Like I’ve said, not tried it on an EV6 but works on my current Audi A5 Sportback with a power tailgate (but I also highly doubt that my Audi would apply the parking brake even if I didn’t do this).

 

pushing the bungee cord into this specific place

Interesting idea! Tried this today, no luck. (btw it wouldn’t close afterwards, needed to use the little emergency escape slot to move the latch back to the open position)

 

trouble with driving with the tailgate/boot open is the fumes get dragged back into the car.... oh, no, hang on, wait... ;-)

 

Here is a question about this issue. When I tow a trailer I like to open the hatch on my current & past vehicles to be able to see better.(boat ramps) Does anyone know if when the EV6 is plugged into a trailer harness does this mentioned problem go away?

 

Anyone?

 

My EV6 is still on order, so sorry if this is pointless. My Audi Q7 has a switch within/adjacent to the latch mechanism receptacle. So not the area circled above, but rather the area where that attaches into the bumper. The switch is next to the latch itself and hidden under some hinged flaps. Q7 owners know about it because it sometimes gets dirty or malfunctions, so the car thinks the trunk is open even when it is not. Perhaps there is a similar switch in the EV6, in which case finding a way to push the switch to make it think it closes might work. If it is not there, there must be a switch/sensor SOMEWHERE in the hatch area to tell it when it is open/closed (unless the hinges themselves are switched which seems more complicated). I would look far and wide around the entire perimeter for such a pressure switch. I assume nobody has electrical schematics for repairs of these cares yet?

 

I had a cardboard box sitting too high one day and the hatch refused to close, there must be some sort of proximity sensor. I could not find it yet. I know the hatch opening can be adjusted, so the hinges could also be aware if the hatch is open and how high.

 

Very frustrating because the new software release engages the emergency brake !!! The beeping was bad enough. BUT THERE IS A SOLUTION. I put a twig in the hatch lock and everything worked fine. When you are done - press the button to unLock the hatch lid and it wIll release the stick and you are all set .

 

I'll just throw this out there: putting a twig in your lock mechanism isn't a great idea. It's an electronically controlled mechanical latch that won't take kindly to splintered wood or bark gumming up the internals.

BUT there is a solution.
I've kept one of these cheap carabiners in my Subaru outback for 5 years for the exact same reason. It very closely matches the diameter of the latch ring that the tailgate latch locks to, and very effectively fools the tailgate into thinking it's closed. It also serves double duty as a tie-down point so the hatch can be held partially closed.

With the tailgate open:
1. Insert narrow end of carabiner into latch from below (same direct the latch ring would enter)
2. Push gently until you feel TWO distinct clicks (there should be no electronic noise) and the carabiner is captured by the latch
3. Pull gently but firmly on the carabiner to confirm it's locked in place
4. Load your cargo. Be sure it's secure and won't slide out the back. If it extends beyond your bumper, it legally needs to have a high-vis flag on the longest protruding point (a red T-shirt tied around the end works in a snap).
5. Manually adjust tailgate height to best suit your needs. You don't want the tailgate moving while driving as it could stress the hinges or the frame of the vehicle. Accelerating and braking can move the hatch up or down if not secured. Remember, the car is designed for the tailgate to be connected in 3 places when in motion. Drive carefully with this in mind!
6. After reaching your destination and unloading, press the electronic hatch release on the tailgate or your fob to release the carabiner. Press again to close the tailgate.

 

The carabiner is a wonderful tip. Many thanks.