Try using the key to open the lock mechanism while the door is unlocked.
You open the back hatch door and pull the panel away from the latch and push down on the lever to the lock the lock will then pop open and you can shut the hatch
To manually open the rear hatch of a 2002 beetle can be hard depending on weather the hatch is closed or open. If needing to manually open a hatch you will have to take the plastic cover from the inside of the hatch then push the latch open.
I took the bolts off the lock from the inside. Once it was lose I could see the lock well enough to pop it open w/a screwdriver. Once opened I was able to take the panel off and fix the problem.
May be a BCM glitch or the rear trunk latch there is a recall from gm about the rear hatch latch
you have to remove plastic panel on the hatch and either disconnect the electrical wire running to the latch, or move the metel clip that touches the pin to turn the light on and off
glue hatch window latch
Unfortunately I've been having the same issue. If I lock the car, then unlock the car, the hatch won't open. If I drive it once or twice without locking the car again, the hatch is magically unlocked. I wish I knew the logical answer to this problem!
I have the same problem and am just going to try to open up the door
The back hatch will often not open if the internal mechanism or release has become damaged. Replacing the latch is the most effective and reliable fix.
i need to find out if the rear headliner lights stay on when rear hatch is closed,if it stays on you will need to replace the latch,to get to it you will to remove trim that is oevr the tag,and the plastic panel that is on the hatch.
Open the door and look where the latch is there should be a black lever push it down and it should unlock the door.
Our mechanic had to climb through the inside of the car, into the trunk area and open it by removing the hatch cover. That's the only way he could replace the latch.