I have a 2004 Chevy Tracker 4x4 and the rear hatch or gate won't open...the handle moves but nothing happens. I think the rod came off but I am unsure as to the best way to get the rear inside door panel off to fix it.

 

I am surprised no one has answered, but perhaps it is because this is a common issue with this vehicle. I bought a 2002 and it was locked up as well.
You have to remove the inside door panel cover by prying it off. It is held on by a series of plastic retainers. Pretty easy except the part of climbing back there to do it. After that you will have to figure out how to release the door. It can be done via the mechanism/latch access opening in the door itself. There could be 2 issues. 1) If the electric door lock mechanism will not release, you will have to remove the electric lock solenoid. 2) The latch mechanism is probably frozen from corrosion and the exterior handle probably rusted up. The 2 screws holding it in place will be obvious. GoodLuck. I fixed mine and it had both issues. I simply did not replace the electric lock--it costs too much to replace. It would lock but the solenoid was too weak to perform unlock. The solenoid is the black hand size object in the pics. The release for the door is in that area.

JR

 

Thanks for the reply.
Since the clips are plastic, I better put it in a heated garage because I think they would likely break in this cold weather we have now. :/

 

Agreed. Not easy to work in the cold either. I was trying to recall the means of releasing the door, but it is something you have to experiment with. I do believe you have to remove the electric lock solenoid to do it because the release mechanism is in that area. If you leave the solenoid off, you will eliminate one hassle. The door can still be manually locked/unlocked with a key. Be gentle and you will not break anything. A new exterior handle can be found on Ebay or I believe ROCK AUTO.

 

I just bought an 04 Tracker and am having the same trouble. Once you lock the car, the rear hatch will no longer open after unlocking. Seems like a very common problem. I'll be working on it this weekend.