A warning?

[wai]

I fitted one of those wide angle lenses that you apply to the inside of the rear window of vans to help with some rearward visibility to my Caddy Maxi Life.

I opened up the back, climbed in and then pulled the tailgate down. I applied the lens but then discovered there was no way to open the tailgate from the inside!

Fortunately I did not have a cargo barrier otherwise I would have been locked in. I had to fold the third row of seats down, climb over it, then fold one half of the second row before opening one of the side doors and getting out.

I have checked things but cannot find any internal lock release mechanism (an oversight).

Anyhow, this is just to alert people to this as if I had a cargo barrier, I would have been in a spot of bother. This is particularly important if there are children who are likely to get in and lock themselves in. I could have triggered the alarm, only no one would have been able to see me inside the back because of the dark tinted windows.

A couple of years ago, some children were killed after climbing into a station wagon with a cargo barrier and locking themselves in.

[Greg Roles]

If you check the sides of the boot/rear you should be able to find the internal release cable, on my Golf it is hidden behind the boot trim, but there is a cut in the carpet so you can access it. It has a big yellow tag. All modern cars are required to have one, it's part of ADR's I believe, be very suprised if your car doesn't have one!

[wai]

Just went out and checked but could not find anything.

Being a Maxi Life, it is fully trimmed out. I checked both storage pockets, and the two covered areas for the jack and emergency pack, but nothing. Checked the carpet but could find nothing that lead to a tag of any sort. As the lock is on the tailgate, I would have expected something there. Every van I have had (and my brothers have had) all had a lock release mechanism on the tailgate or door. The floor lock point is fixed and nothing is released there. There is nothing moveable on it, so the release mechanism would have to be on the tailgate, but there is nothing.

I will have to raise this with VW.

Thanks.