2011 4Runner lift gate button / back door opener switch

 Nothing used was sponsored. Everything we used we purchased.

The rubber bits on my early 5th Gen 4runner just seemed to have slowly one by one dry rot out around the same time of 115,000 miles or so. You got to be careful with your rubbers in the desert. They'll dry rot. One of those rubber bits was the rubber cover for the lift gate / tailgate switch. It started to come apart from the switch housing. I found a new complete authentic Toyota branded lift gate switch on Amazon.com. I paid $35.00. Part number Toyota 84840-35010 Back Door Opener Switch. There are cheaper Non-Toyota parts on Amazon as well. You can also find just the rubber covers on Amazon for around $8 to $10. I opted at that time just to replace the whole switch. I wasn’t sure if any dirt or moisture got into the actual switch.

It’s the only way to open the rear lift gate. This switch was a bit of chore to change lol. You have to remove the inside lift gate panel and the outside lift gate trim. After I pulled the old switch as I was looking it over, I noticed that it had another internal rubber seal over the switch. I believe I could have been just fine replacing the external black rubber cover. Since I had the switch anyways I just installed it into the lift gate.