Chrysler Repair: 09 t & c van back hatch wont latch

Question
QUESTION: Hi my 2009 t & c touring van has a problem with staying latched we have broken the back gate window in the past. It sounds like the motor wants to shut but may be glass or something stuck so it can't any suggestions? Thank you

ANSWER: Hi Catherine,
Is the problem mainly that the hatch will go down but not far enough so that the latch closes, or is there a problem with its motion anywhere else in the range from full open to full closed?
Can you get the latch to close by using your hand, or is it resisting you in doing that? Did the problem exist right after the glass broke, or did it start to occur sometime later? When the glass broke was there a significant impact on the frame of the hatch also so that might be bent? I am trying to better understand what might be the problem?
Thanks,
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The hatch goes all the way down w button and key you Vann also hear the motor like it's trying to close. No the window broke back in July but we have had glass coming out of the door ever so ce then. Within last couple wks we could get door to latch close manually. But now not at all.

Answer
Hi Catherine,
The '09 manual I have on a CD is very detailed and involves a lot of details but with one problem being it doesn't have page numbers or a detailed index.
From what I can see about the latch it appears to be electrically powered to open and close it so there could be a problem with the electrical wiring, but absent any known damage to that I would give that a low priority. It also has sensors regarding the exact position of the hatch which might have gotten out of adjustment in the glass-break incident, but again that would have a low priority.
It could be that there is debris in the area of the latching mechanism which is preventing its movement, and that is the most likely possibility. So I would look carefully at the latching mechanism (located on the lower edge of the hatch) and the corresponding body parts related to the lower opening of the hatch frame to see whether you can find broken glass debris that may be interfering with the hatch closing fully or with the mechanical functioning of the power latch.
The last possibility is to have a dealer inspect the hatch and then to use an electronic diagnostic tool to see if the self-diagnostic capability of the hatch system has identified a specific problem (as identified by a 4-digit fault code number) which would direct them to exactly the cause of this problem.
Let me know if you find something that requires replacement as the manual does give instructions for that sort of repair. But first you have to figure out what is wrong.
Please read the PS (below) and respond to it.
Thanks for doing that,
Roland