Patent ID: 7232161

Claim:
A latch device for a vehicle tailgate, comprising: a latch/ratchet mechanism arranged to keep a tailgate in a closed state in cooperation with a striker fixed to a vehicle body; an open mechanism for connection to an open handle of the tail gate; a lock mechanism provided between the open mechanism and the latch/ratchet mechanism, said lock mechanism being switched to an unlocked state where the open mechanism is connected to the latch/ratchet mechanism and a locked state where the open mechanism is separated from the latch/ratchet mechanism; an actuator for switching the lock mechanism to the unlocked state and the locked state; said lock mechanism including a lock lever which turns about a lock shaft between the unlocked state and the locked state; said actuator including an output shaft which turns the lock lever through the lock shaft; wherein said output shaft is structured so that manual operational access thereto is possible from inside the vehicle through a service hole in the tailgate for turning the lock lever between the unlocked state and the locked state when the tailgate is closed; and wherein one end of the output shaft penetrates a housing of the actuator to be connected to the lock shaft, and the other end of the output shaft is exposed to the outside through a shaft hole of the housing, and said manual access is applied to the other end of the output shaft.