My 1999 Outback had a sticky latch on the hatch that has bothered me for years. Fairly frequenty I could not open the hatch normally without ripping out the upholstery and spraying WD40 blindly onto the latch mechanism.
Finally even that didn't work. Peering down through narrow access holes I could see that a spring-loaded sliding part was not sliding far enough back (against the spring) to unlock the latch.
Figuring that something hidden was broken or worn out, I plunked down $202 for a new "hatch latch assembly. I was told that the charge for installation was another few hundred . But I balked at that.
Turns out that the replacement of that assembly was only an hour's job
-- for the first experience. If I had to do it again, I could do it in ten minutes.
It is a trick to detach the two long actuator rods, one from the outside handle and another from the lock mechanism. The first was a surprise; write me if you need to know how. If you buy the replacement part, you can see easily how to do it.
You have to detach two connectors; both come out straight along their long axes, but has a locking mechanism you need to squeeze.
For the rest, it is three bolts out and you can wriggle the old one out and put the new one in.
But perhaps a new part is not necessary, and knowing what I know now, I might have saved the $202. The sticking part may need only some lubrication. You can't get at it without removing the part and looking at its bottomt, but when you do, you can see how to lubricate it. Once you know how to pull or replace the part, it is easy.
I paid so you may not have to!
Uncle Ben