Stuck hatch handle

[aiee]

Thanks for the reply! I wouldn't be surprise if it was lack of care, the car was a piece of trash when I got it 3 years ago, and it's been subjected to weather extremes since (Midwest winters, Southwest summers), and it's just getting worse. I'll look into the linkage.
I had an '07 that was beginning to have the same problem when I had to retire it in 2016, that car was a tank, I wish I still had it.