Can not open trunk on 87 passat - 1996 Volkswagen Passat

Question edited for clarity.
Question moved to model category.

All in the link plus videos

https://www.google.com/search?q=2008+Volkswagen+Passat.+How+to+open+the+boot

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Access the trunk from inside the car by putting the back seat down if it goes down or remove it. There's a emergency release inside the trunk

You can always open the trunk and have someone small enough crawl through the trunk... as long as they are old enough to know how to unlock the door once inside (just pull on the door handle).

The key should work in the driver's door though... not sure why it won't.

its a old car 15 years things wear out.that is what happenning,this is why folks get newer cars to drive ,a car starts milking your wallet at 5 years old and at 10 or more its a money hog.

this always happens to my 06 passat when its really cold, im talking 0 or lower. i try not to open the trunk in the winter if i can help it. Its annoying but in the summer i have no problems. I have herd of alot of other people having this problem, VW knows about it and dosnt think its a recall item for somereason, look for your fancy gas door to not open next, i know of 3 people that started having trunk problems and then the fuel door stopped working, not sure if it has anything to do with it or not. but It happend to me and now i have the auto fuel door disconnected from the inside of the trunk.
The trunk issue isnt anything big to worry about it seems intermittent. I found latches and there a little pricey thats why i just deal with it.

possibly the lock is faulty.open the trunk and manually close the lock and see if it holds,if not replace the trunk lock

Remove the passenger side inside wheel well cover and see if the solenoid is sticking.

passats are notourious for ground problems , check as many as you can find for loose , or coroded

Yes, I'm sure the owner's manual shows how to do this. Usually one of the panels in the trunk. Take them off to check, but I would consult the manual first.

I have an ugly feeling that the adustment for the latch mechanism slipped so that the stationary part is now moving with the mobile part.
I would almost bet that you can lift the trunk lid a little.

Is there no access whatsoever through the floor of the trunk?
On most vehicles there are holes under the mat that allow access to places not accessible from outside.
If your spare is in a horizontal well, then it really isn't likely that you could reach the latch assembly even if you have plugged holes.
You might check your owner's manual to see if your car is equipped with an emergency release for children trapped in the trunk by accident.
If there is, you may be able to reach it by drilling a smaller hole behind the lower seat cushion which should be removable even if the upper one is not.

I confess to being very curious about the potential cure for this problem.
If you solve it, you might post it back for the benefit of others.