Did some additional research…. I noticed a powder coming off the Oem hatch wires while cutting/soldering. Originals had lots of very thin copper strands….. it’s a specialized cable design for this application.
the harness wire flexes w each open/close of the hatch. Enough back and forth bending = breakage.
I researched robotic/automation industrial flex cables. Very thin strands are more flexible. I assume the wire insulation is design to handle repetitive flexing. And Honda added talc or something w the copper wires to dielectrically lubricate internally as they flex???
appears the off the shelf wires I used insulation failed first, then shorted against the other wires. Wasn’t room for me to wrap in electrical tape for additional insulation
if I can’t easily acquire robotic wire, then I’ll scavenge Honda oe hatch wire from my used stock and make jumper wires for future repairs
Cars gotten a lot of use past 3 years. Pulling sports equipment out of hatch several times a week really worked the harness a lot. Short term solution is we’re grabbing stuff out from the behind the seats instead
going to have to live w it as it’s in daily service….