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The hatch problems may very well be due to wear on the latch itself. There's a hoop on the hatch door. Look for a notch or worn area. You may be able to find a better one in a junkyard, possibly.
If you pull off the rear plastic, you can find the latch that the hoop goes into. It should be possible for you to loosen the mounting bolts and push the latch around somewhat.
The rattles could be the hatch not closing all the way, or they could be from the car flexing. The hatch in my old 'Rex used to creak when I turned onto angled driveways. You might be able to unscrew the rubber bumpers at the corners so they push a little harder on the hatch frame. Of course, that may make it harder to close the hatch. Perhaps screwing them in first might be worth a try?
The crunching could also have something to do with the rear sway bar, if one has been installed. I don't think it would be stock on an HF, but it is a reasonably popular addition.
-soD
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