rear door will unlock but not go up by itself

I have a similar problem but the door will not open at all even when I use the handle. It won't move an inch. Any insight as to what the issue is

Dealer wanted to replace the latch assembly, a $400 part, but I know that is not the problem. The door does not open far enough by itself to clear the latch mechanism unless I open and close it manually several times. Then releasing it with the key it will spring open a couple of inches. Then it will work properly under power for the day. It appears there is nothing to start the door opening other than the struts. Replacing the struts seems to fix the problem for several months, to a year. Then the problem comes back. So the aftermarket struts do not seem to have the same fully closed force as the originals.