Earlier I went to close the tailgate but I had my hands full and the electric close assist tried to help close the tailgate but failed. I pushed it closed the remainder of the way manually and hit the lift-gate close button but it beeped at me and wouldn't close. I can close it by hand but it looks like the drivers side isn't as flush to the body as the passenger side when closed, almost like it isn't seated properly or out of alignment. Now the tailgate won't open at all, upon pulling the release lever the electric release opens with a thud but the tailgate catches and only drops an inch at best. The tailgate remains loose but takes full force to push it closed. You can hear the electric assist moving back a few seconds after it releases but it will no longer grab the tailgate to close it. What could be causing this to hang up and how can I fix it? I do have the Trail Tailor tailgate storage lid installed for a few months now, but I didn't see the assist harnesses unplugged or any damaged wires. Any ideas here?
Tailgate won't release/open (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Tex68w
- Start date
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Could it be possible that something is jammed in it?
Yea I ask because occasionally I run a cord through mine to pre cool my fridge. If the cord goes through the tailgate I get the really hard open / close like that
Sounds like maybe something rolled into the crevice at the bottom and got stuck there when it tried to shut. Now it is stuck and jamming it from opening.
There is a manual release behind the tailgate panels that can be accessed by removing the plastic cover. It was added in later 200s after Toyota realized there was no way to reach the mechanism if it had issues and was in the closed position. There are some threads about it on here.
LC 200 2018+ Power Tailgate Assist Repair
I previously experienced an issue with the tailgate locking mechanism which failed to release on one side after installing a Trail Tailor tailgate locking lid. https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/lc-2018-tailgate-lock-assembly-help.1280709/ Fast foward, it happened again. I was all set to head up...
forum.ih8mud.com
- Thread starter
- #11
LC 200 2018+ Power Tailgate Assist Repair
I previously experienced an issue with the tailgate locking mechanism which failed to release on one side after installing a Trail Tailor tailgate locking lid. https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/lc-2018-tailgate-lock-assembly-help.1280709/ Fast foward, it happened again. I was all set to head up...
I almost 100% certain this is what is happening with mine. Thanks a million for locating that thread. Sucks that a two year old vehicle is having this failure and the part isn't cheap either.
- Thread starter
- #12
**Update**
Thanks again to @ltsr for bringing my attention to the thread that @prharper posted on this very issue. I went out to the garage this morning fully expecting to have to disassemble the Trail Tailor lid in order to remove the the faulty latch assembly so that it could be ordered and replaced. Much to my surprise, once I released the latch with the manual lever pull the tailgate freed itself without pulling on the tailgate release lever. I function tested it after as I allowed the electric close assist to grab the tailgate to close at least a dozen times successfully while empty and it worked every single time. The lift-gate closed with the auto push button every single time as well. I proceeded to put all of my gear back in the tailgate being mindful of any small items that might get close to the lever and then function tested it again with the close assist as well as closing it by hand fully another dozen times or more with a 100% success rate. The tailgate and lift-gate are now back to being properly aligned on the exterior as well.
Reflecting back on when this failure happened I think I know what caused it. The tailgate can become quite heavy and cumbersome to close without the added help of the soft-open/close bar spring that must be removed when you install the Trail Tailor tailgate lid. You still retain the electric close assist function that grabs the tailgate to close the last 5% of the way, but you must get the tailgate to that point in order for it to function. I had my hands full of gear upon returning home from a duck hunt and I haphazardly closed the tailgate with my forearm. I got the tailgate up to the close assist position but as it engaged the latch I released the tailgate just a split second too early allowing it to fall backwards just a smidge as the assist was grabbing it, it was at this point that I believe that the latch became engaged fully on the passenger side but only partially on the drivers side. The truck was parked on the driveway which has a 5° grade/slope which further helped the tailgate to fall backwards with my half-assed attempt to close it with my arm.
The striker is a square with a front and rear bar and I think that the drivers side latch become locked in place in the void between the front and rear bars of the striker. This is what caused the misalignment on the drivers side lift-gate and tailgate because it was never fully closed and that's why the auto lift-gate close system wouldn't function either, it thought that the tailgate wasn't closed. Once the manual lever released that side it allowed the electric assist latch to reset itself free of being engaged with the striker and it has functioned properly since. I will have to be cautious of this going forward but for now I think I am in the clear and avoided a complete failure of the latch system.
One of the drawbacks of the Trail Tailor tailgate lid is the loss of the bar spring soft open and close assist, it makes the tailgate heavy and requires more muscle to close than before. If you have a 2018+ with the electric close assist latches then you must be cognizant of the added weight of the tailgate and either close the tailgate fully by hand or assist in holding the tailgate up fully while the electric close assist latches perform their function and close the tailgate completely. While this is a drawback to the TT lid I was simultaneously ecstatic about having it installed when it came to accessing the latch to release it manually because the lever was readily accessible via opening the lid. The fix took all of five seconds to perform, had the factory plastic insert been in place this would have been a much more difficult undertaking.
Thanks again to @ltsr for bringing my attention to the thread that @prharper posted on this very issue. I went out to the garage this morning fully expecting to have to disassemble the Trail Tailor lid in order to remove the the faulty latch assembly so that it could be ordered and replaced. Much to my surprise, once I released the latch with the manual lever pull the tailgate freed itself without pulling on the tailgate release lever. I function tested it after as I allowed the electric close assist to grab the tailgate to close at least a dozen times successfully while empty and it worked every single time. The lift-gate closed with the auto push button every single time as well. I proceeded to put all of my gear back in the tailgate being mindful of any small items that might get close to the lever and then function tested it again with the close assist as well as closing it by hand fully another dozen times or more with a 100% success rate. The tailgate and lift-gate are now back to being properly aligned on the exterior as well.
Reflecting back on when this failure happened I think I know what caused it. The tailgate can become quite heavy and cumbersome to close without the added help of the soft-open/close bar spring that must be removed when you install the Trail Tailor tailgate lid. You still retain the electric close assist function that grabs the tailgate to close the last 5% of the way, but you must get the tailgate to that point in order for it to function. I had my hands full of gear upon returning home from a duck hunt and I haphazardly closed the tailgate with my forearm. I got the tailgate up to the close assist position but as it engaged the latch I released the tailgate just a split second too early allowing it to fall backwards just a smidge as the assist was grabbing it, it was at this point that I believe that the latch became engaged fully on the passenger side but only partially on the drivers side. The truck was parked on the driveway which has a 5° grade/slope which further helped the tailgate to fall backwards with my half-assed attempt to close it with my arm.
The striker is a square with a front and rear bar and I think that the drivers side latch become locked in place in the void between the front and rear bars of the striker. This is what caused the misalignment on the drivers side lift-gate and tailgate because it was never fully closed and that's why the auto lift-gate close system wouldn't function either, it thought that the tailgate wasn't closed. Once the manual lever released that side it allowed the electric assist latch to reset itself free of being engaged with the striker and it has functioned properly since. I will have to be cautious of this going forward but for now I think I am in the clear and avoided a complete failure of the latch system.
One of the drawbacks of the Trail Tailor tailgate lid is the loss of the bar spring soft open and close assist, it makes the tailgate heavy and requires more muscle to close than before. If you have a 2018+ with the electric close assist latches then you must be cognizant of the added weight of the tailgate and either close the tailgate fully by hand or assist in holding the tailgate up fully while the electric close assist latches perform their function and close the tailgate completely. While this is a drawback to the TT lid I was simultaneously ecstatic about having it installed when it came to accessing the latch to release it manually because the lever was readily accessible via opening the lid. The fix took all of five seconds to perform, had the factory plastic insert been in place this would have been a much more difficult undertaking.
Last edited:
prharper
GOLD Star
I concur with your assessment and feedback. The Trail Tailor tailgate lid does add more weight and you need to give it a little assistance when closing. You no longer have the bar spring to help.
If the lock actuator doesn't catch just right, the motor will constantly try to release and latch. In my case that motor started to get hot and I had to pull a fuse to shut it down. Knock on wood, after replacing the driver side motor, I have not had any issues. Having the strings in there now gives me peace of mind in the event it hangs up again.
If the lock actuator doesn't catch just right, the motor will constantly try to release and latch. In my case that motor started to get hot and I had to pull a fuse to shut it down. Knock on wood, after replacing the driver side motor, I have not had any issues. Having the strings in there now gives me peace of mind in the event it hangs up again.
