Anything is possible, but using a little common sense will prevent damage from happening. Having said that, it is not as easy a mistake to happen as one would think. The inner smaller tailgate can not be opened at the exact time as the larger one as this is a built in safety feature. The buttons are not super sensitive so it's not like you can really accidentally hit the other button for the smaller one after opening the full tailgate, but if you do, they open pretty slow. Even with the entire tailgate open and you still manage to somehow press the button for the inner tailgate, as I said they do open pretty slowly and one should be able to catch it before it hits the hitch. These tailgates are nothing like the older ones where once you open them they will slam down in the fully opened position if they slip, these new ones lower slowly I am guessing by using an internal torsion spring. Basically it acts like there is a lift gate assist cylinder on it. Hope this explanation helps.