Sierra 1500 (2019) tailgate - can it be opened manually?

SierraSam · June 26, 2021

I removed a small camper from the back, and while mounting the tailgate (onto the truck) it clicked shut with the electrical cord hanging out the back (it can't be plugged in as it is). The conundrum: to plug the cord in, the tailgate must be open, and to open the tailgate, the cord must be plugged in. Does anyone know how to manually open the tailgate? Thanks...

2016 Sierra Owner · June 27, 2021

Maybe take off the plastic panel of the tailgate and get access the unlock mechanism that way?

Vigilante375 · June 28, 2021

I've always wondered why there isn't a handle like all other trucks have.

But sadly, no. There isn't a easy manual release without putting the tailgate down and pulling off the back off the tailgate to get to the inner workings to manually release it.

RWTJR · July 4, 2021

On 6/26/2021 at 7:28 PM, SierraSam said:

I removed a small camper from the back, and while mounting the tailgate (onto the truck) it clicked shut with the electrical cord hanging out the back (it can't be plugged in as it is). The conundrum: to plug the cord in, the tailgate must be open, and to open the tailgate, the cord must be plugged in. Does anyone know how to manually open the tailgate? Thanks...

Let me see if I am understanding this correctly. Your tailgate is closed and the cord and plug from the tailgate are hanging down and accessible. Is that correct? If you can access the plug from the tailgate side you may be able to access the the male or female connectors inside the plug and apply some voltage using an outside source, i.e., a 12 volt battery, charger, etc., to activate the locking mechanism. I Installed an aftermarket version on a previous truck (Colorado) and was actually able to activate the locking mechanism using a 9 volt battery. I did so to test it's function before closing up the access panel.

JMHO

No expertise implied or expressed