Multipro Tailgate Won’t Shut Flush

[Klein_Attitude]

Hey folks, 

 

Just purchased a 24 1500 AT4 and I love it, with the exception of the rear tailgate that will not shut flush. I had it at the dealer for two hours yesterday and they maxed out the adjustments, but the tailgate on one side sticks out a little more than 1/4” on the side. The tech thinks the tailgate is warped so they are sending me to the body shop next week to determine if I need a new tailgate. 
 

Has anyone had their tailgate replaced? I’m a little nervous that a) the color isn’t going to perfectly match and b) the install won’t go well with all of the wiring. If I bought this used I think I could live with it, but not for $74k.  Dealer has been great to work with but they’ve never seen it.  Any ideas what the cause is? What would you do? 
 

Thanks! 

[TrailBossMike]

Hopefully it's just the tailgate and not a problem with the box

[Klein_Attitude]

If it’s the box I’ll try and lemon law that business. What a mess though…dealer is an hour away and these trips are time consuming. Getting some type of loaner while at the body shop though. Fingers crossed. 

[Another JR]

It’s pretty easy to check if the tailgate’s twisted. Open it and look carefully at the surface from the side maybe six feet away.  If it’s twisted 1/4 inch it will be obvious. 

[GETGONE]

The replacement is super easy. It has a wiring disconnect beneath the back of the box. Unplug and pull through the bottom tail panel of the bed. The tailgate removes the same as any other tailgate. I partially removed mine to install a tailgate bed light and needed room to install it as it wouldn't fit in with the tailgate fully in place.

 

As for what is wrong, what do the hinges look like for the inner part? I don't know if there's a torsion bar for the inner gate as there is for the entire tailgate. What color is the truck? White or pearl white?

[Klein_Attitude]

22 minutes ago, GETGONE said:

The replacement is super easy. It has a wiring disconnect beneath the back of the box. Unplug and pull through the bottom tail panel of the bed. The tailgate removes the same as any other tailgate. I partially removed mine to install a tailgate bed light and needed room to install it as it wouldn't fit in with the tailgate fully in place.

 

As for what is wrong, what do the hinges look like for the inner part? I don't know if there's a torsion bar for the inner gate as there is for the entire tailgate. What color is the truck? White or pearl white?

Thanks for the reply, that makes me feel better. I’ll get some pictures of the hinges tomorrow.  I will say one other thing I’ve noticed is that the tailgate cable is taut on the right side (the side that isn’t flush) while the cable on the left side is loose—or rather has a good bit of play in it.  Stated a better way, when the tailgate is down it seems the right side cable is the one supporting it (it’s tight) and the one on the left has a lot of play in it. Not sure how this factors into the problem, but I suspect it does. 
 

As far as the color goes, it’s just a 2024 in Summit White…which is the stock color.  

[Klein_Attitude]

Video of the tailgate cables..

[GETGONE]

Summit White should be an easy match. Pearl white is a pain because it's a tri coat paint and it's hard to lay it down the same as the factory.

[Klein_Attitude]

Photos of the cables. 
 

 

[Klein_Attitude]

Right side (side that doesn’t sit flush)

[GETGONE]

Check the hinge and bushing on the right side. You can see the slot. There is a corresponding flat spot on the tailgate side hinge when it's about 50 degrees or so. Pull it out of the hinge and check for damage to the hinge on the truck and tailgate side, then put it back in place. Mine didn't want to come out of the left side when I installed the tailgate light bar and I just needed room to stick it in place so I didn't mess with pulling it off. I had a saw horse that I put a towel over and with the right side hinge disconnected, I pulled it back some and set the tailgate on the saw horse while still being in the hinge on the left side.

The video didn't load for me.

[Klein_Attitude]

Thanks, I’ll do this in the morning.  So in theory, if the hinge is bad that would be an easy fix just by getting a new hinge, correct…or is it affixed to the bed/body? That would also require to dealership to readjust the gate latch bc they moved that as much as they could trying to figure it out (originally the right side wouldn’t even catch on the bar to close).  
 

The video isn’t a supported media type unfortunately. 
 

 

[GETGONE]

Downloaded the video and was able to play it locally. Had to add an addon to Firefox to get it to open in VLC.

 

The hinge I think is bolted on the bed and tailgate both with counter sunk torx bolts. There really isn't any adjustment there, but if the hinges are bent, then they won't allow the top to latch.

[Klein_Attitude]

2 minutes ago, GETGONE said:

Downloaded the video and was able to play it locally. Had to add an addon to Firefox to get it to open in VLC.

 

The hinge I think is bolted on the bed and tailgate both with counter sunk torx bolts. There really isn't any adjustment there, but if the hinges are bent, then they won't allow the top to latch.

Thanks a lot for all of your help.  Let’s hope it’s a hinge that can be replaced and that’s all it takes.  We’ll see what the body shop says on Tuesday.  Should have done a thorough walk around when I scooped it up but not sure I would have noticed.  The guys at the dealership who installed the tonneau cover certainly should have though.  

[Sqrls]

You hinge is bent. Someone probably backed into something with tailgate down. Probably thought it barely touched and didn’t tell anyone. That’s exactly how mine looked on my last truck when someone hit that side of my tailgate while it was down. It’s not just the hinge on the outside, there’s a PITA to get to spring on the inside of that fender as well. If it’s not 100% perfect, you will wear out the slow close bushing super quick over and over. Probably also need a new tailgate. 
I was never able to get it perfect on my previous truck.