Tailgate straps not the same length

Trouttrooper · May 6, 2005

GM-Tech

Took my '05 Chevy into the dealership last week because I noticed when the tailgate was down, only one strap was holding it. The other had a lot of play in it, even when I sat on the tailgate. Nothing looked warped or misaligned.

The guy at the service desk told me that since the recall, they were intentionally designed to have one side longer than the other. He coudn't give me a reason why and said he didn't understand either.

I checked my '05 GMC patrol truck and both straps were tight. I checked some of my co-workers trucks (04 and 05) and about half of them had one strap longer than the other.

What gives here? Have you been seeing this at all?

The dealership said there was nothing they could do, but he did give me another set of straps for free for me to try and match a couple for length.

GM-Tech · May 7, 2005

My issue is that with the old cables, there was no slack at all.

Are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure of that? That may be the case, I won't deny that, but in my experience with things like this, people don't really pay much attention to something until you work on that something. Then they're going over it with a magnifying glass to make sure you did it right. Then they notice things they never really paid too much attention to before.

We run into this pretty regularly. We've replaced switches that people SWEAR had a light in it before, but since we changed it, it no longer has a light in it. These are switches that never had a light and I can show them three vehicles just like theirs with no lights in those switches, and they are not convinced. I can even show them the defective switch that came out of their vehicle and they STILL are not convinced!

Had a guy with a Trailblazer complain of the clicking noise when he stepped on the brake while in park. It's the lockout solenoid. They all do it (and only in park) but he swore it wasn't like that before we worked on it. Even after showing him several other Trailblazers making the same click, he was not convinced. I think he's still pissed at us.

"It wasn't like that before" is a favorite catch-phrase of ours in the service department. We hear it almost every day.

jhm · May 6, 2005

GM-Tech

Took my '05 Chevy into the dealership last week because I noticed when the tailgate was down, only one strap was holding it. The other had a lot of play in it, even when I sat on the tailgate. Nothing looked warped or misaligned.

The guy at the service desk told me that since the recall, they were intentionally designed to have one side longer than the other. He coudn't give me a reason why and said he didn't understand either.

I checked my '05 GMC patrol truck and both straps were tight. I checked some of my co-workers trucks (04 and 05) and about half of them had one strap longer than the other.

What gives here? Have you been seeing this at all?

The dealership said there was nothing they could do, but he did give me another set of straps for free for me to try and match a couple for length.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same thing when I got mine. He said they would stretch and be equal after a while Discovered the real reason when I saw the little "MADE IN CHINA" sticker on them. Going back in a couple months to show him they didn't "stretch out equal"

GM-Tech · May 6, 2005

It's not the straps. And no, they won't "stretch" over time to be equal length. First time we had this complaint, we looked at a dozen or so brand new trucks in the lot. Almost every one had some slack in one side or the other. However, just sitting on the tailgate would cause both to be tight.

We tried everything we could on the first one where the guy complained and we were unsuccessful at making them even. I told the guy the next step was the body shop and some cutting and modifying and he decided it wasn't that important.

I've put plenty of the new cables side by side and I have never seen a noticeable difference in length, so it ain't the straps and they are not intentionally designed to be like that!

Here's what GM has to say about it...

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98 - 05 Chevrolet/GMC All Full Size and Mid Size Trucks Tailgate Cable Slack - kw 04007A GMT800 GMT325 GMT355 endgate tailgate liftgate loose back body bow door #PIT3227A - (Nov 19, 2004)

.

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom described in the PI.

Condition/Concern:

Some customers may comment that with the tailgate down, one of the tailgate cables may have slack in it.

Recommendation/Instructions:

No repair attempts should be made as this is normal, due to build variation. In most cases when weight is put on the tailgate, the slack comes out of the cable.

jhm · May 6, 2005

I understand what you say GMTECH. My issue is that with the old cables, there was no slack at all. Now, even when I sit my 210 lbs on the tailgate slack side, the slack does not get taken up. It is like why have 2 cables when 1 of them dosen't support any weight? I know this topic was beat into the ground last Fall, so no sense doing it again, however GM must realize customers do care about fit and finish.

Bullethole · May 6, 2005

I understand what you say GMTECH. My issue is that with the old cables, there was no slack at all. Now, even when I sit my 210 lbs on the tailgate slack side, the slack does not get taken up. It is like why have 2 cables when 1 of them dosen't support any weight? I know this topic was beat into the ground last Fall, so no sense doing it again, however GM must realize customers do care about fit and finish.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, if you cannot cut the cables to the right length. then you have to wonder if the crankshaft is OK.