2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Tailgate Fell Off!!!!!!!

[Tbunn09]

Hey guys. I have a serious problem. My Tailgate fell off my pickup March 8, two months ago now. I have been denied a warranty claim as Ram says that it is not a failure of Manufacturing or Worksmanship. Not sure how that works but here is what happened. I closed my tailgate with a ladder sitting up on top of the tailgate. I left my house, went down the alley and in turning out of my alley there was a fairly large lump of ice and snow that has to be driven over. In doing this my tailgate falls all the way to the ground. Both cables snapped in a really weird spot. On the tailgate side. Looks like pot metal to me. So I went to the dealership and was sent out the door after they took a couple pictures of what damage I had seen right away. Which was just the cables snapped and the driver side pivot bushing half gone. After about a month of fighting with Ram and my insurance I had a buddy come over who has been in the auto body business for about 10 years and we tried to determine how this all happened. In doing this we found that the passenger side pivot bushing is also half gone and a small plastic piece had fallen out of the driver side latch. Even after this new evidence they are still refusing to help me out so I'm on here now to maybe get some input in what I should do. Here are some pictures of the things that are broken and not a "Failure of Manufacturing or Worksmanship" as the "Area Service Manager" stated as his only response to any question I gave him about how this happens.

Attachments

• 
  IMG_0418.jpg
  254.5 KBViews: 0
• 
  IMG_0419.jpg
  228.7 KBViews: 0
• 
  IMG_0422.jpg
  105.4 KBViews: 0
• 
  IMG_0423.jpg
  114.9 KBViews: 0

 

[19Jake]

Tailgate fell off & I've been denied a warranty claim.

 

[troutspinner]

What was the response from your insurance company? Will they cover it? You admit that there are a couple of factors as to why this happened. Load on top of the tailgate and a mound of ice where the truck could have seen flex, allowing the tailgate to unlatch. Throw in the possibility the tailgate was not fully closed (reaching here but it's a possibility) and then it opens, with a load on it, in cold weather and slams down, breaking parts that hold the tailgate in place. Without the ladder on it, would it have broken? Who knows but to me it just sounds like a mishap where insurance should cover you, not a manufacturer issue.

 

[Zeronet]

Make a claim with your insurance company and tell them what you have explained here. Let them fight it out with FCA if they think they have a valid claim.

 

[Tbunn09]

What was the response from your insurance company? Will they cover it? You admit that there are a couple of factors as to why this happened. Load on top of the tailgate and a mound of ice where the truck could have seen flex, allowing the tailgate to unlatch. Throw in the possibility the tailgate was not fully closed (reaching here but it's a possibility) and then it opens, with a load on it, in cold weather and slams down, breaking parts that hold the tailgate in place. Without the ladder on it, would it have broken? Who knows but to me it just sounds like a mishap where insurance should cover you, not a manufacturer issue.

Well considering this is a maybe 10# ladder there is no reason for the cables to snap like they did. They are rated for over 800# each at a safe working load with a max around 3000 or something crazy. I have progressive and their response was it is a failure of parts and they wont cover it. Ram thinks I did something to cause this to happen. Neither one wants to take it.

 

[troutspinner]

Well considering this is a maybe 10# ladder there is no reason for the cables to snap like they did. They are rated for over 800# each at a safe working load with a max around 3000 or something crazy. I have progressive and their response was it is a failure of parts and they wont cover it. Ram thinks I did something to cause this to happen. Neither one wants to take it.

Now that sucks. Have they sent an adjuster to look at it?

 

[SilverSurfer15]

@RamCares

How is this not covered?