2019 RAM 1500 tailgate not latching properly

[Floresdjr]

Problem: The tailgate as mounted is not straight to the bed of the truck. This causes two problems. My dealer says this is the same on other trucks and claims it is working "as designed" Has anyone else seen this problem, and is there a fix?

• The left side suspension cable is very loose, not bearing any load. The right side cable is taut and is the only load bearing cable. This means that the weight capacity of the tailgate is half of what it should be and it is possible for the right cable to break under normal loads, since the left is not supporting the tailgate at all.
• When you close the tailgate, most times, only the left side fully latches, and the right side does not properly latch. When driving, the right side latch opens up and the “tailgate open” warning light shows up in the center display. Slamming the gate closed very hard gets both latches to latch.

The problem appears to be due to the location of the hinges on the truck bed that the tailgate attaches to. The left mount is 5/8’s of an inch from the bed, and the right mount is 3/4 “ from the bed.

• Left support cable – showing how it is very loose. View attachment 18818

Right side - cable taut - left side in background loose
View attachment 18819

right side mount - 3/4 inch
View attachment 18820

left side mount - 5/8 inch
View attachment 18821

left side closed
View attachment 18822

right side closed - not fully latching
View attachment 18823

I'm having the exact same problem with a 2020 RAM 1500 Limited. Those pics look just like mine. What is the fix?

 

[silver64]

If you have one of those ratcheted cargo bars that is mounted too far back in the bed towards the tailgate, it will misalign the bed and the gate wont close properly.

 

[Floresdjr]

If you have one of those ratcheted cargo bars that is mounted too far back in the bed towards the tailgate, it will misalign the bed and the gate wont close properly.
View attachment 74876

I don't have one of those. What I did notice is when I manually align the tailgate it will close no issues. But will eventually move back over to passenger side then not close right.

 

[1ramrunner]

Maybe I can help, maybe not. I have an '09 Ram 1500 and had a similar problem, my gate would either not shut or open when I was driving. If I pushed really hard, it worked for a while. The solution I found was to spray WD-40 Dry Lube into the sides of the tailgate latches. I shut it, opened it a few times and sprayed some more. This has eliminated the problem and it's been a few years now. It might not help everyone, but hopefully it can help out some of you.
Jim

 

[Cbacres]

Hi, my 2020 1500 has

I'm having the exact same problem with a 2020 RAM 1500 Limited. Those pics look just like mine. What is the fix?

I’m also having the exact same issue on my 2020 1500. Took to a dealer, they had to order hinges, saying they were sprung, it help the latching on the right side, but did nothing on the slack cable of the left.

Just had it in for service , replace leaking valve cover gasket and to see about cable. First they said there was a TSB, then not, tech said you can buy a diffrent cable. Great, but they meant I could buy cable. It’s out of factory warranty, but there first attempt was while still under warrant, so I guess Ram is basically telling me to fly a kite.

Have any of you solved the cable issue?

Thanks

 

[sandrinm68]

I’ve posted about this quite a few times. Get a T45 torx bit and a ratchet, loosen (not remove) the passenger side striker bolt (where the TG latches) and move it rearwards about 1/16 to 1/8 inch and tighten back down. Mine did this when I purchased a year ago, spent 30 seconds doing the procedure above, and have not had another problem in over a year.

+1 on this.

In my case, the drivers side needed adjusting. When lightly closing (not slamming) the TG, I could tell the drivers side was the tighter of the two-it latched first.

I made marks to mark the original position and loosened it to move it in the direction of the arrow a very small amount-about the thickness of my mark, and retightened. Literally 30 seconds to fix. If you don’t have enough travel on one side, I think you could adjust the other side in the opposite direction as well, so that they close evenly.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BackCountryinNJ]

Well, apparently the 2022's still have tailgate issues. I've had my truck for a little over two weeks now. After about a week, I noticed the tailgate wasn't fully closed on the passenger side. I opened and closed it a couple times and the only way to get it to close right was to slam it shut. Then, I noticed the gap between the tailgate and the body that you see from behind the truck ....is way bigger on the drivers side than it is on the passenger side. If it moves any closer to the passenger side, it's going to damage the paint on both the tailgate and the truck bed. I'm going to look at it closer when I get home today to see if the rubber stops were maybe installed incorrectly after the factory spray in bed liner was done. I made an appointment with the dealer for them to look at it tomorrow. Hoping I can figure it out tonight and cancel that....really hate the thoughts of them hacking things up. Anyone else have this problem and know if anything else I should do to fix it?

 

[FLiPMaRC]

Recall ... Stellantis Media - Statement: Latching Mechanism

 

[KnuckleBuster]

Problem: The tailgate as mounted is not straight to the bed of the truck. This causes two problems. My dealer says this is the same on other trucks and claims it is working "as designed" Has anyone else seen this problem, and is there a fix?

• The left side suspension cable is very loose, not bearing any load. The right side cable is taut and is the only load bearing cable. This means that the weight capacity of the tailgate is half of what it should be and it is possible for the right cable to break under normal loads, since the left is not supporting the tailgate at all.
• When you close the tailgate, most times, only the left side fully latches, and the right side does not properly latch. When driving, the right side latch opens up and the “tailgate open” warning light shows up in the center display. Slamming the gate closed very hard gets both latches to latch.

The problem appears to be due to the location of the hinges on the truck bed that the tailgate attaches to. The left mount is 5/8’s of an inch from the bed, and the right mount is 3/4 “ from the bed.

• Left support cable – showing how it is very loose. View attachment 18818

Right side - cable taut - left side in background loose
View attachment 18819

right side mount - 3/4 inch
View attachment 18820

left side mount - 5/8 inch
View attachment 18821

left side closed
View attachment 18822

right side closed - not fully latching
View attachment 18823

UPDATE: I just read there is a recall going to be announced mid-January for all the issues people mentioned. Things falling out, not latching, cables etc.

I'm having the same issue and just ordered new cables because I mangled the clips trying to get them off. That aside, it sounds like I'll still have the same issue. My tailgate used to lay flat inline with the bed but after removing it once and reinstalling, it now angles upwards. It's like the cables got smaller when I removed it. Even if I put my weight on it it won't lay flat. It's so bizarre and super hard loading things now. I'll see if the new cables help at all. I'm going out there now and will post some pics.

 

[RamCares]

UPDATE: I just read there is a recall going to be announced mid-January for all the issues people mentioned. Things falling out, not latching, cables etc.

I'm having the same issue and just ordered new cables because I mangled the clips trying to get them off. That aside, it sounds like I'll still have the same issue. My tailgate used to lay flat inline with the bed but after removing it once and reinstalling, it now angles upwards. It's like the cables got smaller when I removed it. Even if I put my weight on it it won't lay flat. It's so bizarre and super hard loading things now. I'll see if the new cables help at all. I'm going out there now and will post some pics.

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us regarding your tailgate concern. Should you need any further assistance or wish to discuss this further with our team, please send us a PM.

William
Ram Cares

 

[Splakebot]

While I have not had the loose cable issue I have had the tailgate not latching issue. Took it to the dealer and they adjusted the striker per the recall. It fixed nothing. So I investigated myself and it turns out inside the tailgate there is manual releases on each latch. They just have a simple turn system. Turns out they are attached to the releases with tiny plastic clips that are often loose. And rattle down to a half release state. I took a couple small zip ties and tied the manual releases up so they don't fall down and make the tailgaye latch unreliably. If you ever needed to use these releases it would be easy to cut the ties and use the release. My tailgate has been perfect ever since. And also since it's latching reliably now it has also sucked the gate tight and flush. Hope it helps anyone. Dealer was useless, so is the recall. The recall should be on these cheap plastic releases.

 

[FBPete]

While I have not had the loose cable issue I have had the tailgate not latching issue. Took it to the dealer and they adjusted the striker per the recall. It fixed nothing. So I investigated myself and it turns out inside the tailgate there is manual releases on each latch. They just have a simple turn system. Turns out they are attached to the releases with tiny plastic clips that are often loose. And rattle down to a half release state. I took a couple small zip ties and tied the manual releases up so they don't fall down and make the tailgate latch unreliably. If you ever needed to use these releases it would be easy to cut the ties and use the release. My tailgate has been perfect ever since. And also since it's latching reliably now it has also sucked the gate tight and flush. Hope it helps anyone. Dealer was useless, so is the recall. The recall should be on these cheap plastic releases.

I'm having the same issue - dealer adjusted it, still have the same issue - passenger side not latching all the way - protrudes a tiny bit. Tailgate ajar warning on dash with park assist warnings, etc.

@Splakebot, where are these little clips? Did you take any pictures by any chance? Did you need to take apart the tailgate to get to them or just the latch assemblies on the sides? Thank you!