So just now I was outside to get a mattress off the truck. Well when I went to shut the tailgate, it wouldn't close. It was out of alignment or something. Turns out, the little plastic (or rubber, whatever) piece that goes around the hinge is BROKEN. I eventually got it lined back up and the tailgate shut, but come on, this is a little ridiculous. This is a truck that was worth $35k new, and Ford couldn't spend a little effort making the tailgate pivot a little more durable? If I wasn't paying attention, I'm sure that the paint would have gotten scratched. I barely use the bed...I carry a mountain bike in the back every day, and sometimes I help my buddies move in/out of apartments, but that's it. No heavy duty stuff at all.

So my questions are, will Ford fix this and how do I prevent this from happening again? How did this even happen in the first place?

 

should be under warranty.... take it to them

 

kind of a simple little thing... no point in ragging on Ford for something like that. definately get it fixed under warranty, but its no excuse to think the truck is a POS.

 

joekiser, you have to remember, as complex as these trucks are...things do go wrong with them! It certainly is under warranty, and they should be able to fix it without any problems...

FWIW...I've NEVER heard of this kind of a problem before...and I use my bed alot!

 

Well I went outside this morning in daylight and had another look, and yes, the paint was chipped on the bottom down to bare metal. So the damage is worse than I thought. I talked to the dealership, they will have to assess the damage to see if they will fix it under warranty. I found similar threads of people having the same problem, even the recommendation to get a "Gate Keeper" from the people who make the JimmiJammer which seems like a worthwhile investment, but not before the tailgate gets fixed. By the way, the tailgate falling off the truck and getting damaged is more than a "simple little thing."

 

not an accusation, but do you drive with the tailgate down a lot??