Broken tailgate hinge

Hey guys, had the same part break on my 2020 on the left side, and I believe my dampening arm is going too because the Tailgate lowers a lot quicker than it should. I'd assume it should be covered on the bumper cause I'm only at 32k. Wondering if it's easier to just buy a $40 part and put it on or worth going to the dealership....

 

What is that thing made of?

 

That broken piece is plastic around the metal on the inside which you can see thru the crack.

 

The hardest part is getting the screws out of the old one. Lots of heat and PB blaster. I just took the dampening rod out, the part that holds it at the top snapped off on mine so there was no way to easily replace it. Plus its the dampening rod that actually causes the plastic bushing to break.

 

That seems kind of hokey, you think that would be metal with a delrin bushing or something along those lines. Surprising more don’t fail with guys loading dirt bikes, ATV’s etc. Maybe it’s the shock from the tailgate coming down hard?

 

I'm sure with the dampening rod out and tail light out you can head the screws from the back with a little heat.

 

Its plastic because if not if the tailgate itself would get damaged. What they should have done is made the plastic bushing replaceable, would be a cheap and easy fix. Its not the weight on the tailgate that causes it to break, when the tailgate is down the weight is supported by the metal cables attached to the body. You're correct that its caused by the tailgate coming down too fast, if you force the tailgate down faster than the dampening strut can move then the plastic bushing breaks. Mine failed most likely because my dogs constantly would push the tailgate down when I would let them out.

 

The problem for is is I'm using the truck too much as a truck and I can't tell you how many times I open and close the tailgate LOL. Wondering if I outa just stop by the dealership sometime and have them look at it and it should be covered under the bumper to bumper and have them fix it and not even mess with it. Kind of ridiculous but this is probably going to keep happening over time even after it gets fixed.....

 

Yeah trust me, I used the torch on both sides of it. Its not the bolt that will break, its that the torx head of the bolt will easily round off if you just go and try to take it off. That was my experience at least. Had to be very careful and really heat it up and soak it with PB blaster in order to not strip it.

 

If you leave the dampening rod disconnected it wont happen again.

 

But I like the dampening tailgate.....So used to not have to put a hand on it to let it down....

 

Well if you hand that much trouble getting the factory one out I may have the dealership replace it then the next time I'll be able to get it out and swap it once its out of warranty..... At least that's what I'm thinking.....

 

Lol i hear you, I just got used to letting it down but in the end you could just let it fly down, nothing will happen, the cables will catch it.

 

Worth a shot. I called the dealer when mine broke and first they told me it wasnt covered under warranty. Then told me I could come in and they could take a look. I just despise wasting time at the dealer so I just did it myself.

 

That's bs because it should be under the 3 year 36k bumper to bumper!!!

 

I know but that makes me cringe.....

 

Let us know what the dealer says when you take it in. You may not want to wait until your warranty is almost up though.

 

When I get some time here one of these next upcoming days I'm going to see! I got 4k more until I hit 36k lol.

 

So had the truck out the dealership this morning for them to look at the Tailgate hinge and was there about an hour and they said they are ordering a new hinge and dampening Rod all replaced under warranty!

 

Awesome, glad to hear

 

Was wondering why the damper doesn't seem to work very well ?!!!

 

If its cracked like that, the damper might very well be broken off of the ball mount like mine was. You can take the taillight off and check.

 

I found this video very helpful ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUp4ahmor6Q


Already ordered a tailgate hinge from Sparks Toyota. Also going to do this mod on the other side, since will have tailgate off anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2u52CiMxQw

 

fast version ...lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki-_sA5cN1I

 

I replaced my hinge as well, be prepared with a torch and some PB blaster for the torx bolts holding it on. They were very difficult to get out simply because if you wrench on them to hard you will quick round off the hole. I almost rounded off one before I realized I needed some heat and penetrant. My actual strut for the assist was fine but the ball it mounts to was broken off and there's no easy way to put one back on since it is riveted on. Not having the assist connected means the hinge won't break again as well since it's the strut that ends up causing that plastic bushing to break.

Obviously not as cost effective but the OEM remote lock kit for the tailgate makes it much harder to steal as well as convenient, I have cap on my truck and also have the topper wired so everything locks with the remote.

 

Not broken hinge but broken top ball mount... my fault.

Ordered new 8mm ball M8x1.25 studs. Nuts and washers from tractor supply. Had to bend the bracket and grind the nut down a bit. Wedged it behind the bracket and that held it in place while I tightened the stud from the front. Loctite prob could not hurt.

https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/q...-25-thread-automotive-marine-industrial-uses/







I have a few spares if anyone needs one. Will just throw in envelope with stamp.

Prob need to order a new gas strut just in case it was damaged when it was used to rip the OEM ball mount out...

Will give this one a try. Stabilus 4B256726

https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/stabilus-4b-256726-lift-support-4b-256726-w/

Credit goes to SuperWhite16 on TOS.

 

Wow good work, I couldn't figure out how I could replace the ball so I've just left the strut off. What do you want for one of the extra studs?

 

PM me a mailing address and I will mail them for free. Ball mount 2 washers and nut.

 

You guys need to use an impact driver. Like the kind where you hit it with a hammer and it turns. I did that and had zero issues with anything.

 

There's nothing like having a vehicle that has a great online community. Thanks to @Justin Case I now have a working tailgate assist again. I ground down the nut a bit and also used a screwdriver to bend out the piece of metal where the stud goes. Got the nut behind, used one washer and screwed the stud (that's what she said) in.