EZ Down (do not order it!)

I ordered the new EZ down tailgate damper for Tacomas and got it yesterday. It cost $69.99 plus shipping. I was going to review it and ask for a group buy, I have been in touch with EZ down and Denise from there for a month or so. They just debut the new EZ down for the 05+ Tacoma (2 weeks ago) and I was going to be the gineau pig. I was excited to get this as I really wanted that feature. I am dissapointed to say the least.


1) The tailgate cable gets too crowded with the EZdown piston and tail screw so it binds and makes no room to shut the tail. I could NOT shut my tailgate with the EZ down on the truck more than 85% of the way...useless.

2) I was major dissapointed in the damping effect. In their video it shows the Fords tailgate lowering at a nice pace. not too slow and not too fast. This one comes down really quick, far too quick...it needs more damping. I was thinking how I may have returned it just for that if problem #1 didn't exist.

3) Install was okay but not nearly as easy as on the American trucks. The stupid bracked they make you use and remove the far tailgate bolt is strange. The tail bolt uses a star pattern and I hate those. They strip like mad. On the US trucks there was no need for this bracket.

The engineers really dropped the ball on this one. I assured I installed correctly (the directions are not that hard) a few times over. My wife and i were left thnking "what the hell were they thinking? Are they serious?" I am going to speak with them today to find out what's up and give them some feedback I am sure they didn't want.

Not worth $70...nor $10. Yet. I will let you know how it goes if interested.

Keith

 

I am sorry that stunk so badly.

Thanks for letting us know about it. I am interested to see if their customer service is better than their engineering...

 

give em hell viper!

 

I spoke with Cindy at EZ down a little while ago. She heads up the development department & sales for EZ down and Stabilus.

We went over some of the problems and she asked if I could do a writeup and take some pictures of the problems. I balked at first (after all I'm not their engineer) but she offered to let me just keep it and she will give me a full credit right there if i would help out.

I said cool. Fact is, she said it's a new product and it seems to be a cable binding problem. She said the damper problem would get better after about 15 to 20 revolutions of up/down on the tailgate so I tried that and it still is too soft.

She also said they (sales team) were going to Las Vegas this weekend and this product was to debut there! I laughed and said: Man, you better not have anyone try it on the spot or they'll be hell to pay. She said she was going to call them right away to have the Tacoma set stopped.

Now I wondered: I don't know how this works but shouldn't they have tried it on all the Tacoma types first? I mean, assuming it is a trim line thing? I doubt it is: after all I never heard of the tailgate being different on any model Tacoma...at least the PreRunners after 05.

I took pictures and informed them of the problem. I told her if we could get this problem fixed we could sell a lot via a group buy. She said she would love to work with me on that when we clear this issue up.

I'll let you know what happens...

 

Viper - - I must have missed some part of the story - - Didn't they try it out on a Tacoma when they designed it?? That is really a problem with a lot of things - whoever designs and sells an item should be made to use it themselves for a year before selling it to the public! ! ! Good luck with your development of their product! !!

Don G

 

Yeah you would think so huh. I am going to talk to her at length on Monday and ask her that very question.

 

Was your tailgate stock or did you have any extra weight to it ala gatorsaver? Almost ordered one but thought I would wait for a review first.
Thanks for that and please keep us informed if they fix it.

 

It's definitely a cable problem. There is no room for the stock cable to fit so it either pops out or jams up and the gate can't close.

It's an obvious flaw. I'll certainly keep you updated though.

 

I had the same problem!!!!!

Anyone know who else makes something like this THAT WORKS??

 

cool, yeah I would be interested in this after the bugs are fixed, do they also offer hood dampers?

 

I have it, love it, it works great.

Marc M

 

when i spoke with Cindy she told me what to so about the cable.
while holding the tailgate slightly open, pull the cable out towards the side of the truck. Do this a couple times and shut the tailgate. this worked for me. She also told me about the struts they used are the only size they could fit in there. So the rate of dampening is different than the videos. Cindy was real helpful, but basically said thats our product.

 

I just received my kit today, and got damn was I surprised what a piece of **** it is. The same problem everyone is talking about it true. The tailgate can't close properly. I finally got it to shut and when I opened it, from the pressure it popped out from the bottom part that holds the tailgate in. Ok, they made this terrible product , but why is it still in the market up for sale? I just emailed them today about it. Hopefully they refund me my money.

 

Well there goes my question, on to the next one

 

Maybe I’m spartan and old Skool as they come but I just let my tailgate drop. I don’t need some fancy pants shock system to lower my tailgate slowly.

 

Way to much junk being made these days,old school is always going to be better.Let the tailgate down by hand,like people have been doing for a hundred years now.

 

Subbed for the outcome, I too bought this piece of junk and wondered how they tested this and thought it was a good idea.

Closing the tailgate with it installed is like trying to stuff 10lbs of crap into a 5lb bag! And when you do get it closed it jams your tailgate to the passenger side and risks rubbing the paint together.

I hate it, but since I only paid $20 shipped for it, I chalked it up as a small loss. I put it back in the package and hung it on the garage wall.

I’m glad the OP is at least letting them know how poor of a product it is. I was mostly getting it so my young boy wouldn’t smack himself in the head with the tailgate when opening it, otherwise I’m fine with lowering it by hand.

 

Hmm... That's too bad this item does not work. My tailgate with a steel re-enforcement plate is heavy. Interestingly, I was looking at a 2016 GMC Canyon Tuesday night just to see what it was like. It had a damped tailgate (all steel) that came down nice and slow. It looked like it had some kind of torsion spring device at the hinges perhaps. I didn't see any gas struts on it. Maybe that is a better way?