2005-2015 Tacoma Tailgate Lock

This is the best pic I could get, but it does show the weld. I can't tell the size difference from the photos though. Without seeing the difference in person, it is too hard to compare.

 

Here is the weld on mine, that prevented the device to move fully left:



You can see that the device not being fully left, blocks inserting the tailgate:



The only solution I could come up with, was to take off the hinge on the tailgate:



Installed the device on the cup:



Placed the device and the cup on the post:



Reinstalled the hinge on the tailgate. That one bolt is a bear to get back on:



Knowing this, the following posts uses a piece of pipe to do the same thing at less cost:

 

Mine arrived today safe and sound!

 

That is one way. I will give this an A for creativity. We do have a mod for the weld. It will get rolled into the product in a week during our next run. If you are having major issues, let us know and we are here for support.

Thanks again.

 

If you do install this way make sure the screw is forward to not hit the bed when you close it

 

@scleaf The more I thought about the location of the 'weld bulge' and the steps required to install the lock, the more curious I got. It seemed to me that the installation process would have you angling the lock away from the weld at the top of the hinge cup when putting the tailgate back on the hinge post. So there would/should be a gap between the lock rings and the hinge cup flange at the top of the cup. What I was seeing was that the lock rings at the bottom of the cup would not clear the post --even though they appeared to be tight against the flange (as viewed from above). So I renewed my attempts in the light of a new day to get more info.
Here's what I found: There appears to be a ribbon of weld material across the bottom of the tailgate that secures the external skin fold-over. On my truck, right beneath the hinge cup, is a mound of that material. That mound appears to be restricting the angling of the lock rings to the left at the bottom of the hinge cup. I took a picture (what a PITA to get) to give you an idea of what I saw.
Hope this is useful. Really like the lock.

 

Mine is arriving Thursday

 

The material you are showing in the picture is not actually metal, it is the shall I say caulking they use on the truck, similar to the stuff on the undercoat to seal up the cabin. I noticed on the 2016 Toyota did this fold over to get a good corner which reduces the area where this locking device can fit into. Though this locking device does not fit the 2016 it looks like they did the same fold over on your 2015.



In this case there is a fold over in the corner that reduces the area. Not sure if this is the case for all 2015's

 

Thanks for the info. I shaved off some of the material and tried again. Though I can now get the lock tight to the flange at the bottom, still can't angle it enough to clear the post.

 

Successfully installed mine, today, using the 'tomwil alternate method' (see post above). Took @40 minutes. Need a Torx T-40 socket and a 12mm wrench or socket. You can remove all three bolts using the T-40. You can use the T-40 to put the two side bolts back on. The bottom bolt is a bit trickier because of the narrow access. Fortunately, I have a 1/4" drive ratchet and was therefore able to close the tailgate (after re-inserting the side bolts) and screw in the bottom bolt using a 12mm socket.

This is a pretty nifty product.

 

I installed mine today in about 7-10 minutes. I can't get the tailgate off now. Great product.

 

So this device fits 1st gen Tacomas also?

 

Shoot, I guess I need to return mine lol

 

Thanks again everyone for the interest in our product.

All except three have been shipped or delivered.

We want to improve our products and processes so please provide us your feedback on the product Web site.

https://sabellco.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=33&product_id=51

 

haven't put mine on yet.. looks like theres a lot of mixed reviews on how easy it is to install. lol.. just by looking at it, I am not sure how im supposed to get it on, haha

 

Can't wait to get mine #superwhite #1percent

 

I'm not sure you'd want some comments made public on your website.

Perhaps PM (or posts here) would be better until all the installation bugs are worked out.

Oh .... the promised video might really help out.

 

Sounds fair and would appreciate any comments. PM you comments if you like.

 

Here's one new review: