Pop N Lock Tail Gate Lock breaking

Hi all,

When I bought my 2014 Taco the dealership farmed out installing a "Pop N Lock" tail gate lock to a detail shop. The 1st lock was manual with a self keying lock, which wound up breaking due to metal bits getting stuck in the tumbler. The 2nd was an electric lock which broke due to the plastic head being snapped from the metal actuator. 3rd was the same lock because they thought it was just a defect. Turns out, common sense was proven in that metal vs plastic doesn't work too well as it broke again. So I called "Pop n Lock" directly and they sent me a more heavy duty lock (#4). Turns out "heavy duty" means a thicker piece of plastic. 6 months later, lock #4 is broken.

To summarize....I've gone through 4 locks from Pop N Lock.

Does anyone have a recommendation on other locks to use? Or have a way they've modified a Pop N Lock to make it more durable?

Thanks.

 

I so badly want a locking tailgate, but this BS with Pop and Lock just pisses me off. Some other co. needs to step up and give us another option.

 

Welcome to TW, @maverick07!

I guess I've been lucky. I never had any problems with the PL8510 on my 1st Gen, which now serves my son on his, or the PL8521 I run on my 2nd Gen.
(Not sure what else might be available.)

 

Thanks for the welcome Norton! The

$107 PL8521 Pop & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tacoma, Fits Models 2005 to 2015 (PL8521)

PL8521 has a black body casing if I remember right...I started off with that then when it broke Pop N Lock sent me the heavier duty version of it. I can't remember the product number but it had a red body casing and thicker plastic.

So far my research has come up nil. I'll get Pop N Lock to send me another one. Even though I've had bad luck with their product, their customer service has been pretty good.

There's got to be a way to pad the plastic head to buffer the violence of the actuator pulling on it and snapping the plastic. If I am successful I'll post what I did on here for others to follow if they want.

 

Did you wire it to the passenger door lock to reduce the amount of cycles on it?

Mine is going on 2 years now, knock on wood. But I know that flimsy plastic feel you're referring to.

 

Ive had a

$107 pl8521 pop & lock – power tailgate lock for toyota tacoma, fits models 2005 to 2015 (PL8521)

pl8521 since 2013 with no issues. Mine is tied into the driver side lock so it activates every time and I've had not a single problem.

 

Had two break within 2 years, so I put the stock handle back on.

 

$107 PL8521 Pop & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tacoma, Fits Models 2005 to 2015 (PL8521)

PL8521 isn't a handle, it's just an electric lock actuator.

 

Dynolock makes a power lock also
http://usatruck.net/dynolock-tailgate-lock.html

I have no experience but there are a few posts on tw from users that used dynolock

 

I had a dyno lock on a previous truck. Its pretty much the same.

 

Sorry, I read it wrong. Too Bad Toyota doesn't make an electric tailgate lock for 2nd generation Tacoma.

 

$107 PL8521 Pop & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tacoma, Fits Models 2005 to 2015 (PL8521)

PL8521 on my truck for a little over a year now no issues. The key lock version is a waste of time and money. It broke on me within 2 months.

 

I've had the same electric pop n lock on my tailgate and canopy for 4 years now with no issues. It stopped locking one time, so I opened up my tailgate and added some fresh grease, all good again.

I don't understand how yours keeps breaking? is somebody yanking on the handle while it's locked or something?

 

I know their products break after a few yrs but to extend its life a little, make sure no added pressure act on the latches when closed. In my case, the bed cover rails pushed back too much, putting pressure on the latches. Or nothing got caught between the gate and the bed (blanket etc...). I adjusted rails forward, and also adjust the catches (for the, latches)backward so that when pulling on the handle to open should take less effort. For the manual ones, you can give the gate a little push forward before pulling handle to make it easier in the parts.

 

I have haf the dynolock power tailgate lock for 5 years and just recently haf to replace it. The acutuator finally wore out....luckly they have a 5 year warranty.

 

Sorry for being absent for so long, life got in the way of things. Thank you for all the feedback, especially with wiring it to the passenger locks to reduce the amount of cycles. Here's an update:

Its a good thing I wasn't able to fix this right away as I noticed there didn't seem to be any power going to the lock anymore. Regardless of it not locking the tailgate....it still should be making noise when it cycles. So, I took it back to the original installer again who warrantied it. The problem with the lock was the plastic head on the actuator snapped again AND the connector for the wiring harness was corroded. The connector for the harness sits under the truckbed near the spare tire and is open to the elements apparently. A new harness, a bunch of die electric grease, new lock, wired to the passenger side and I'm back in working order.

According to the manager, he has had lots of issues with Pop and Lock products, including in his own Tundra. Apparently Pop and Lock had a bad batch of plastic during the manufacturing process and they are still circulating in Canada. I take that with a grain of salt as there should be some sort of recall to your product if there's a known defect right? Anyway, all is fixed for now.

For those of you that have the electric locks consider checking the wiring connector near your spare tire and throw some extra die electric grease in there to ward off corrosion.