My 2020 Tacoma tailgate lock isn't always working now with the Key Fob

Mine does this on occasion. Nothing aftermarket either. I have to use the manual key to get the lock to pop. It's so intermittent that I always forget to tell Toyota to fix it.

 

You’re absolutely right. I was told that already and I guess I’m just venting. Overall I love the truck. It’ll be interesting to see if what he does fixes it and if it does not I hope the dealership doesn’t start playing the blame game. Like I stated earlier in this thread, I’ve been in this industry for decades, and I know how they hate to work for free i.e. warranty work.

 

Interesting. Well, I hope I can get mine fixed because now I have to check and make sure that the tailgate is locked every time I walk away from the truck in the evening or in the parking lot. As opposed to knowing that it’s locked like my truck is. Something simple that shouldn’t be too much to ask but hey, it is what it is.

 

I installed my lock myself using the "oem" version. After about 6 months it gave me the issue you're describing. I opened it up myself in 2 minutes and realized the actuator itself had fallen out of place. I guess when you have people sitting on the tailgate while someone unlocks doors to get into the truck then locks it, as well as countless opening and closing of the tailgate, as well as all the vibrations of the truck daily caused it to come loose.

 

The "OEM" lock is merely the "Pop 'n Lock" kit dressed up for port or dealer installation. It is NOT a factory part for Gen3 Tacomas.

The wiring harness for the Pop 'n Lock is designed to tie in to the passenger door lock actuator wire for on/off function. Very simple wire run from the passenger kick panel to inside the tailgate.

Failure points can be the tie-in at the kick panel wire loom (cheap wire tap), stress at the tailgate wiring entry point (open/close of tailgate over the years has compromised the wire), weak wiring connection at the solenoid (I cut those cheap connectors off and soldered mine), or a failure of the cheap actuator solenoid.

That Pop 'n Lock is a great feature but dang it's something even Harbor Freight would be embarrassed to sell on their discount shelves.

My $0.02: Have your stereo guy confirm the wiring integrity. If it's good then you're in for a new actuator. If under warranty have the dealer do a replacement for free. If not, then a new Pop 'n Lock actuator installation is in your future. It's not a hard job at all, and certainly not worth stressing over.

Good luck!

 

Lower tailgate, use Torx wrench to remove bolts from inside cover, lubricate the mechanism.

All done! Will work like new.

 

appreciate all of the knowledgeable input. My alarm guy actually said it was probably the actuator if it doesn’t work after we lubricate it. Do you know your stuff and I appreciate the time you took to type this out.

 

That’s exactly what I’m doing tomorrow! Hope it takes care of it. Can’t believe how cheap that part is. Seems they save money anywhere they can.

 

So the mystery is solved and the problem is fixed.
The previous owner apparently had an aftermarket tailgate lock installed.
They did a poor job connecting the electrical and therefore I had a locking mechanism that worked sporadically. My alarm guy redid the connections and now it all works like a charm. He took it a step further and replaced the very cheap motor that came with the auto lock- unlock mechanism. Lubrication and everything else was just fine.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INPUT. I really enjoy Tacoma World!

 

My tailgate would not lock with the key fob so I took the tailgate apart and found the actuator in the bottom of the tailgate. I found the bolt that had backed out and the washer inside the tailgate. Put some Loctite on the bolt and cranked it down, tried the Key fob and it worked like a charm.