Tailgate will not open.

This is my second Toyota truck but it’s older 2012 Tacoma and the handle will move up and down but the tailgate will not open. Any help at all would be awesome thank you very much.

 

I had this happen on my 2011, and after a brief moment of panic I realized I could get the tailgate cover off while the tailgate was up, then reach in and actuate the rods to open it.

If you need to replace your handle, you have options ranging from OEM to aftermarket lockable (with optional electrically actuated) and even some OEM knockoffs. There are several threads covering these that you should be able to track down pretty quickly. I went with a Pop&Lock lockable handle that is able to use the Taco key, it's working fine.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Thank you. I’m just glad I found Tacoma world.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld

 

I've had it happen twice now. In both cases it was the crappy plastic pieces that Toyota uses to hold the rods in place that broke. They're a couple of bucks from the dealer; don't do like my dumb self and replace the broken one and leave the other - replace all of the plastic pieces at the same time. Also grab some of the plastic pieces that the tailgate cover screws go into since once they've been used they don't hold as well anymore and it's easy to over-tighten and strip them. Just snug the cover screws, don't crank down on them.

 

I'm glad you mentioned this, I discovered that several of mine were pre-stripped before I bought the truck. There's no force to speak of on the rear panel so snug is plenty good enough.

 

I wish I had a tailgate