Pop N Lock Failed

My pop n lock just broke as well, I've had it for less than a year. When I took the tailgate apart to investigate, I examined the part that broke. It's ABSURD how the tiny, thin plastic arm they use that has to bear pressure on the metal activator that springs open the tailgate. I cannot imagine anyone using this product regularly will not experience failure of this part at some point. Even when it was new, you could feel the handle flex in your hand as you opened the tailgate. How much could it possibly cost them to make this part out of metal instead of plastic? A dime? A quarter? What a joke.

 

My PNL will only open if I push in on the top of the tailgate while pulling the handle.

 

The worst part of when it happened to me was that it locked all of my fishing gear beneath my sleeping deck along with the tools needed to open it up. When I got home I jimmied it with a phillips head screwdriver and it popped right open.

 

Which P&Ls are failing? I installed the power lock that uses the original tailgate handle.

 

I believe the ones that are failing are the full replacement handles.

I have the codeable PNL5400 model and it feels like it will snap if I don't put pressure on the top of the tailgate when opening.

 

The

$95 PL5400 Black Manual Tailgate Lock with Bolt Codeable Technology for Toyota Tacoma

PL5400 seems to be the one that is failing. Mine just broke as well. I guess it lasted almost 2 years, but from day one it felt as if it would snap at any moment. If yours hasn't broken yet, I would suggest doing what JadedTaco does and apply pressure to the tailgate when unlatching it. I called Pop n Lock, they forwarded me to their service department. I left a voicemail with no response. Cool.

I ended up fixing mine myself and will see how it lasts. I drilled a hole through the length of the little plastic arm and into the main latch handle. I slid a nail through there and epoxied the absolute F out of it. It feels very stout, certainly stronger than before.
We'll see.

 

With all the tailgate thefts going on, I'd rather have a stuck closed tailgate than a stolen one.

 

Or you could do the hose clamp mod in 5 mins for $5.

 

Boom haha

 

@Pop&LockLLC do y'all have any tips to prevent this recurring issue?

 

I had a failure with my P&L and I wrote them a email. They gladly sent me out a replacement one.

 

Only tip is put the oem back on

 

I had the same issue, failed in 6 mos. Called manufacturer and they sent me a new one. I didn't even have to provide a receipt or proof of purchase. They simply sent me a new one. So far so good. Though I notice it still has issues on functionality, still a little funky on turning the key.

 

The best solutions is that late last year we did some major modification to the design materials to strengthen it and make it more compatible to harsh elements. I would say now, we hardly have any returns due to the changes. Our Power Lock (

$152 PL8535 POP & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tundra, 2007 to 2021 Toyota Tundra, Truck OEM Lock, Anti Theft, Truck Tailgate Lock Replacement, Easy to Install, Made in The USA (PL8547TUN)

PL8535) is one of our top sellers but if you do want the manual then you can get the

$95 PL5400 Black Manual Tailgate Lock with Bolt Codeable Technology for Toyota Tacoma

PL5400 (newly updated materials) which also comes in 15ish OEM colors to match your truck!

Give it a try and if something does happen to go wrong, we always try to be accommodating and have a great CS and Tech team that can help with any questions.

Hope that helps!

Pop & Lock Marketing

 

Thanks for the feedback y'all. I bought mine at the end of 2014. Would this have been the new design?

 

The updated materials did not happen until late 2015 season. It's not to say that the model before was bad or faulty but depending on usually user install, some of them were wearing out faster. We always stress that you need to flip the rods during install to help relieve any extra tension and to prevent yanking to hard on the handle which could break a small arm inside the handle.

 

Amazon says that the

$152 PL8535 POP & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tundra, 2007 to 2021 Toyota Tundra, Truck OEM Lock, Anti Theft, Truck Tailgate Lock Replacement, Easy to Install, Made in The USA (PL8547TUN)

PL8535 is for Tundra's is this correct?

 

Yep! The

$152 PL8535 POP & Lock – Power Tailgate Lock for Toyota Tundra, 2007 to 2021 Toyota Tundra, Truck OEM Lock, Anti Theft, Truck Tailgate Lock Replacement, Easy to Install, Made in The USA (PL8547TUN)

PL8535 is the power upgrade that works on both the '16 Tundra and Tacoma (super convenient).

 

great thank you.

 

Glad to see you here, thanks for checking in and clearing this all up. I was about to ditch this whole idea !

Assuming it is right for my '06 Tacoma (?), Tell me has the #8540 (Key and Fob actuated) unit been upgraded too ?

Also.... Wanting to add a camera. Do I need to also buy a Camera Mounting Clip ?