Truck won't back up with tail gate down

Ditto on that. I've had my tailgate down with loads several times and it always went in reverse.

 

still waiting to see if this is a thing. it is finally Friday!!

OP...so if they closed the tailgate..you were off and moving? this makes no sense to me. hahahah

 

Really easy fix....OP has tailgate down with limbs and branches hanging off the back of it. The tailgate being down is a moot point. It is it the branches/limbs that the safety sensors see and stop the truck from backing up. OP turns them off and then he can back up. Same think will happen if there is a cargo carrier or bike rack on the hitch. Turn off the sensors and it is just fine.

 

so i must have been imagining this happening to me before....

i was backing into the driveway just now with the tailgate up so i decided to hit the tailgate down button and the truck did it without any issues but put up warnings (dash and big screen) that the parking/collision avoidance systems were disabled. still in reverse i shut the tailgate and it turned them back on. i put it in park, lowered the tailgate and then put it in reverse.... same warning messages but it let me reverse no problem. if i raised the gate the warnings went away again.

so now i am wondering if this is either something that happens if you don't have a power tailgate and the truck doesn't know the tailgate is why the sensors are going off or...

if it is like the autopark system in jeeps. if the door is open, your seatbelt is off and it detects weight in the seat... if you try to move forward or back it it will slam the vehicle into into park to keep you from falling out and getting run over by your own vehicle.