Remote Tailgate Lock Repair

My (dealer installed) remote tailgate lock recently started making a clunking noise and stopped working.
I removed the tailgate cover and saw that the screw holding the actuator was missing. (My finger is pointing to the location.)

I found the screw floating around inside and reinstalled it. Everything works again.

Also noticed that some of the screws holding the tailgate cover in place were over tightened and stripped. This leads me to believe that the dealer did a mediocre job in the original install.

 

not really. most tail gate cover screws are held on with a dry fart from the factory. my last truck, i tack welded blobs back onto the screw holes to keep the screws from going anywhere, and i was the only one in 20 years that ever took that tailgate apart.