Sticky Tailgate...

The tailgate on my 2005 Tacoma seems to be stuck. There was nothing leading up to this, I was in and out of it three times today, but the last time, the damn thing wouldn't open. It seems the the right side is unlatched, but the left latch will not release. Any ideas on how to fix this before I completely pull it off in frustration?

 

I would unscrew and remove the plastic backing to check what's going on... maybe spray wd-40 on the movable parts once the plastic is removed?

 

Did you ever find out what was wrong?

 

No. I took the plastic off and the latch (in the center) itself is operating properly. The latch on the left just isn't releasing the hook. I doused it in WD-40 and dug around in there with a screwdriver for awhile, but nothing happened. I may have to break down and take it in to get replaced....

 

Do you have a bed mat? I got mine wedged under the taigate and it caused one side to bind. Also take the inner panel off of your taigate which you can access when it closed, you may have lost a clip off of your connecting rods. Tundras frequently break these clips.

 

UPDATE....

I took it to Toyota and they poked around for awhile. They told me they wasn't sure what was wrong with it, but they felt certain it would take about $200 to fix. They said the part is $40, but the job is labor intensive and that alone would cost me $160. After an awkward moment of silence, I had a fit of laughter that for some reason, the sales guy didn't find amusing. He was an odd cat, but he didn't charge me for the 30 minutes or so that his people beat on it, so he's alright in my book...

Armed with this new knowledge, I drove home highly motivated to fix it myself. I went home and found the biggest screwdriver I had and a hammer and went to work. On a side note, the next time your wife asks you why you need a two foot long screwdriver, feel free to use me as an example. I beat on it for awhile until splitting the metal that the post was stuck onto and tearing it enough to open and remove the tailgate. Two little screws later and the lock was off. I'm still waiting for the part to come in, but I'm fairly confident the assembly will be substantially easier than the break down.

Aside.....I've been driving around for about two weeks without a tailgate. Gas mileage is the same. Myth....BUSTED.