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Started By
Message
F150 Tailgate Won't Open (need ideas)
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:08 am
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:08 am
Stopped somewhere yesterday and pulled something out of my truck bed. Went to put it back in later and the handle to release the tailgate seems to have broken and it doesn't unlatch. Issue is I have a tonneau cover on the truck. I can't get to anything in there right now. And I imagine most easy trouble shooting require access inside of the bed. Can't open the cover without opening the tailgate. It is a soft cover, and I could get in there but would permanently damage the cover which I'd prefer not to do. Anyone dealt with this and know of a way to troubleshoot prior to having to bring it into the shop for what I assume is a simple fix I could probably handle myself.
11
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:17 am to Jon A thon
Try pulling the handle then pushing in (towards the front of the truck) on the top of the tailgate. Common Ford issue.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:20 am to Jon A thon
I had a 2014 that this happened to and the linkage just needed to be lubricated. Had to take the plate off on the inside of the tailgate to lubricate it.
As far as getting into the cover I got nothing for you.
As far as getting into the cover I got nothing for you.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:22 am to Jon A thon
You have to unlock it with the key fob.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:34 am to Jon A thon
What year is the truck?
Any chance it was locked?
Any chance it was locked?
Posted on 1/13/26 at 12:20 pm to Jon A thon
This would probably work…
Posted on 1/13/26 at 1:23 pm to bbvdd
Its a 2018. Checked it was unlocked for sure. When I pull the handle, it feels as though it may have detached from the mechanism somehow. There's typically some spring resistance and that feels like it's gone or at the very least a lot reduced when I try to open it. There's nothing special like an auto open system. And when I lock and unlock, it at the very least sounds like everything is still operating as it had been. Seems like the linkage system or whatever may not be working right.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 1:23 pm to Sparty3131
quote:
Try pulling the handle then pushing in (towards the front of the truck) on the top of the tailgate. Common Ford issue.
Yep. That's how my 2014 F-150 works.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 1:25 pm to Jon A thon
When you pull the handle is there still pressure?
If so, I’m an expert on this after about 12 years of farming in an F-150.
You have to pull the handle or press the button with your left hand, and beat the absolute shite out of the sloped part of the tailgate in an upward motion towards the running light at the back of the cab with the heel of your right hand.
Once you get the tailgate down, you can take the cover off to access the cam in the middle that pulls the rod that opens the latches.
Those rods are threaded and you can adjust it to get the slack out of it.
You can also take some small zip ties and stiffen it up a little more. You’ll see what I mean when you’re looking at it.
ETA: I’m not sure what you can do if the handle is actually broken though… I have to clean, lube, or adjust mine a couple times/year or I probably would have ended up with a broken handle before the electric tailgate.
If so, I’m an expert on this after about 12 years of farming in an F-150.
You have to pull the handle or press the button with your left hand, and beat the absolute shite out of the sloped part of the tailgate in an upward motion towards the running light at the back of the cab with the heel of your right hand.
Once you get the tailgate down, you can take the cover off to access the cam in the middle that pulls the rod that opens the latches.
Those rods are threaded and you can adjust it to get the slack out of it.
You can also take some small zip ties and stiffen it up a little more. You’ll see what I mean when you’re looking at it.
ETA: I’m not sure what you can do if the handle is actually broken though… I have to clean, lube, or adjust mine a couple times/year or I probably would have ended up with a broken handle before the electric tailgate.
This post was edited on 1/13/26 at 1:31 pm
Posted on 1/13/26 at 1:32 pm to Jon A thon
Pull the tailgate latch/handle and then bang the top left or top right of the tailgate. Common problem. Grease everything up when you get it open
Posted on 1/13/26 at 2:23 pm to Jon A thon
Tailgate rod clips could be your issue. Youtube might be able help you out on a tutorial on how to get to them.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 2:23 pm to Jon A thon
I don't have any answers...just sharing my F-150
Posted on 1/13/26 at 4:35 pm to lsutiger251
quote:
Tailgate rod clips could be your issue.
I couldn’t think of what you call them, but yeah these are the culprit on most tailgate problems. They’re just cheap, threaded plastic and that’s where the slack usually is. You can take little zip ties and rig them up to be stronger so you don’t stretch/wear out the plastic threads as easy.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 6:33 pm to lsutiger251
quote:
Tailgate rod clips could be your issue. Youtube might be able help you out on a tutorial on how to get to them.
This was my issue. Several years ago, I priced the little pieces of shite from the dealership and they were outrageous. Ordered a whole bag of them on Amazon for $5 and replaced.
Posted on 1/13/26 at 11:33 pm to Jon A thon
Is there enough space in the gap on either side of the tailgate to fit something thin, but sturdy(butter knife, flat pry bar, putty knife) where the latch is and depress it?
Posted on 1/14/26 at 11:31 am to Jon A thon
Pull the handle and bash it with your shoulder. It should open.
Once you get it open it’s pretty easy to reset the tensioner, should just be some little plastic tabs you lift, move, reset
Once you get it open it’s pretty easy to reset the tensioner, should just be some little plastic tabs you lift, move, reset
Posted on 1/16/26 at 9:27 am to Spankum
Got it working today. Got something under the soft top cover and was able to open the tonneau cover. That was the hardest part. After removing the plate that covers the mechanism, the plastic clip that attached the handle to the mechanism that pulls the rods had come undone. Popped it back in and it's working. Going to order some spares. Seems to be connected well right now, so can't figure what caused it to come undone, but will replace with a new one to be sure.
Posted on 1/17/26 at 8:29 am to Jon A thon
Glad you got it fixed without tearing something up!
Posted on 1/17/26 at 9:06 am to Jon A thon
quote:
the plastic clip that attached the handle to the mechanism that pulls the rods had come undone.
Some bean counter got a quarterly bonus for replacing a good metal part with plastic to increase Ford profits, not to mention the revenue on increased repairs and sale of replacement parts.
My dishwasher door recently broke. Was it the steel spring or metal cable attached to it? No, it was the POS plastic clip that connected them to the door. A product is only as good as its weakest link.
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