>>>>I noticed my tailgate when you close it is in a bind. When I open the tailgate the latch makes a slight pop (louder than it should) indicating to me that once closed the tailgate is binding between the latches. Under closer inspection I noticed that in fact the right side of the tailgate when closed is a little farther in and does not rest flush with the side of the bed. If I barely close the tailgate the right side latches and the left does not sit flush with the left side of the bed not completely latching on the left. If closed with some effort the left side latches and the right side is recessed farther than the right side of the bed. The tailgate does not appear to be bent or damaged and I've not hauled anything of significant weight yet with the truck to cause any damge to the tailgate. Anyone else had this problem? Just inquiring with the massess here before I approach the dealer with this problem. Thanks...Patrick.

 

JPF1715,

I have a 2002 SCrew 4x4 also. I haven't noticed a problem with the tailgate, but when I leave this morning I'll check it close and report back if I notice anything. You might not have done anything to cause the problem, but you never know what the dealer has done prior to you picking up the truck.

 

Sounds as if maybe what they call a "cup" is either missing or damaged inside the tumbler your tailgate pivots on, you shoudl be able to look down into the opening and let me know if you see a black plastic cup assembly that your tailgate rides on/pivots on when you open and close the tailgate?

Showya

 

>>>>Thanks for the replies Showya and serotta. Showya, I checked the area you're talking about and those are fine. Once you mentioned that I remembered the part you were talking about and was hoping that was it. Those had a tendency to fall out on one of my other trucks if the tailgate was removed and I'd have to stick them back in. I've not had the tailgate off this truck and by inspecting them and looking at the hinges it appears that they are ok and in place. I did do a TSB search and sure enough I found one TSB #02-3-5 that mentions the tailgate. It covers the tailgate squeaking/binding condition. I have no idea what their recommended fix was or if it's the same thing I'm experiencing. I'm supposed to have a new leather center console cover put in on Friday under warranty where the leather was cut when the dealer had an aftermarket DVD system installed for me. They are gonna fix that under warranty, I also mentioned the tailgate and the service tech said it might need adusted. So maybe they've seen this before. Thanks for the replies, I was just curious if anyone esle had experienced this and what the correction was. Maybe it's not that common. Thanks again...Patrick

 

>>>>Well the Ford technicians could not get my tailgate adjusted properly. They said they were going to have to send it to a body shop to see if there was anything they could do short of replacing it. They thought the tailgate itself was maybe warped slightly though it appears to be perfect to me from a visual inspection. I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't something to do with the sides of the bed being slightly different from where they should be. I hope if they have to replace the tailgate Ford will pay to have my Rhino liner resprayed on the it because that's gonna suck if I have to pay to have it redone. BTW can anyone on here tell me what this TSB #02-3-5 says? It deals with tailgate binding but I can't find any details on it. Any insite would be appreciated. Thanks.....Patrick

 

Do you drive with your tailgate down all the time for gas milege? I know of people who do this and it spreads the sides of your bed out over a period of time making your tailgate not shut right.

 

>>>>Thanks for the reply Jmorg. Nope I sure don't. That's something I've always been leary of and never do it. Plus I've got a soft tonneau cover so I don't put it down. I often wonder about folks leaving the tailgates down like that if it's still as bad on these newer trucks as it was on the older ones....

 

Never thought of that result. Makes sense, mine will be closed from now on.

Thanks for the tip!