Tailgate pops open!

[Narnian]

Three times this week I've been on the highway, hit a bump, and the tailgate on the J20 popped open!

Fortunately the transmission I've been carrying around back there for the last three weeks, has slid towards the cab - so no harm done. But it makes me nervous. What happens when I've got the bed packed tight with expensive sound equipment?

Is this a normal J-Truck problem, or is there something I need to adjust?

[Ralph]

No, it's not normal. The problem is likely that your bedsides are loose (give them each a good shake and see how much you can move them). If this is the case, what's likely happening is that the bedside(s) actually slips away from the latch on either side. Not much you can for adjustments, so you may have to have some welding done to shore up the bed.

[Doug B.]

Sounds like it is time for "duct tape"......

[kyjman]

Wow now I remember the time I forgopt to put fasten the keepers on my J-10 tailgate. Was sitting at a light and when it turned green and I took off, the 208 in the bed took off also. Unfortunetly it took off out the rear and fell into the road in front of this little old lady behind me. She freaked out and slammed on her brakes and then just sat there with a "if looks could kill" look on her face while I smiled and threw the 208 back into the bed and fastened the keepers.

[Narnian]

Before reading everyones posts, I inspected the tailgate. The door has a "button" on each side that sticks into a latch on either side of the bed. I noticed that the buttons were barely coming through the latches when the tailgate was closed, so I bent the latches in towards the tailgate a little. It seems to have helped - at least it didn't pop open during the 325 miles of driving I did in the last two days. If it happens again I'll try the Ralph test. If that doesn't tell me anything, then I'll go with the duct tape solution!

[ December 08, 2002, 12:02 AM: Message edited by: Narnian ]