Body problems of the 2017 Ford F-450

Tailgate opens in transit and allows contents of bed to fall out of vehicle causing issues for drivers behind truck.

Tailgate opens unexpectedly while vehicle is in motion. This has happened repeatedly over the past 12 months. After confirming that the tailgate was not inadvertently left open or opened while the vehicle was moving, we realized that the problem was internal. We could not find a cause of the problem with the tailgate opening. It caused damage to the tailgate and the towed fifth wheel. Cargo items stored in the truck bed (under the tonneau cover) have fallen out onto the road when the tailgate opens unexpectedly. This could have caused a major accident or death. I believe this truck has an electric tailgate latch release switch in the tailgate handle and I'm not sure whether this is a possible cause. We took the truck to the Ford dealer who advised that the tailgate was not covered by any recall or warranty other than the extended warranty we purchased, for which we had to pay a deductible. The Ford dealer is also denying any responsibility for damage to the tailgate itself, damage to the fifth wheel, or damage from and loss of loose cargo falling out. We paid for the fix to the defective tailgate mechanism but feel strongly that this should be recalled due to the high risk of death or injury when the tailgate opens unexpectedly. Below date is only the most recent occurrence; as stated above, this has occurred multiple times including approximately June 12, 2021, April 20, 2021, September 24, 2020, September 30, 2020, August 9, 2020, and November 24, 2019.

Tl-the contact owns a 2017 Ford e-450. The contact stated that the vehicle middle door had a trimark door lock and was stated that she was lock in due to the lock failing to unlock from the inside and also failed to open from the outside and had to exit the vehicle from the passenger and drivers side door. The contact stated that a bungee cord was use to keep the door from opening while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the door lack was replaced. The door was damage failing to stay closed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty and did not assist. The failure mileage was unknown. Aw.

Brought my truck into the Ford dealership because the door was not latching closed at all. The truck is still under warranty and has less than 20k miles. Later that day the dealership called and told me the truck was fixed and ready to be picked up. Less than 48 hours later the latch again would not work. I drove the truck back to the dealership while holding the door closed with one hand so it wouldn't fly open in traffic. They again said it would be fixed and they told me I was giving them 'attitude' because I was upset that it didn't get fixed the first time. Once I got home I called another dealership and they informed me that there was actually a recall for this exact issue. My biggest gripe is that the first dealership never informed me of a known safety issue with my vehicle after bringing it in two times within a three day period. I found it to be alarming that they would send me back out on the road without fixing or even informing me about this potential hazard recall.