Tailgate problems of the 2005 Toyota Tacoma

The tailgate of the vehicle lacks the required amount of structural integrity to serve its intended purpose. Since the tailgate is designed to be opened to a flat position for loading or unloading item(s) placed in the bed of the truck it will certainly require a certain amount of strength for this purpose. I noticed that my tail gate was no longer straight across when in the close position but had a concave appearance. I worried that the tail gate may come unlatched while in the up position or worse by collapsing by folding in the middle if using it to carry a partial load. I load my 4-wheeler in the back of the truck at times and due to the short bed have to leave the rear tires resting on the tail gate. The weight, although not excessive, seemed to possibly be the cause of the distress on the tailgate. I removed the interior cover as well as the top tailgate cover for inspection. My inspection did reveal two creases in the tailgate top section (when in the close position) about 18" from the right top and the same distance from the left top side. I called Toyota to see if any possible recall was in place to address this situation and they said there was no such recall. I asked if they recommended any remedy for the condition that I described and they suggested a company that does aftermarket truck modifications. If this tailgate isn't designed to carry a load than a permanent warning sign should be clearly viewed from the tailgate position at or near the handle or the flat surface when the tailgate is lowered. Since it is apparent that at times a load will travel across the tail gate moving into the bed cavity or be required to rest on the tailgate, it should meet all load requirement that could be reasonably anticipated.

When loading heavy (but within the rated capacity of the truck) equipment into this truck, the tailgate collapses under the load, causing the equipment to become off-balance and fall over, sometimes onto the person or persons loading said equipment.

I was loading a motorcycle into the back of my 2005 Toyota Tacoma and the tailgate collapsed. I have owned this truck for a year and a half and this is the first time I've ever put any weight on the tailgate of the truck. After doing some research on the internet, it sounds like thousands of people are experiencing the same thing. There is no mention from Toyota in the owners manual or any associated documents that the tailgate is incapable of handling a load. The weight rating for the cargo box is listed at 1000 pounds but there is nothing on the tailgate. I have owned a Ford ranger and a chevy s-10 in the past and never had any problem loading a bike in the bed. I have pictures of the collapsed tailgate available. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in this but it could have been potentially fatal in the bike had fallen on one of the men loading the bike. Toyota won't address this problem and is blaming this on the consumers.

We purchased 2 new Toyota Tacoma pick-ups for our motorcycle dealership. We have been in business for 8 years, and owned Ford, chevy, and Nissan as our delivery trucks. The tailgates on these trucks have never bent until we bought these 2 Toyotas. Both new trucks have bent tail gates, due to poor construction. There are no warning signs on the tailgate nor in the owners manual, but southeast Toyota refuses to warranty these items.

New 2005 Tacoma Toyota truck with less than 10k. The tailgate is all bent. Very poorly constructed. . . . Toyota should be ashamed!.

Consumer was unloading a motorcycle from his truck and the rear tailgate bent in almost a v. This shifted the motorcycle's weight, and almost resulted in an accident. The motorcycle could have fallen off the tailgate or fallen upon the caller . The owner's manual does not state how much weight the tailgate can support or any precautions on loading onto a tailgate.