Tailgate Hinge Problems of Toyota Tundra

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while the tailgate was closing automatically, her grandson's finger was at the upper closing point of the tailgate; however, the tailgate continued to close. The contact's husband put his body weight on the tailgate and was able to stop the tailgate from closing. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact put her hand at the upper closing point of the tailgate while the tailgate was closing automatically, and the tailgate stopped closing as designed. The dealer informed the contact that they could not fix the tailgate failure to stop closing when a smaller hand or object was within the closing point. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 1,300.

There are two cables that hold the tailgate in place when fully opened(extended). Yesterday(7/17/08) while unloading my motorcycle, both cables broke simultaneously mid way through the unloading process. The cables broke at the exact same place which was exactly half way from one end to the other. The cable is enclosed in a plastic sleeve. That sleeve is not sealed at each end. When the tailgate is in the closed position, which is most of the time, rain or other moisture collects in the plastic enclosure and settles at the bottom of the "u" shaped tube. Over time that moisture has caused the cables to rust and weaken thus the break in my opinion. The result of the brake was that the tailgate feel unannounced to the top of the bumper thus denting the bumper and potentially causing harm to the individual who was doing the unloading. In my opinion this is a flawed product.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota Tundra 🔎.