How do you repair a Ford truck tailgate latch?

Answer 1

Problem - Tailgate difficult/impossible to latch. Tools needed: T-30 & T40 Torx drivers

Application: Ford Rangers, and other vehicles with similar tailgate latches

In my 99 Ranger, only one of the tailgate latches/spring bolts would catch. After a while neither would. You had to really slam the tailgate to get either to latch. I thought that a little lube job would help but it did not. I tried to adjust the strike plates but this also did not help.

I could see that the latch bolts would bind and not extend out all the way to catch the striker plates. The metal bolt slides within two square delrin/nylon guide bushings with a spring between them. The outer bushing was coming out of place, causing the bolt to hang up and not extend. This was very difficult to see, and wouldn't happen when the bolt was removed from the tailgate.

A simple test to see if this is the problem can be performed without disassembling the latches at all: With the tailgate cover plate off and the tailgate down. look to see if the latching bolts are all the way out - touching the stop plates. If not, push downward on the portion of the sliding latch bolt where the long rod from the handle hooks onto it. if the bolt snaps out all the way, then you have the same problem I am describing.

Simple fix. I bent the long operating rods so pressure is applied to the inner end of the bolt the same way finger pressure worked in the test above. This involves removing each latch bolt with its long operating rod, and bending the rod downward, at a point about 6" from the hooked end (hook opening downward). When reassembled the rod pushes against the top surface of the tailgate and downward on the latch bolt. This keeps the latch bolt and bushings aligned.

I took only one latch bolt out at a time. That way one could act as a model for the other. The threaded portions of the long operating rods from the handle mechanism must be snapped out of their plastic fittings. There is a small cover that snaps upward and exposes a threaded plastic trough each rod sits in. Pull the rod upward to free it. Note that when you replace the rod there should be a small amount of slack in the rod/latch system.

When removing each latch, you will need to unhook the tailgate support cable on the side you are working on. One of the two bolts holding the latch acts as a pivot for the support cable. There is a little metal stop that controls the cable's position. Be sure to guide the cable back the way it was to avoid bending this metal stop. (match the other side that you haven't taken apart yet)

Once I reassembled both sides, and verified that the bent rods provide downward pressure on the latch bolts, I put the cover back on. The tailgate now latches easily, every time, on both sides.

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Mine was the same symptom, different solution. I simply removed the cover and found the operating X-Shaped mechanism had significant rust built up. I took a screwdriver, gave it about for or 5 good solid hits to separate the 2 pieces and coated it liberally with PB Blaster.

Works like a champ now, easy 5 minute fix.