Tailgate won't open....

hey guys, anyone have ideas as to what's going on??

The glass pops/releases when it should, i.e. pushing the button on the dash and/or using the key in the tailgate, however, the tailgate itself won't open....something had been working up to this point, though...what I mean is what ever the issue is has been slowly telling me that something was wrong by it becoming more and more difficult to get the handle to open on the tailgate.

Now it doesn't open at all. I don't believe it has anything to do with the key lock, cause I can put the key in it and turn it, it will release the glass, but not the tailgate.

At this point, I'm not even sure how to get the panel on the tailgate open to see inside....any ideas ??

I had this same problem with my Rodeo about 2 weeks ago. I thought something was broken. The only way I could get it to release was to lift the handle and push / pull on the tailgate (with a lot of force) until it opened. I removed the interior tailgate panel and lubricated all the linkage I could find. It is now working like new.

At least on mine, there are 2 screws near the glass latch you will need to remove first. The panel is held in place with the same kind of clips as a regular door panel, use a screwdriver to gently pry them out. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the glass latch. Next, you will need to remove the two metal plates that are inside. Separate the plastic sheet from the tailgate and then you will have access to the linkage.


Good Luck,
Dale

I also had this same problem until i yanked and yanked on the tailgate with the handle up and it came down after awhile. I then took the plastic cover off and checked it out and all mine needed was a little tightening and a little lube

I wonder if this guy got his tailgate fixed.....

Yeap, I did.....thanks a bunch!

took everything apart, relubed all of it, works as good as new.

Thats great!

Good to hear the tailgate is working again.