Tailgate assist opens but only closes sometimes.

[waasiw]

Hi, has anyone had this problem? I've had the '24 Lightning Flash to the dealer, where they reset the software and it worked when I picked it up. A couple weeks later was the next time I used the tailgate. It opens fine, but when I press the close button (on dash, on fob, etc) I can hear the motor work but it doesn't raise the tailgate. I apologize if someone has already answered this, I could not find this specific issue. The dealer didn't seem to know what they did to get it working, other than the software update. But now it isn't working again. I went into the main screen and toggled the tailgate assist on and off, to no avail.

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[RickLightning]

That is not tailgate assist... It is power or manual tailgate switch.

 

[Henry Ford]

Try helping it closed a few times then see if it works. I don't know exactly how it works but there might be a spring that needs to be tensioned. Maybe opening and closing tensions the spring? I only say this because mine has failed to close in the past, then it worked again. I don't know why.

Mine also made a loud pop while closing when it did work, which I pointed out to my dealership and had repaired under warranty. I don't know what what the pop was.

I don't think the power tailgate is very robust. It always seems to be struggling, even when working perfectly.

 

[rockfish]

I have had a few issues where the quad fold hard tonneau cover rear rubber seal, has stopped the the tailgate from latching all the way and the tail gate drops back down. i just flipped the seal over and no issues since. not the same problem but maybe it will help out someone else as well.

 

[Vulnox]

I have had a few issues where the quad fold hard tonneau cover rear rubber seal, has stopped the the tailgate from latching all the way and the tail gate drops back down. i just flipped the seal over and no issues since. not the same problem but maybe it will help out someone else as well.

Yeah I think I may be running into this and it's a bit annoying. I was going to try and adjust my tonneau. The truck closes the tailgate fine about 80% of the time, but that 20% it gets to the top and then double honks (which I am sure the neighbors love) and lowers back down.

I hope it's just the orientation of the cover. I had this same cover on two previous trucks with the power tailgate and didn't have the issue.

 

[RickLightning]

Yeah I think I may be running into this and it's a bit annoying. I was going to try and adjust my tonneau. The truck closes the tailgate fine about 80% of the time, but that 20% it gets to the top and then double honks (which I am sure the neighbors love) and lowers back down.

I hope it's just the orientation of the cover. I had this same cover on two previous trucks with the power tailgate and didn't have the issue.

If you watch it close, it's likely not the orientation of the cover, but the thickness of the rubber seal across the back. Two things to try:

1) Tighten the cover downward as much as possible, and then manually close the tailgate (turn off the power tailgate). Let it sit in that position for a few days. Now, open it manually, turn on power, and see if it closes. If not, loosen it just a tad and try again.

or

2) Loosen the downward force. This will result in more water getting in vs. #1.

If you lack the ability to adjust the downward force, then put some nice weight on it, subject to the limits of the cover. My Diamondback HD has a huge gasket, but it closes just fine.

 

[Athrun88]

Adding to Rick's suggestions above, worst case scenario is to shave some of the material off the seal that mates with the tailgate if that is truely the case. My Bison tri-fold cover has rubber ridges that meet my tailgate that I could shave down if I had a similar issue. I am assuming the tailgate opens/closes without issue if the cover is not down?

 

[Vulnox]

Adding to Rick's suggestions above, worst case scenario is to shave some of the material off the seal that mates with the tailgate if that is truely the case. My Bison tri-fold cover has rubber ridges that meet my tailgate that I could shave down if I had a similar issue. I am assuming the tailgate opens/closes without issue if the cover is not down?

I need to experiment more with it. It's one of those things where it happens when we are out somewhere and I had to put something in the tailgate but when I get home I forget or have other stuff to take care of and then I don't think about it again until the next time it happens.

I use the frunk so much more often these days too.

Need to remind myself to try the things suggested on here this weekend. While infrequent, when it does happen it's annoying so still want to work it out.

 

[TaxmanHog]

My tailgate acted up yesterday, opened fine, loaded an empty 5 gallon gas can in the back, then tapped the FOB button to close it, it raised almost 3/4's plus and nowhere near the latching point, then it decided to reopen.

Hit the FOB button again, this time it closed fully & latched.

Thanks for this thread, I forgot to stop at the gas station to refill the can on the coffee run this morning, funny how driving EV makes you forget certain habits & occasional chores.

Still running a ICE lawn mower and prepping the snow blower for winter run is on this weeks agenda.

 

[21st Century Truck]

My tailgate always opens properly on command, either via the dashboard button or via the fob or via the tailgate latch rubber button.

However, it closes on command only about 70% of the time on the 1st try. It's been this way since I bought the truck in July 2024.

Our driveway has a slight upslope and I almost always park nose-in based on the charging connection on the house, so by my observation the added front-to-back tilt is when most (not all though) incomplete tailgate closures happen.

Once or twice in the life of the truck I had to just manually shut the tailgate. It's the powered lift action and not the latching mechanism which seems to be the culprit.

FYI - I run the 2d Gen Decked Drawers in the bed so there is zero interference with any bed cover seals.

Hope this info adds to the general data for this issue.

 

[Rip]

Could it have something to do with how long it was open? I haven't noticed it on my tailgate, but it seems that if I leave my Frunk open for an extended period of time, it doesn't want to close. I get a repeating pattern of two beeps ("beep-beep-pause, beep-beep-pause," etc.), and I have to close it manually. Maybe the tailgate does the same...

 

[Rayden]

I have had it refuse to move at all after hitting the fob and even when I gave it the assist. Only happened a couple of times in the 2 months I've had the truck. Unfortunately, one of them was when I was showing it to my ev skeptical father for the first time. The next time I drove it, it worked fine. I'm chalking it up to the fact that we are essentially driving computers at this point. And whether they're cell phones, desk tops, or the systems I used on Navy ships, they all experience "fat electrons" getting stuck sometimes and need to be rebooted.

 

[RickLightning]

My tailgate acted up yesterday, opened fine, loaded an empty 5 gallon gas can in the back, then tapped the FOB button to close it, it raised almost 3/4's plus and nowhere near the latching point, then it decided to reopen.

Hit the FOB button again, this time it closed fully & latched.

Thanks for this thread, I forgot to stop at the gas station to refill the can on the coffee run this morning, funny how driving EV makes you forget certain habits & occasional chores.

Still running a ICE lawn mower and prepping the snow blower for winter run is on this weeks agenda.

There is a footnote in the manual that says if you load a gas can, the tailgate may refuse to close.

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