Most of the time I consider myself to be a reasonable person. :p I have given my truck the best care... kept it clean and well maintained. I was not amused when the rear end had to be replaced...twice...during warranty. Not terribly happy when the driver's seat adjusters had to be replaced (warranty). Unamused when the actuators in the dash had to be replaced...3 times and once under warranty. :(Add to that any number of odd bits and pieces over the years. I liked the truck well enough to hang in there. I even got it a new engine when it clattered like ball bearings in a blender coming down a GA mountain. :EBut....this may just be the last straw. On a cold dark January morning we were ready to load the truck for a two week road trip to FL and GA. DH comes in and tells me... the tail gate is stuck closed. :M The tailgate...is...stuck????:h I inspected... lubed etc. Nope won't unlatch.:S Thus began 2 weeks of crawling up and over the tailgate to get to whatever luggage we needed. We have a Leer Shell...DH is 6ft. Interesting show. :@ I think he got an aerobic workout doing this. A friend watched a YouTube vid and said easy fix. 10 minutes. Nothing on this truck is ever a ten minute fix. For those who are wondering... yes...there is a question here. What could possibly have gone wrong inside the tailgate? Is the fix relatively simple? DH is not...mechanically inclined.

Yup...shoot it...you have stuck with it longer than I would have..I'll be the first to ask.....What Truck?

Yes, telling us the make of the truck will help. Maybe someone on the forum had the same problem.And I agree, it's time to shoot/trade the truck. I think you got a lemon.

most everything is being made with plastic nowdays. There should be a access panel on the inside to the tailgate where you should be able to remove this panel and easily replace either the handle or one of the releases on either side.With all you've been thru, it should be a relative easy fix. YouTube is your friend in this situation and even your husband should be able to fix it

Sorry about that... it's a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT3. I should add in all fairness to the truck...it has about 300k miles on the body. Engine was replaced at 186k. We just got back last night from 2 weeks on the road... the brain is a bit foggy yet.

covetsthesun wrote:1) rear end had to be replaced...twice...during warranty.2) driver's seat adjusters had to be replaced (warranty). 3) actuators in the dash had to be replaced...3 times and once under warranty. :(4) new engine when it clattered like ball bearings in a blender coming down a GA mountain. :E5) any number of odd bits and pieces over the years.6) the tail gate is stuck closed. What could possibly have gone wrong inside the tailgate? Is the fix relatively simple? DH is not...mechanically inclined.Could be a corroded latch on one or both ends. Sometimes a plastic keeper is used to secure the latch rod to the the handle in the middle. Maybe one of those broke off and the rod came loose?I'll echo the same question.....what make and model of truck? Just curious mostly. You can get a total dud from any manufacturer so I wouldn't say your problems are inherent to the brand. But.....WOW you sure endured a lot with this vehicle.How many miles on this truck? Please don't take this the wrong way, but are you towing within the limits of the truck? Scattering bearings in an engine and 2 rebuilds of the rear axle are major failures. Most people don't even experience one of those after many years of ownership. You have had 3 major ones in the lifetime of your truck.I'd say there are some probable explanations why your truck has had so many issues:1) It is over loaded2) Every component was assembled on a Friday afternoon or Monday morning3) The truck was abused by the previous owner or was damaged in some way before you got it.4) Shop performing your maintenance (fluid changes, etc.) isn't doing it properly or is using cheap, sub-standard materials.Believe me, I understand reaching your final straw on the camel's back. My '04 chevy did fine for 10 years with a few issues: O2 sensors, knock sensors, gauge cluster stepper motors, exhaust manifold gaskets...all typical GM issues. My final straw was getting stuck in soft grass (AGAIN :M) towing the trailer a couple years ago. That was it! No more gas engine screaming up the hills, no more getting stuck in simple situations.....I sold it and got a diesel 4X4. Nicer truck, more capable towing, more comfortable towing, and no more getting stuck.Sometimes you just have to decide you've dealt with enough and move on to a different vehicle. That is not to say you won't have issues with your next truck, but you need to wash your hands and move on. I'm thankful that I'm mechanically inclined so I can handle most, if not all repairs as needed. Most often I'm only facing parts costs. Even that can get expensive. But in your case where you have to pay parts and labor....that can be a real beast. At $100-$125 per hour you can rack up a bunch quickly on most repairs.KJ

Might be time to shoot my truck. | Good Sam Community

blt2ski
Moderator
Jan 28, 2017
tinner12002 wrote:
Well OP didn't say whether or not he had elec lock on the tail gate. Other than that its relatively easy to fix one that doesn't open through the access panel.

OP is NOT a HE either! BUT, SHE did say or at least hinted that it was not a lockable tailgate!

Glad she is keeping her DH!

Marty
tinner12002
Explorer
Jan 27, 2017
Well OP didn't say whether or not he had elec lock on the tail gate. Other than that its relatively easy to fix one that doesn't open through the access panel.
covetsthesun
Explorer
Jan 27, 2017
We did it! DH got the parts and then took it apart. Right plastic doodad busted. His fingers were too big so yours truly got in there with my tiny tools and finished up. I'm going to be investing in right angle pliers etc now. That would have been helpful.

So...guess I won't be shooting the truck for awhile yet. Keeping DH awhile longer too!

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.
cts
MitchF150
Explorer III
Jan 26, 2017
I traded my 1997 F150 XLT for a 2013 F150 XLT in early 2014 (the 13 had 56 miles on it when I bought it) and it was a night and day difference.

I loved that 97 and wish I could have kept it.. I got nothing for it on trade, but I had no place to keep it and the new truck, so... It got sacrificed.

So much happier with the 13... :)

Can't even compare the two.. Sure, the 13 cost me some $$ and I'm still making $393/month payments and will be for a couple more years!

Anyway, you gotta do what you gotta do.. My 97 had 255,000 miles on it and was running great.. Just wanted to get into the 21st Century and had the extra $$ to do so..

Good luck!

Mitch
Lessmore
Explorer II
Jan 26, 2017
steve-n-vicki wrote:
I bought a new 2004 Chevy 1500 ,in less than 1500 miles , 3 dead batteries , 2 cylinder heads , 1 engine , 1 transmission ,and 1 rear end ( the rear end had very little lube in it from the factory )dealer should have caught it during the PDI, never towed with it , so yes you can get a lemon, of the 3 months I owned it and when I could drive it , it was a nice truck

Sounds like our '76 Ford Granada and '73 Toyota Corolla. We all get lemons sometime, if we have enough vehicles over the years. What do they say...if you get lemons...look for a bottle of gin .;)...something like that...
Powerdude
Explorer
Jan 26, 2017
I agree.

Get some black tip .30-06 and shoot it.

Make sure nobody is directly on the opposite side. Start with that engine block.

Have a little fun.
blt2ski
Moderator
Jan 26, 2017
Most of my GM trucks from 88, 96, 2000, 2005 have ALL had this issue, tailgate bezel breaking........easy fix.

Now the new one, is the 2000, the inside drivers door latch handle does not open the door. Need to roll down winder, and open from out side. Probably a similar fix, just never had this issue before.

I only have 103K miles on it......longest I have ever gotten a 4L80E trans to last too. Usually get 30-35K miles before rebuilding time! Have had better luck with the 4l60e/700r4 derivatives, never had one of them blow up!

Marty
tomkaren13
Explorer
Jan 25, 2017
Gee our Sister truck - a 2002 GMC Sierra is great. No big repairs. Only BIG expensive was brakes.

I would have shot your truck before the warrenty ran out!
Snowman9000
Explorer
Jan 25, 2017
covetsthesun wrote:
Sorry about that... it's a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT3. I should add in all fairness to the truck...it has about 300k miles on the body. Engine was replaced at 186k.

We just got back last night from 2 weeks on the road... the brain is a bit foggy yet.

2004 Chevy, why doesn't this surprise me? :)
(I own a 2004 Silverado 2500HD diesel.)

Did you forget to mention the power windows?
covetsthesun
Explorer
Jan 25, 2017
Thanks for the videos! We've watched them and are going to give this a try. If it doesn't work... off to the dealership.

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Might be time to shoot my truck.

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