tailgate latch assembly backorder nationwide

[ricks_y]

Hi Everyone,

new to the forum.

Bought a 2022 wildtrak for my daughter .

out of nowhere, my tailgate wouldnt close or lock. Brought it to the dealers, they told me that the weight of my spare tire is too heavy that its bending the tailgate.
i forgot to mention- i have aftermarket rims and tires 35".

So i called about 15 different service centers, none of them had the part. and if they did it was being used for a customer who had the same problem with stock rims.
Am i missing something.

for now, i have a tiedown holding my tailgate closed.

part number is below.

Part number Ford M2DZ-78404E05-A LATCH ASY - TAILGATE

Sponsored

 

[G1D1UP]

Hi Everyone,

new to the forum.

Bought a 2022 wildtrak for my daughter .

out of nowhere, my tailgate wouldnt close or lock. Brought it to the dealers, they told me that the weight of my spare tire is too heavy that its bending the tailgate.
i forgot to mention- i have aftermarket rims and tires 35".

So i called about 15 different service centers, none of them had the part. and if they did it was being used for a customer who had the same problem with stock rims.
Am i missing something.

for now, i have a tiedown holding my tailgate closed.

part number is below.

Part number Ford M2DZ-78404E05-A LATCH ASY - TAILGATE

 

[Ducati1098]

Latches aren’t failing because of heavy tires. They’re idiots.

As far as the part, it looks like it should be available shortly:

 

[ricks_y]

Thanks

Latches aren’t failing because of heavy tires. They’re idiots.

As far as the part, it looks like it should be available shortly:

thanks. Ducati1098
let me ask you, do i need to put support braces on the tailgate? if so, which one do you recommend.

 

[Ducati1098]

Thanks

thanks. Ducati1098
let me ask you, do i need to put support braces on the tailgate? if so, which one do you recommend.

For a stock wheel/tire I don’t think it’s necessary. For anything larger I would recommend it.
Personally I like the Turn offroad reinforcement:

https://turnoffroad.com/collections...bronco-hd-tire-carrier-tailgate-reinforcement

 

[JT58Bronc]

I am curious as to what tires and wheels you have. The design of the tail gate may be at maximum capacity with the factory wheels and any weight increase may affect it. Stock tires and wheels are super heavy as it is.

 

[Brian_B]

Supposedly the stock tailgate is good for up to 133lbs.

I had aftermarket rims/35's on mine for a while, they don't weight 100lbs, and it twisted my tailgate after a bit.

I ended up with the Turn Offroad carrier that Ducati linked - it didn't fix the twist in the tailgate, but that tailgate isn't going anywhere anymore. There are much cheaper braces that probably would work just as well, but the TOR carrier completely re-engineers the hinge mechanism and nothing is carried by the tailgate any longer - it's the only option that does that to my knowledge, short of the bumper carriers.

 

[userdude]

Supposedly the stock tailgate is good for up to 133lbs.

I had aftermarket rims/35's on mine for a while, they don't weight 100lbs, and it twisted my tailgate after a bit.

I ended up with the Turn Offroad carrier that Ducati linked - it didn't fix the twist in the tailgate, but that tailgate isn't going anywhere anymore. There are much cheaper braces that probably would work just as well, but the TOR carrier completely re-engineers the hinge mechanism and nothing is carried by the tailgate any longer - it's the only option that does that to my knowledge, short of the bumper carriers.

When you say twisted, you mean the door itself twisted?

 

[Brian_B]

When you say twisted, you mean the door itself twisted?

Yup. I can get 3 corners to line up just fine, and the body lines are straight, and one corner is out by about 1/4"

I had a thread about it around here somewhere. Think it was from when the dealer (my Bronco came with dealer-installed aftermarket wheels and 35's) put the new spare on the back, they didn't adjust/replace the bump stops. After about 10,000 miles and a few mild offroad trips I noticed the tailgate wasn't aligned any more and was starting to sag. I couldn't quite get it straight then, that and the squeaking was driving me nuts, so I just bit the bullet on the TOR carrier.

Getting that installed fixed all the squeaking, but I couldn't get the alignment perfect, since it appears the tailgate has just a bit of a warp in it. I might be able to pull it back off and try to twist it with some 2x4's and some bubba power, but I'm just as likely to make it worse trying that I think. So I got 3 of 4 corners aligned, and just live with one being a bit off.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/rear-door-twisting.85125/

 

[userdude]

Yup. I can get 3 corners to line up just fine, and the body lines are straight, and one corner is out by about 1/4"

I had a thread about it around here somewhere. Think it was from when the dealer (my Bronco came with dealer-installed aftermarket wheels and 35's) put the new spare on the back, they didn't adjust/replace the bump stops. After about 10,000 miles and a few mild offroad trips I noticed the tailgate wasn't aligned any more and was starting to sag. I couldn't quite get it straight then, that and the squeaking was driving me nuts, so I just bit the bullet on the TOR carrier.

Getting that installed fixed all the squeaking, but I couldn't get the alignment perfect, since it appears the tailgate has just a bit of a warp in it. I might be able to pull it back off and try to twist it with some 2x4's and some bubba power, but I'm just as likely to make it worse trying that I think. So I got 3 of 4 corners aligned, and just live with one being a bit off.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/rear-door-twisting.85125/

Oh yeah, I would totally make it worse...

Are you on 37's? I've got Maxxis Razr M/T 35X12.50R17LT's, which are a little wider (practically) and almost a half inch taller. Do you think that would need the bump stops adjusted?

I'm looking seriously at the Barnes reinforcement (cheap but not bulletproof) and the TOR one, which looks great but I'd have to pay someone to install (recent health condition). So I'm like looking at a $1k job. Always, the hits keep coming! lol

 

[Brian_B]

Oh yeah, I would totally make it worse...

Are you on 37's? I've got Maxxis Razr M/T 35X12.50R17LT's, which are a little wider (practically) and almost a half inch taller. Do you think that would need the bump stops adjusted?

I'm looking seriously at the Barnes reinforcement (cheap but not bulletproof) and the TOR one, which looks great but I'd have to pay someone to install (recent health condition). So I'm like looking at a $1k job. Always, the hits keep coming! lol

I'm on 35x12.5r17's as well. The biggest issue for me, I think, were the new rims, which had a different offset so they sat on the carrier differently: going from +55 to 0 meant the new tire was going to sit out further no matter how much wider or differently sized it was.

The spare is supposed to be firmly touching on the bump stop when it's mounted, to help prevent it from jiggling around. That helps keep the dynamic stress lower while riding around.

With my TOR carrier, I just pulled the bump stops entirely and put a panel clip in the hole, since the tailgate isn't carrying any weight anyway.

 

[userdude]

I'm on 35x12.5r17's as well. The biggest issue for me, I think, were the new rims, which had a different offset so they sat on the carrier differently: going from +55 to 0 meant the new tire was going to sit out further no matter how much wider or differently sized it was.

The spare is supposed to be firmly touching on the bump stop when it's mounted, to help prevent it from jiggling around. That helps keep the dynamic stress lower while riding around.

With my TOR carrier, I just pulled the bump stops entirely and put a panel clip in the hole, since the tailgate isn't carrying any weight anyway.

Ok, yeah, I was looking at 0mm until I had to get tires (too many unfixable flats and worn out anyway). I'm definitely biting my nails a little over the heavier tires, just cuz I can't just buy something and install it myself right now. I will say, @Turn Offroad makes excellent videos. Definitely feels like the right way to go.

 

[Brian_B]

Ok, yeah, I was looking at 0mm until I had to get tires (too many unfixable flats and worn out anyway). I'm definitely biting my nails a little over the heavier tires, just cuz I can't just buy something and install it myself right now. I will say, @Turn Offroad makes excellent videos. Definitely feels like the right way to go.

Installing the carrier was a breeze. Realinging the tailgate, however - maybe because mine was already off or what, but that took me longer than installing the carrier did. It wasn't hard, per se, just very tedious with a lot of trial and error.

Hardest part of installing the carrier, apart from if you need to realign the tailgate afterwards, is just lifting the spare up and down.

 

[userdude]

Installing the carrier was a breeze. Realinging the tailgate, however - maybe because mine was already off or what, but that took me longer than installing the carrier did. It wasn't hard, per se, just very tedious with a lot of trial and error.

Hardest part of installing the carrier, apart from if you need to realign the tailgate afterwards, is just lifting the spare up and down.

I've got an abdominal hernia that requires surgery probably in six months. 20lbs is supposed to be my max, so a 109lbs tire/rim combo ain't gonna happen. Sucks getting old...

 

[Brian_B]

I've got an abdominal hernia that requires surgery probably in six months. 20lbs is supposed to be my max, so a 109lbs tire/rim combo ain't gonna happen. Sucks getting old...

ooo yeah - hope you get better soon! that's rough.

Sponsored