2020 Ram 2500 Tailgate Opens Unexpectedly...

[joshidaho]

I have had my 2020 2500 Laramie for about a year. Brought it new. From the beginning, the tailgate has given me problems. Unless I slam it shut, it drops open while driving. And if I hit a big enough bump it seems to drop open even if I closed it hard. Its been an annoyance until today I was pulling a trailer along a dirt road and it popped open resulting in significant damage. I closed it twice before leaving the parking lot because of its tendency to pop open. Now it looks like I'll need a new tailgate. Not sure whether I can expect any response from the dealership or FCA on this. Is this a common issue? Is there a fix so that I can avoid a repeat? The only thing I can think of that is different on this tailgate is that the dealership applied bedliner to the bed and gate when I bought it. Not sure that would be a contributing factor though.

It is also frustrating that there is no warning on the dash when the gate is open. My Chevy had that and it was a nice feature.

 

[RAM_Dad]

Sounds like the latch needed adjusted and that it was just barely getting enough "bite" to stay closed in the best of situations. Maybe you can reproduce the issue and record it so you can show the service techs. Prove it was like that and maybe they cover the damages?

 

[Epsilon Plus]

My buddies 2018 does this.

My 2020 has more gate sticking out on one side than the other too. Probably barely biting as well.

Haven't found a way to adjust it in yet. I've tried researching it but looking at it doesn't provide any lightbulb moments.

 

[CdnHO]

Wonder if there isn't some way of wiring some sort of tailgate open warning system. I had a similar problem with an after market flow though tailgate on my 2003 pulling my fiver. Punched a hole in my front compartment door on a tight turn. Ended up putting bungees on it so it stayed closed when unlatched. That said, if you have to slam it to engage the pins it means that your latches may not be rotating to the full locked position. You might be able to adjust the pins rearward slightly. This way the latch engages completely without slamming. I have partially rotated the latch with my finger in the photo.