tailgate not latching

[Lund79]

I have a '01 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and have experienced the tailgate not latching. It has happened a couple times in the summer but seems to more prevalent in the winter. What can I do to help the latching mechanism lock in place? Thanks!

[jeffreyd]

clean the catches and lube with some white lithium grease. also there is a cover on the inside of the tailgate in the center. take that off and clean and make sure the pull rods are working correctly. i usually have to clean mine out once a year. good luck

[randerson]

Pull the plastic surround off around the tailgate handle and lube the two brackets up well that pivot on each other there it gets a little rusty in there and that binds up a little bit.

[Lund79]

Thanks for the tips. I have cleaned the side latches before but not the handle. Looks like I will look at both areas.

[Gus]

If you look at the latches on each side, right next to the tailgate there are 2 little metal tab looking things. Some how these are related to the latch springs resetting themselves. For the lock to catch they need to be pushed all the way forward. Mine stick now and again and I just push them forward with my finger before shutting the tailgate. works everytime. I tried lubing them up but must have used some lube that doesn't like cold cause now in the winter they are worse. But as long as I push those things forward it will catch.

[Lund79]

Thanks Gus!

[reinhard1]

same thing happened to me. gus you are right. i dont know if it makes a difference but i have a dodge truck and i also have to make sure the handle to open the tailgate is all the way in and then push those things up. man that was frustrating. so simple of a cure. my son in law showed me the trick. good luck.

[Tom7227]

Not sure about a Dodge but I have to take a plate off the gate on my F150 and spray down the interior parts every once in a while. Dust and dirt sort of booger things up. Some WD40 and things are good to go.