My tailgate is rattling like crazy, I didn't notice any adjustments in a quick look over. It's loose in a back and forth (open/close) motion when closed, maybe 1/8" to 1/4" of play. Any tips on solving the issue? Body shop guys?

 

Well I Hoss'd it for now. Two 1" pieces of washer fill hose squeezed between the tailgate bumpers and the bed.

Weird that the bumpers don't appear worn of defective?

 

Well that didn't work. I'm thinking it has to be loose linkage inside the gate. Certainly drives me nuts.

 

I just had a look at mine, and I'm wondering if the black posts on each side that the latches inside the tailgate grab on to are adjustable? Maybe try loosening one and see. If so, you could tighten up the gate by sliding the posts inwards a bit.

 

is there an equal amount of extra play on each side?

does the gate close too far and has play to line up with fenders? - OR - does it not close far enough and then has play inward? or maybe a combination of both . . .

does the bottom (hinged) have too much play also, or do the hinges feel alright?

maybe the 'claws' that grab the pins are not closing tight enough thus giving you the unwanted movement.

you could try removing the latch mechanisms on each side, clean 'em up real good with degreaser solution, spreay em good with brake cleaner, then re-lube with lube of choice and see if that helps . . .

 

I'm pretty sure it's the internal linkage. I tightened up the gate with rubber shims to the point it was hard to close and didn't budge when bumped. The sound remained. I took the cover off of the gate to take a quick look thinking maybe the linkage was tapping the internal walls of the gate, but they do have thin washer shaped bumpers to prevent that. I did notice some noise and looseness from the driver side linkage compared to the passenger side. I think this weekend I'll unhook the linkage and thread it a couple times and reinstall to see how it does.

The hard part is it only happens while driving. Every bump, every concrete expansion joint....rattle...rattle...rattle. I can hear it with my windows rolled up.

 

Good advice above. Aside from making sure the pivot bushings are still in place, I have found 2 areas to adjust.
1). The strikers. They are adjustable and can be made to hold the gate closer in to the body. Just don't adjust it too far, or the gate will be below flush with the body.

2) The rubber bumpers on either side of the gate. They are supposed to sandwich the gate and wedge it into position. I had a good look at them and found their screw holes are actually slotted. You can slide them in closer to the gate to hold it tighter. However, with the force against them, they don't stay adjusted well, so putting a shim behind them might be a good idea.

 

^^^^I believe that the black posts on each side of the bed are adjustable. It may not appear that way when looking at them; however; moving the posts as you mentioned should tighten any movement in the tailgate.

 

Have you already driven with the tailgate off to be sure the noise comes from the tailgate?

 

could it be the plastic inserts on the bottom pivots of the gate?
Mine are missing ane it does rattle---where to buy---Dealer?

 

Yeah the dealer typically stocks those bushings. One was missing on mine when I bought the truck. They're not expensive.

 

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=294714

See the above link for my findings, sorry thought they locked this thread.