I crawled around in the back while a buddy drove because the constant rattle over everything from barely noticable bumps on up is driving me crazy. It started out as a squeek last year and is now a full blown, non stop rattle.

My tailgate rattle is on the passenger side. It seems to be inside the tailgate at the top, roughly where the top hinge mounts. It isn't the hingle itself and I tightened the bolts that attach the hinge to the tailgate so tight I was worried I might break off a bolt. I'm concerned that the 140 pound tire on the back is too heavy and is pulling something apart inside the tail gate.

I can recreate the sound by hand by grabbing the top of the tailgate on the passenger side and shaking it.

Anybody know how the tailgates are constructed or what I might be missing?

Thanks,
Dave

 

My gate just started doing this today and it's driving me BATTY! I'm liking my jeep less and less each passing week. For the price, this simple machine should be ALOT better. Anyway, grr and stuff.

 

Rap on the striker loop with a hammer ( either upwards or down= not too hard). Usually a slight shift will cause the noise to go away..