4x4Laoch

It's like you said, it is not to limit travel, but to keep the tailgate open so it doesn't close on you. If the person is the type to swing the tailgate open and let the weight swing it open the rod to stop it then it will eventually pop out or break. Then add the extra weight of the 35" tire which increases momentum of swinging weight and added weight to stop it then it will pop out or break eventually. no matter what size tire letting the tailgate swing open on its own and letting the rod stop it can cause it. I know I have caught myself doing this a couple times, but I make sure I open it. Not the weight.

Jiblet

the check rod is to hold the gate open, the strap is only to keep it from going to far.

They would actually be complementary.

ronjenx

My 2008 doesn't have a limit strap on the tailgate like the other doors have. Did they add one in the later years?
(There is a thing that looks like it could be a strap, but it's only the cover for the wire harness.)

Jiblet

Neither does mine, although I thought that wire cover was a strap until I gave it a good look this morning.

I thought the other posters had a strap (they seemed happy about). Maybe they're making the same assumption I was.

Either way, the check rod has a different purpose than a simple strap would.

Christarp

The way the tailgate stops is by the hinge.

After replacing mine with a teraflex hinge you get a good view of how it works. Basically they have a bend in the hinge housing that connects to the body of the tub, and as the hinge opens it gets closer to this bend, and once it reaches it it stops the tailgate from going further.

The strap does not do anything other than cover the wiring. And the metal 'stop' found in 2011+ models is only there for keeping the tailgate open on an incline.

The stop is built into the hinges.

edit: Here's an image I found that shows what I'm talking about



Between the bolts on the portion mounted to the body, and the actual hinge that moves you see that the metal is grooved slightly up, when you open the tailgate the back of the hinge (the part past the pivot point) swings towards this and eventually catches on this groove preventing it from going further.

seribralcrow

Has anyone figured out how to put the rod back into the housing? I went to the dealer and they told me Chrysler isnt covering this anymore. My dealership made the claim that 99% of these issues occur because of user error in opening the tailgate. What a load of crap. Trying another dealership now. Not hopeful though.

Cobra 2-6

I just took my 2012 JKUR into a dealer today after scheduling an appointment by phone and explaining all the little gripes in detail. The service tech told me they wouldn't cover the hinge issue. Jeep should be embarrassed by this design issue, especially considering it's happening to stock or very close to stock vehicles (I'm assuming everyone with super size wheel sets has a high quality aftermarket carrier that eliminates the weight on the swing gate). It seems like owners are all going to the aftermarket to find a fix for a weak design that fails far from the limits of the vehicle's rugged performance in other measures. Really disappointed in this. Has anyone had any luck in getting a dealer to cover the fix?