Tailgate slop

I thought my bushing/hinge was bad and needed to be replaced. Now after looking at it, I think I might have a different problem. The tailgate has a lot of slop in it. Probably 25 degrees of movement before the hinge/tailgate assist catches.

Can anyone confirm that this bracket is damaged? Doesn’t seem like it should be shaped like a figure 8.
https://youtube.com/shorts/AYdYALsJOCA?feature=share

 

Is the tailgate assist connected properly? Is the shock on the assist in good shape?

 

It’s connected properly. I think you might be on to something with the strut. I’ll pull it off and see if it has any push.

I looked up some eBay photos of that part and it looks like this is a normal shape.

 

How are your hinge bushings?

 

They look fine. I thought that was the problem based on what I’d seen and the fact that this started over night.

I could tell the strut was pushing but I think it was the problem. I ordered a new one and will replace it this week.

 

Probably didn’t need to replace the strut but I did. The bushing did have a very small crack in it and wasn’t moving freely. I replaced the hinge too.

Now I find myself slamming my tailgate up on accident… assist works really well. It’s going to take some getting used to. Thanks for the help!