Broken tailgate handle internals?

I couldn't find any threads about stock handles breaking.... So my tailgate handle always felt very hard to open (had to pull hard and it would engage at end of stroke) one day I was in a rush and opened it fast only to hear a loud snap and something break and drop downwards internally. Now the tailgate is locked on and the handle has zero resistance. Anyone experience this? If so, how much did was the repair or would it be easy to fix on my own? (Sr5 handle with built in camera)

 

There are long metal rods that go from the latches to the handle. Most likely the plastic clips that attach the rods to the handle broke. Sounds like one or both of your latches were crusty and hard to pop open which likely caused the resistance that broke the clips. You’ll want to replace the clips but also hose down the latches with pb blaster or wd40 to loosen them up so this doesn’t happen again.

 

To open the gate, remove the panel on the inside of the gate and then just pull on the metal rods by hand to open the gate.

 

I believe the problem is you can't remove the inner plastic cover if the tailgate is closed

 

To remove the inner panel with the tailgate closed first take out the 7 bolts on the top with a T30 star bit. Then pop off the plastic cover on the top of the tailgate. Remove the rest of the T30 bolts from the panel and slide the panel out vertically. Might need some silicon lube to help it past the two rubber bumpers. Now manually reach in and pull the levers to release the gate.