Tailgate Rattle / Tick Issue Fix -- TSB 23-2163

[ToddGreen]

I've got a 2022 Black Diamond, build date in June 2022. The tailgate has the metal-on-metal tick/rattle sound that others are also dealing with. It's coming from inside the tailgate in or around the area of the hinges. Mine's been there from day one, and may be getting a bit worse with time (I'm at 11,500 miles). It's annoying for sure, but not extreme (yet).

The fix put out by Ford seems to be TSB 23-2163, which calls for the replacement of the entire tailgate and both hinges. I'm evaluating whether to have that done. If it fixes the problem, it's likely worth it. But if not, then it's a waste of time plus the risk of the paint not matching, things ending up worse than before, etc.

For those that have gotten their tailgates replaced under this TSB -- would you please chime in on how it worked out? It'd be really helpful to me and I'm sure others.

I've seen sporadic comments in some of the other "tailgate rattle" threads from folks who replaced their tailgates. It seems that it was a success for some and ended up worse for others. But, because those other threads seem to cover a few different tailgate noises/squeaks with different sources, I thought I'd try to collect information in this thread regarding the metallic tick sound.

Thanks for any information about experience with this TSB and any other helpful thoughts.

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[Lak34ers]

I've got a 2022 Black Diamond, build date in June 2022. The tailgate has the metal-on-metal tick/rattle sound that others are also dealing with. It's coming from inside the tailgate in or around the area of the hinges. Mine's been there from day one, and may be getting a bit worse with time (I'm at 11,500 miles). It's annoying for sure, but not extreme (yet).

The fix put out by Ford seems to be TSB 23-2163, which calls for the replacement of the entire tailgate and both hinges. I'm evaluating whether to have that done. If it fixes the problem, it's likely worth it. But if not, then it's a waste of time plus the risk of the paint not matching, things ending up worse than before, etc.

For those that have gotten their tailgates replaced under this TSB -- would you please chime in on how it worked out? It'd be really helpful to me and I'm sure others.

I've seen sporadic comments in some of the other "tailgate rattle" threads from folks who replaced their tailgates. It seems that it was a success for some and ended up worse for others. But, because those other threads seem to cover a few different tailgate noises/squeaks with different sources, I thought I'd try to collect information in this thread regarding the metallic tick sound.

Thanks for any information about experience with this TSB and any other helpful thoughts.

Following. Same issue with my 2021 the last few months. Dealer ordered new tailgate to replace but worried about not matching and I lose my ceramic I had done. I have hammerbuilt Reinforcement I installed a week ago but didn't fix it. Guess I have no choice but to replace or listen to rattles.

 

[Strizzo]

Mine has recently started doing this but I’m not sure if mine was built before June 25, 2022.
My question would be if there is a revised part or if they’re just replacing it and hoping to get it past warranty before it happens again.

 

[Hashlak]

Hey guys,

So I had this same issue. Damn annoying but thankfully I have managed to 100% remove the sound. With the help of this forum ofcourse.

To save you time from all the reading, basically getting the replacement tailgate may or may not help. It seems to be more of a design flaw and some people have got a replaced tailgate with the problem persisting.

For me personally, I am living in the UAE and this whole tailgate replacement thing is a massive massive hassle. Specially when I too have custom tailgate support bracket similar to the hammer built one and PPF on the car. I have to go to several difference garages to fix everthing so essentially going to the dealer is out of the question.

- First step is to go to local DIY/Hardware store and buy some lithium grease as well as a window gasket or seal. Any basic hardware store should have these.

- Second, open the tailgate and fit the gasket in the position shown in the photo(Blue arrow) This will stop the rubber to rubber contact creaking sounds.

- Third step, get your lithium grease with the straw and spray it in the marked locations (Red crosses). You will need to remove the black plastic piece, fairly easy. The marked locations are the main bolts that are causing the metal to metail ticking sounds. Some of them you will be able to see, the others are not so visable, but you can sort of figure out where they are by looking at the outside of your tailgate and just following the pattern.

- Fourth step is to check and see if your spare wheel has enough support, because if you are running a minus offset on your rims, it is likely the spare wheel will be sticking out a bit, and the lower bumpstop supports are not enough to keep it in place. This means spare wheel will flex and cause all the tailgate bolts to flex and this just makes the noise worse. I managed to find a rubber peice used to put under chairs or something in the DIY store, seemed to fit perfect. You can also look at a little PVC pipe, anything that just extends the bump stop to keep that spare tire secure and limit movement. (Picture attached with green arrow pointing to it)

Then you may enjoy... perfect silence

 

[Lak34ers]

Hey guys,

So I had this same issue. Damn annoying but thankfully I have managed to 100% remove the sound. With the help of this forum ofcourse.

To save you time from all the reading, basically getting the replacement tailgate may or may not help. It seems to be more of a design flaw and some people have got a replaced tailgate with the problem persisting.

For me personally, I am living in the UAE and this whole tailgate replacement thing is a massive massive hassle. Specially when I too have custom tailgate support bracket similar to the hammer built one and PPF on the car. I have to go to several difference garages to fix everthing so essentially going to the dealer is out of the question.

- First step is to go to local DIY/Hardware store and buy some lithium grease as well as a window gasket or seal. Any basic hardware store should have these.

- Second, open the tailgate and fit the gasket in the position shown in the photo(Blue arrow) This will stop the rubber to rubber contact creaking sounds.

- Third step, get your lithium grease with the straw and spray it in the marked locations (Red crosses). You will need to remove the black plastic piece, fairly easy. The marked locations are the main bolts that are causing the metal to metail ticking sounds. Some of them you will be able to see, the others are not so visable, but you can sort of figure out where they are by looking at the outside of your tailgate and just following the pattern.

- Fourth step is to check and see if your spare wheel has enough support, because if you are running a minus offset on your rims, it is likely the spare wheel will be sticking out a bit, and the lower bumpstop supports are not enough to keep it in place. This means spare wheel will flex and cause all the tailgate bolts to flex and this just makes the noise worse. I managed to find a rubber peice used to put under chairs or something in the DIY store, seemed to fit perfect. You can also look at a little PVC pipe, anything that just extends the bump stop to keep that spare tire secure and limit movement. (Picture attached with green arrow pointing to it)

Then you may enjoy... perfect silence

Thank you. Also there is a Ford bump stop that you can order that perfectly fits a zero offset. It is about $25 each you will need 2. Exact same as oem but sticks out further for perfect zero offset fit. Search this forum and there is a part #. I guess I will try the grease and see. It is so hard to tell tailgate vs all the soft top rattles.

 

[ToddGreen]

Hey guys,

So I had this same issue. Damn annoying but thankfully I have managed to 100% remove the sound. With the help of this forum ofcourse.

To save you time from all the reading, basically getting the replacement tailgate may or may not help. It seems to be more of a design flaw and some people have got a replaced tailgate with the problem persisting.

For me personally, I am living in the UAE and this whole tailgate replacement thing is a massive massive hassle. Specially when I too have custom tailgate support bracket similar to the hammer built one and PPF on the car. I have to go to several difference garages to fix everthing so essentially going to the dealer is out of the question.

- First step is to go to local DIY/Hardware store and buy some lithium grease as well as a window gasket or seal. Any basic hardware store should have these.

- Second, open the tailgate and fit the gasket in the position shown in the photo(Blue arrow) This will stop the rubber to rubber contact creaking sounds.

- Third step, get your lithium grease with the straw and spray it in the marked locations (Red crosses). You will need to remove the black plastic piece, fairly easy. The marked locations are the main bolts that are causing the metal to metail ticking sounds. Some of them you will be able to see, the others are not so visable, but you can sort of figure out where they are by looking at the outside of your tailgate and just following the pattern.

- Fourth step is to check and see if your spare wheel has enough support, because if you are running a minus offset on your rims, it is likely the spare wheel will be sticking out a bit, and the lower bumpstop supports are not enough to keep it in place. This means spare wheel will flex and cause all the tailgate bolts to flex and this just makes the noise worse. I managed to find a rubber peice used to put under chairs or something in the DIY store, seemed to fit perfect. You can also look at a little PVC pipe, anything that just extends the bump stop to keep that spare tire secure and limit movement. (Picture attached with green arrow pointing to it)

Then you may enjoy... perfect silence

Thanks for this. One question -- What's the best way to check to see if the spare wheel bump stop needs extra support? I'm running the stock Black Diamond wheels and tires. The bump stops seems solid, but I'm not sure how best to test them to see if I need to put a rubber piece under them. Any suggestion on that?

 

[Lak34ers]

Thanks for this. One question -- What's the best way to check to see if the spare wheel bump stop needs extra support? I'm running the stock Black Diamond wheels and tires. The bump stops seems solid, but I'm not sure how best to test them to see if I need to put a rubber piece under them. Any suggestion on that?

If the bump stop is touching against the spare tire you are good. Factory should be fine with no mods. It's when you go to a lesser aftermarket offset wheel and there will be a big gap between bump stop and spare tire. Zero offset is getting more common in aftermarket with is about 1.5 inches out vs stock wheels.

 

[EVH1994]

I just had the TSB done a few weeks ago. Here’s some info on my experience.

I had the annoying tick on my April 2022 build. I tried everything to fix it. I checked for loose plastic pieces in the tailgate, made sure all wire clips were taped down, etc., and nothing made it any better. The noise drove me absolutely crazy, but Im more sensitive to that kind of thing than others. The tick especially got bad in the warmer months and rattled over every small bump.

The dealership diagnosed it a few months ago and ordered the parts (there were a few on back order for a while). Ford sends a new tailgate to the dealership that’s unpainted, so it has to be painted at a body shop. Since I have Shadow Black, they painted it before I brought my Bronco back, as they said that the black is pretty easy to match.

I just got my Bronco back about 2 weeks ago and so far the tick is completely gone (knock on wood), so I’m very happy about that. The only issue I have is that the paint on the inside has some dust spots, like they didn’t prepare it as well as the outside. Kind of annoying, but I figure if I have them do it again it’s just going to be another problem, so I may just deal with it. The paint color seems to match pretty well, though.

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

[Ksjrb03]

I had the tick from day 1, and did the white lithium spray lube trick. It didnt work on the first try, but on the second try I must of sprayed half the bottle in there. I just went ape shit with it spraying in every hole, every direction. It has been perfectly quiet for over a year now. If it comes back I will have the TSB done, it is a redesigned tailgate and evidence so far show no longer an issue. That noise almost had me dumping the Bronco lol.

 

[AttackGuy64]

I had the same problem and just assumed it was the 35 hanging off the back of my swing gate. I put a hinge reinforcement bracket from BAMF on there and never heard it again. YMMV.

 

[TXBronco1313]

I had the tick since day 1 as well and at this point I just got used to it. I heard spraying WD40 does the trick but I just worry because WD40 is paint thinner. I considered doing the recall but I worry about the color match and with all honesty I'd rather deal with the tick than have bunch of mechanics tearing through the tailgate

 

[XirallicBolts]

I managed to fix mine in the stupidest way possible.
My plan was to carefully insert a bicycle innertube the long way inside the tailgate and inflate it just enough to keep pressure between the inner and outer walls.

I've seen people do similar to stop their truck topper from buffeting on the highway.

Well it inflated way too fast, stretched the panels, and popped the tube. Thankfully no paint or metal damage but surpringly, haven't heard the rattle since!

 

[RedDoor16]

I had the replacement. Total pain in the ass to not have the truck and then get the ceramic redone. And clicking persisted.

I’ve grown used to it but may try the lithium suggestion.

 

[Ksjrb03]

I had the tick since day 1 as well and at this point I just got used to it. I heard spraying WD40 does the trick but I just worry because WD40 is paint thinner. I considered doing the recall but I worry about the color match and with all honesty I'd rather deal with the tick rather than have bunch of mechanics tearing through the tailgate

Nope, not regular WD40, its the white lithium version. I sprayed half a can in there and not a drop leaked out, the stuff stays where you spray it and wont hurt anything.

 

[TXBronco1313]

Nope, not regular WD40, its the white lithium version. I sprayed half a can in there and not a drop leaked out, the stuff stays where you spray it and wont hurt anything.

I need to try the white lithium then! seems like it's harmless and worked magic for you

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