Gnarly tailgate rattle

[Geo2]

I added a thin rubber gasket to top leading edge where the tailgate meets the window frame and it’s dramatically reduced the hollow rattle sound. I may consider a different type of gasket as I don’t want impact any weather sealing….but it’s a start.

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[JeffROK]

I just had this issue crop up on mine. Followed the advice on this thread to remove the panels on the tailgate (I broke 2 clips, so start from the bottom when removing) I sprayed wd40 in pretty much every hole I could see. Opened and closed the tailgate a bunch and moved the spare tire up and down a bunch. Seems to have worked.

I took off the panels and also learned the hard way to start from the bottom (wish I'd seen your comment sooner!). Anyway, did you just spray into the holes willy nilly? Even with the help of a flashlight, I was only able to see one or two bolts.

 

[KT_bronco]

I took off the panels and also learned the hard way to start from the bottom (wish I'd seen your comment sooner!). Anyway, did you just spray into the holes willy nilly? Even with the help of a flashlight, I was only able to see one or two bolts.

Lots of nilly, cause I tried to be strategic at first and no results. After that some good old frustration spraying did the trick.

 

[dannyblet]

I also have the terrible clicking noise. Dealership has had it for 3 days now and has given up. They said all parts are as they should be, that with it being a wildtrak and larger tire it’ll just make that noise. Glad to read a little lube might help. Kinda wondering what the fix for it would actually be. Only had my Bronco for 30 days, 2100 miles.

 

[Ksjrb03]

This ridiculous clicking noise was driving us absolutely crazy. It has become very relentless. I decided to give the lube another go. This time I took my tailgate table off and take the time to really investigate the interior with a flashlight, based off of @Patriotic post #185.

Take the accessory cover rectan panel off and it will expose several holes. (My case tailgate table was blocking). Then take off the large vent panel thing off the driver side. This lets you shine the flashlight in from the side and see some of the bolts better. I hit every bolt, and anything else penetrated into the tailgate with WD-40 white lithium splooge. Take your time and use a small flashlight. I think I counted 6 bolts I could see. Here are some I could get pics of.

After hitting all that, I decided fuck this and hit every hole on the tailgate with extra splooge for a couple seconds. No pics of that money shot, but it was a mess. Immediately took a drive, and knew before I got out of my neighborhood this is finally fixed. Holy fuck yes. Thanks to all who shared this before. The tick tick tick from hell is finally gone, for now.

Bonus footage. I found that when I wiggled on the wire loom, one of the “tree” clips made a clicking noise that was VERY similar to the tick I’ve been dealing with. I wrapped the tree itself good in cloth tape, now it fits better and the noise went away. I don’t know if it was my issue, but thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[Patriotic]

^^Awesome, thanks for sharing.

 

[Patriotic]

Reporting what worked for me in hopes it will help others:

1. I developed the same rattle as in the short videos posted on this thread. Noticed mine 2-3 weeks ago, at about 500 miles.

2. After reading another thread on B6G (but not this one) regarding a rattle from the cargo area, I applied GummiPflege to all window and seals in the rear. This didn't resolve the issue.

3. Rode in the rear seats yesterday morning and I isolated the sound as coming from inside the tailgate as others here observed.

4. On advice of a poster to this thread, I removed the rectangular black accessory cover from the tailgate and really doused (bathed) the 2-3 bolts that I could see with WD-40 Spray Lithium Grease. Test drove it again and the noise was better (i.e. less frequent) but still there. Figured I was on to something.

5. Found and read all 13 pages of this thread. I removed the accessory cover again and doused the lower bolt towards the driver side latch that I had missed on the first pass. (Tip: Use flashlight to see this and all other bolts to make sure you don't miss any).

6. At the same time, on the advice of another poster to this thread, I doused the latch mechanism on the tailgate and the slider on the body.

7. Test drove again and the rattle/tick-tick sound is completely gone.

Not sure what actually resolved my issue or whether it was a combination of all these things but I hope this helps others.

Updating my post from May 2022 . . . after about 6 months, I started hearing some faint noises from my rear cargo area. Not as bad as before this fix, but not silent either like after this fix. So this past weekend I reapplied the lube in all these areas. Took 5 minutes. And now I'm back to quiet.

So, perhaps the lesson is while this fix works, it may need to be reapplied every 5-6 months to keep it as quiet as possible.

 

[Panmort]

Is this the infamous tailgate rattle? Non SAS OBX

 

[Ksjrb03]

@Panmort I will give $50 to whoever figures out wtf that noise is. Somedays I think its the seat, somedays the hardtop, somedays the tailgate. I have no clue. I hear it on any pothole or speed bump, at speed. Im pretty sure its not the tailgate.

That noise has been posted in this thread before, along with the infamous "tailgate tick", I have no clue which one this thread is really about! The noise that is fixed by spray lube all over the interior of the tailgate is on post #57 of this thread. More of a tick than a rattle.

 

[jakebadlands]

been a few people saying the reinforcements didn't fix it. on this thread and on other similar threads. may not be a bad idea, but still not addressing a design flaw properly. I'm hoping for a TSB, but it doesn't sound like any solution is reasonable unless they redesign the tailgate and then they are going to replace thousands? doesn't seem likely

Same with mine. Tailgate continued to click and make noise even with the Hammerbuilt Reinforcement bracket installed.

 

[Panmort]

@Panmort I will give $50 to whoever figures out wtf that noise is. Somedays I think its the seat, somedays the hardtop, somedays the tailgate. I have no clue. I hear it on any pothole or speed bump, at speed. Im pretty sure its not the tailgate.

That noise has been posted in this thread before, along with the infamous "tailgate tick", I have no clue which one this thread is really about! The noise that is fixed by spray lube all over the interior of the tailgate is on post #57 of this thread. More of a tick than a rattle.

This is the noise that won’t quit, lol. It’s driving me insane. I’ve tried the lubrication and felt strips I’ve seen someone else mentioned along the top but no change so far. I’ve also got the soft top, so it sounds like it affects both the ST and HT.

 

[Ksjrb03]

This is the noise that won’t quit, lol. It’s driving me insane. I’ve tried the lubrication and felt strips I’ve seen someone else mentioned along the top but no change so far. I’ve also got the soft top, so it sounds like it affects both the ST and HT.

Ya my tailgate made the tick which lube fixed. It squeaked against the hardtop lift glass which the felt or lube fixes. The rattle you posted had me perplexed. Mine doesn’t rattle as often as yours seems to, so it’s been hard to track down. If yours is persistent, have you tried sitting back there while someone else drives? That has helped me track down other noises.

 

[Panmort]

Ya my tailgate made the tick which lube fixed. It squeaked against the hardtop lift glass which the felt or lube fixes. The rattle you posted had me perplexed. Mine doesn’t rattle as often as yours seems to, so it’s been hard to track down. If yours is persistent, have you tried sitting back there while someone else drives? That has helped me track down other noises.

I haven’t had a chance yet but likely will get my wife to drive it sometime this week. The noise seems to vary in how bad it is, no idea if it’s weather or what. Hopefully sitting back there I can at least pinpoint where it’s coming from.

 

[cgv]

Same with mine. Tailgate continued to click and make noise even with the Hammerbuilt Reinforcement bracket installed.

Mine didn't start until after the reinforcement....

I pulled the rubber plug on the middle upper side of the tailgate and sprayed down in and that seemed to help. Then I installed my eibachs and I notice the tick even less with the smoother ride. I'll try and spray it again when I remember to see if I can completely eliminate it.

 

[oflo10]

Same. Whatever and wherever it is the colder the weather the worse it is. I'm having the same issue.

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