Has anyone noticed a clicking or a poping noise every so often when opening tailgate?
My wife and I have had our 08 Panel for about a month and half and noticed every once and a while when we open the tailgate it pops as if it were opening on worn hinges. I have inspected the hinges and can not replicate the noise. It seems as if maybe the tail gate settles when you drive it and than when you open it, it pops back to place. If we close it and open the gate it won't make that pop again until we drive it a bit.

Just wondering if anyone else has had the same problem. Or if it's worth the down time to have the dealer warranty it.

 

Haven't had that problem with mine...maybe some spray lube on the hinges would be worth a try.

 

It may be the seals on your support shocks making that noise. If it sits for awhile they may get sticky on the chrome shaft. Try putting a couple drops of oil (not WD-40) on the seals. The noise is more evident on older vehicles when the shaft starts to rust.

 

The lock mechanism makes a noise when I open mine. I thought it was normal since no one else had mentioned it.

 

In my case they lubed the actuator and it took care of the problem.

 

Yes, I have the same popping noise.

Sorry to be so dense, but what is the "actuator"?

 

This seems to have started with '07 (Stitch II does this, while Stitch I did not), and really doesn't seem to affect the hinge operation. It just sounds horrible, but I don't worry about it mainly because I don't open the tailgate enough to make it an issue. It may be the settling you mention, but I'm more inclined to think it's a consequence of possibly tightening the gaps on the top part of the gate (nothing rubs, though, when you open it.).

 

This seems the most likely. It's been my experience that the stock struts are junk compared to aftermarket. I replaced the struts on my Aerostar back in the day and the replacements were probably twice as thick in diameter, and the gate operated smoother than it ever did even when new, plus it opened faster.

 

same here i took it back to dealer they replaced the struts they told me it was the right strut was bad they nreplaced several. but only in the 08's

 

The actuator is the electric mechanism that you push to open the rear hatch. I thought there was something wrong with mine when I heard more of a clicking sound which to me seemed excessive. However, the dealer told me that if you hold it too long you'll hear that and there was nothing wrong with it.

No popping noise here...just the clicking and once I didn't hold it down for more than just a second, the noise I was hearing was gone.