2005 chevy tailgate won't open; horizontal rod to passenger side has dropped

Get a new rod clip at any auto parts store. Look for the broken clip at the bottom of the tailgate and take it with you to match it up.

Lets Fix It - Volume 1: Avalanche Tailgate Lock - YouTube

? 5:14
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF1-c-ZsX2w
May 28, 2013 - Uploaded by Damon Caskey
How to fix a jammed Chevy Avalanche tailgate latch. Sorry for the volume issues; I'll have them fixed in the ...

REMOVE TAIL GATE HANDLE YOU USE A TRIM TOOL OR FLAT SCREW DRIVER PRY OFF THE HANDLE ESCUTCHEON DOWN AND AWAY FROM THE TAILGATE IF SCREW DRIVER IS USED COVER THE TIP WITH ELECRICAL TAPE TO PREVENT DAMAGING PAINT SURFACE.FROM THE BED SIDE OF THE TAILGATE REMOVE THE HANDLE MOUNTING BOLTS.ROTATE THE PLASTIC RETAINING CLIPS OFF THE CONTROL RODS AND DETACH THE RODS FROM THE HANDLE. REMOVE THE BOLTS AND WITHDRAW THE LATCH FROM THE END OF THE TAILGATE.PUT EVERY THING BACK VISA VERSA.

Hello, If you are talking about a hard cover, what you need to do is open the tailgate and look at the underside of the cover. You should see some contact pads on top of threaded shafts. These contact pads need to be adjusted to allow for the locking mechanism to work.

The lid must go down far enough for the lock cables(rods) to expand and secure the lid. You may need some Torx or Allen-headed sockets to turn the parts. With the tailgate open, you can see what needs to be done. You might want to check any Bed mounts you can see as they may have loosened up.

The side locks of the Bed require just the right amount of length in the Horizontal lock rods. If they are too long, you will never get the lid open with the handle once you close it. I hope my Solution is very helpful to you.

yes theres 2 rods. inside the tail gate is 3 bolts hold the latch in place. they are very center of the tailgate remove these to get the handle out

There are two rods inside the tailgate.One for the driver's side latch and the other for the passenger's side latch. They are connected to the handle with "swing away" plastic connectors. If you lift the handle and look under it you should see the driver's side rod still hooked to your handle, and nothing on the passenger's side. If both rods are still connected to the handle, the repair is going to be much harder. Let's hope only one is connected. Unbolt the handle and pull it out far enough to disconnect the rod/rods, ( you might want to tie a string to it so it doesn't fall out of reach before you disconnect it ). Now grab both rods with needle nose pliers and pull them toward the center, if the passenger's side is still connected to the latch, this should open your tailgate. If the passengers side is not connected, try getting a long stiff wire with a hook on the end to activate the latch, it may take several tries, but just be patient and careful and persistent. If this doesn't work, hopefully someone else has a solution,about all I have left is cutting the strike bolt on the passenger's side, ( going to be very hard to do ), or breaking the tail light lens and trying to remove the strike bolt, ( last resort before destroying the tailgate ). I'm posting a picture of a typical swing away connector to help, they are color coded and this isn't the proper color, but it will give you an idea of what it looks like and how it attaches the rod to the handle.

· Open the tailgate and remove the tailgate liner.
· Remove the ten bolts(5) that secure the tailgate cover(4) to the inside of the tailgate and remove the cover.
· Using a pencil,mark the actuator rod(3) at the control(2) for the latch(1) being serviced.
· Disconnect the actuator rod from the control
· Remove the two bolts(7 and 8) that secure the latch(5) to the tailgate(4) and position the tailgate check cable(6) out of the way.
· Remove the latch and actuator rod from the tailgate as an assembly.
· If required,remove the actuator rod from the latch.
You will have to remove the tailgate cover. The cover will most likely be held on by some of the tailgate metal access cover.

go to the chevy dealership for the handle and clips comes to appx. 40 dollars

there are little metal rods that connect to the handle of the tailgate, just like the rods that connect your door handles to the door hinges and lock mechanism. just pop off the plastic cover over the tailgate handle and check and see if the rods are still connected to the handle.

Remove the molding surrounding the latch (gently) with a screwdriver by prying away from the tailgate. Remove the bolts from the tailgate on the backside of the latch assembly. lightly pull the lever assembly forward, but do not try to pull it out. The rod that came loose will be in the general area of the lever assembly. Most likely the retaining clip to the rod came off.