Idiot management in design award

[DcnPat]

So I'm sitting at my dealer's service department because my power tailgate won't open. I get a message "Stow Tailgate Step" in the IPC when I start the truck. I have the factory ordered and installed 3 piece folding tonneau cover.

The tech just came and asked me if there was some way to open the cover with the tailgate up because he couldn't get the tailgate to open.

I just want to take a moment to congratulate Ford's design team on the 14th Gen F150 for not including any way to manually open the power tailgate. Seriously, what possessed management to approve a design without a manual override? At the very least there should be a manual lock cylinder and release somewhere on the outside of the tailgate. Sure, they probably saves a few dollars and will come out $$ ahead over all but they will be paying this poor tech for the warranty work and alienating every owner when the power tailgate fails this way.

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[scott011422]

You can manually open the tailgate from the inside. Both electric latches have manual releases. Even all the way back to the 04 model year, The shitty plastic handle would break, Causing you to have to open the tailgate cover to manually release it. That prox switch for the step is a pita.

 

[DcnPat]

You can manually open the tailgate from the inside. Both electric latches have manual releases. Even all the way back to the 04 model year, The shitty plastic handle would break, Causing you to have to open the tailgate cover to manually release it. That prox switch for the step is a pita.

You kind of missed the "from factory installed 3 piece hard folding tonneau cover" that makes getting inside a problem ...

 

[scott011422]

You kind of missed the "from factory installed 3 piece hard folding tonneau cover" that makes getting inside a problem ...

Not really. Was just addressing the lack of manual releases. I know is frustrating, But thats just kind of how it is. There are fibreglass bed covers that overlap the tailgate a bit. Handle on that breaks and your in the same boat. Everything breaks. Some are defiantly more frustrating than others.

Defiantly a bad position to be in.

 

[DcnPat]

A manual release that requires access from inside the bed (and disassembly of the tailgate) is a poor design decision in my book. YMMV.

Yep - everthing breaks or wears out eventually. Design decisions frequently overlook that.

Tech managed to open the cover and diagnose a faulty sensor/switch for the bed step and by some miracle they had one in stock. He replaced that and it still doesn't work - tailgate module failure. New module expected for installation Wednesday.

 

[imnuts]

So if you could manually bypass the handle on the outside, how would any tonneau cover provide any security to contents in the bed? They'd make it easier to manually open the tailgate, then you'd be hear asking why Ford made it so easy to open the tailgate after someone stole yours.

 

[DcnPat]

So if you could manually bypass the handle on the outside, how would any tonneau cover provide any security to contents in the bed? They'd make it easier to manually open the tailgate, then you'd be hear asking why Ford made it so easy to open the tailgate after someone stole yours.

The physical lock would be the security. I had a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and installed a security cover for the back from Tuffy. The doors could be on or off the Jeep and the back was secured because the interior power door lock switches became deactivated about 30 seconds after locking the Jeep. The tailgate had a manual lock cylinder and push button handle to open if needed.

How secure is the current setup? The tech said all he did was slide a pick with a hook in under the weather stripping to grab the cover release. Once the cover is open the tailgate is not really secure - take off the panel and apparently you can manually open it.

Let's be honest - locks are only there to keep honest people honest. If someone wants in they are getting in. If they want to steal the tailgate they are taking it.

 

[Sneezy]

I always thought that was a serious oversight in replacing the lock cylinder that the lower models get, with the rear zone light for the higher trims. The reverse lights would be fine by themselves for the rear zone lighting. I’m thankful mine (XL) has the lock cylinder, but my dad has had problems with his 22 F350 in freezing weather and the tonneau cover/electric latch combo

 

[eharri3]

I generally hate having a button operated tailgate. After the fiasco I went through from the tailgate opening tsb corrupting my truck’s software I told myself if I could have rewound to when I went in for the tsb with that advanced knowledge I’d have just asked them to put on a rapid red XL tailgate.

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