I was at the grocery store this morning. I loaded my groceries in the back of my '05 KJ and went to close the tailgate. It wouldn't close on the first try, but it appeared to work the second time. Okay. So I headed home. Made a left at the corner and the rear glass popped open and the tailgate swung out. Pulled in to a steakhouse parking lot and started playing with the lock. The latching mechanism was loose and there's no way it was going to stay latched. Called my DH to bring me a ratchet strap so I could at least get it home without incident.
I'm looking at 3 options.
Option 1
Buy a new latch (MOPAR part 55360641AB or Dorman 931-713 or some other aftermarket part).
Option 2
I found this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5MEvqWZVTU
In it, the guy says the actuator for the tailgate is a MOPAR part only and quite pricey, but the same same actuator (55360641AB) is used on the left rear door (55177045AI). The metal part of the latch is different, but they can be swapped. The left rear door latch is cheaper than the tailgate latch. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?
Option 3
I am not too thrilled with the power latch on the tailgate and would prefer a manual keyed latch instead. These were available on the '02 models. I don't know if it will fit an '05. Or will it?
I like Option 3 the best, but the other options are also okay.
What would you suggest?
Thanks!
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