Tailgate recall, leaky antenna

[Articlonestar]

Just had the tailgate latch recall done 4 days ago. Before the recall, it would latch periodically. Nowwww after the recall, it doesn't latch at all. Checking with the dealership where I had the recall done at and seems as they are not very helpful in this whole deal. Between this and the shark fin antenna leaking, I'm seriously considering just trading it in for something else. It's been 3 weeks. The truck is a 2015 with 34k miles on it.

Did some research and found that weather stripping under the shark fin solves the problem. How hard is the headliner to remove? I searched a little for a link of some sorts but didn't see anything.

Having second thoughts about this truck

 

[17CrewCab1500]

It amazes me that people whine and ***** about little things like that and want to trade their trucks in.

 

[Thunderbucket]

Until your cab corners start rotting from the inside out


If you can dodge it... Ram it

 

[chrisbh17]

How did the shark fin end up like that?

Quad or crew cab you wont easily remove the headliner completely, but you can just drop it enough to get to the antenna bolt. From the looks of that sharkfin it must have gotten caught and pulled back to be that far off the top of the roof. Does any other part of the roof seem bent? Especially behind the shark fin.

To drop the headliner you need to pull the visors, overhead console (if you have one), seat belts, all the upper pillar post covers, the rear clothes hangers and the rear dome light. That should give you enough to drop the headliner and rest it on the rear view mirror and/or seat headrests.

The shark fin is attached with a crown-shaped "cage" that is tightened between a bolt and the underside of the roof. But if the roof is bent, the cage wont really make the shark fin fit any better. I suppose its possible the cage part is messed up, if so you'll need to "persuade" it back into shape or buy a replacement.

I re-sealed mine myself, no evidence of leak but figured it was worth the effort (had to have my roof repainted after a side of it got dented)....you dont need to actually unplug the antenna to do so, just need to drop the headliner, take off the bolt/cage thing, run a bead of silicone on the underside of the antenna base, then put it all back together. There is a small square of foam strip around the hole where the wires enter the roof, THAT is the real seal for the antenna. The black outer seal is more decorative/to help keep the antenna itself from scratching the roof. it does stop water, of course, but there is another seal inside of it.

 

[Articlonestar]

Little things are when the radio pauses occasionally. That I can life with, as it is not going to cause mold or completely ruin my electrical.

Fingers crossed the dealer goes good for them. I absolutely love the truck, don't get me wrong.

This whole forum website has had nothing but great advice!


@chrisbh17, I'm not sure how it ended up like that. Must have been from previous owner? I haven't been through any automatic car washes or anything low clearance to hit it in 3 weeks lol. I will definitely be trying what you said, thanks for the advice!

 

[wespentecost]

Just had the tailgate latch recall done 4 days ago. Before the recall, it would latch periodically. Nowwww after the recall, it doesn't latch at all. Checking with the dealership where I had the recall done at and seems as they are not very helpful in this whole deal. Between this and the shark fin antenna leaking, I'm seriously considering just trading it in for something else. It's been 3 weeks. The truck is a 2015 with 34k miles on it.

Did some research and found that weather stripping under the shark fin solves the problem. How hard is the headliner to remove? I searched a little for a link of some sorts but didn't see anything.

Having second thoughts about this truck

View attachment 151383

Looks like a carwash got it. There are several YouTube videos on how to remove the headliner. I did part of mine recently for a leak. It's not hard at all.


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[RamCares]

Just had the tailgate latch recall done 4 days ago. Before the recall, it would latch periodically. Nowwww after the recall, it doesn't latch at all. Checking with the dealership where I had the recall done at and seems as they are not very helpful in this whole deal. Between this and the shark fin antenna leaking, I'm seriously considering just trading it in for something else. It's been 3 weeks. The truck is a 2015 with 34k miles on it.

Did some research and found that weather stripping under the shark fin solves the problem. How hard is the headliner to remove? I searched a little for a link of some sorts but didn't see anything.

Having second thoughts about this truck

View attachment 151383

Hi Articlonestar,
We're very sorry to hear about this. Please send us a private message if you need any additional assistance with addressing this concern with your dealer. We're happy to help!
Lydia
Ram Social Care Specialist

 

[mtnrider]

Just had the tailgate latch recall done 4 days ago. Before the recall, it would latch periodically. Nowwww after the recall, it doesn't latch at all. Checking with the dealership where I had the recall done at and seems as they are not very helpful in this whole deal.

The recall has Nothing to do with your tailgate not latching. You have another issue going on that needs to be addressed.
All the recall does is put in a small piece of plastic to keep the actuator from over traveling when you auto lock the tailgate.
If it is not latching you have something else out of adjustment, binding, or needs some lube to free up the latches.


/

 

[Articlonestar]

@mtnrider, that makes sense. Just odd that after the recall, it does nothing, when before it worked 3/4 of the time.

Spent some time on the phone today and it looks like the dealer I bought the truck off from, is going to have everything fixed from the bigger RAM dealership next town over at no cost. So needless to say things are going to be taken care of.

Thank you for the concern Lydia! It's nice to see some sort of rep/ specialist taking notice on problems.