Sport17 Posted December 15, 2017 Report Share Posted December 15, 2017 Curious if anyone else has this issue. If I park on an angle (tested with passenger side 8" lower than driver's side) the liftgate will not latch closed. I just got it back from the dealer who "fixed" it but it still has the issue. Looking at it, it almost seems like the gate is too heavy for the support arms that operate it. Has anyone else tried to close their liftgate while parked off-angle? I'm hoping it's just bad design because I'm growing tired of dealership visits with no success.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Young Posted December 27, 2017 Report Share Posted December 27, 2017 I bet its chassis or body flex. If you were to have a nice 'frame rail to frame rail' trailer hitch installed it would 'fix' your problem. Just something to think about 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 (edited) We bought a new '17 Edge SEL last weekend. It has a manual liftgate and you have to slam it very hard to get it to latch completely. It does seem to flex or shift as it engages the latch when you try to close it slowly. I'll have to look at it closer in the daylight but it seems like it could use some adjustment. Edited January 11, 2018 by markwilson66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Is yours power or manual? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sport17 Posted January 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Is yours power or manual? Mine is power.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Its due to poor body rigidity. Just push it down the last 1cm so that it will latch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrcold Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Its due to poor body rigidity. Just push it down the last 1cm so that it will latch.I doubt that. It's more than likely the strength of the hydraulic struts and/or actuators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 I doubt that. It's more than likely the strength of the hydraulic struts and/or actuators. SUV is a box on wheels, even a little flex will cause funny things to happen, like closing the trunk, creaks and groans when driving over undulations. All cars have this, SUV's just more than normal cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrcold Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 SUV is a box on wheels, even a little flex will cause funny things to happen, like closing the trunk, creaks and groans when driving over undulations. All cars have this, SUV's just more than normal cars. That's not what you said though. You said it's due to poor body rigidity (that's a tad bit more bold than a "little flex"). Again, I'm of the opinion that it's the strut mechanism, rather than structural integrity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 That's not what you said though. You said it's due to poor body rigidity (that's a tad bit more bold than a "little flex"). Again, I'm of the opinion that it's the strut mechanism, rather than structural integrity. Lol, technically any flex is not good. SUV's suffer from this more than sedans and coupe's and when compared to their levels of rigidity, it really is poor. Not as bad a convertibles, those are really bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrcold Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Lol, technically any flex is not good. SUV's suffer from this more than sedans and coupe's and when compared to their levels of rigidity, it really is poor. Not as bad a convertibles, those are really bad! Okay, but that doesn't make the definitive reason for the tailgate not closing now does it? For crying out loud these are hardly SUV's anyways. They are raised sedans for the most part, so body lean yes, huge amounts of flex (to affect how the rest of the car operates) hardly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 Here is a good example; this is the difference in torsional rigidity of a Lincoln (because I cant find the stats for the Edge) with a standard roof vs pano roof: Lincoln Continental (2017 – ) 30,712 (1,760 kNm/rad, base roof), 20,766 (1,190 kNm/rad, w/dual-panel moonroof) That is a massive difference in rigidity and even though it doesnt mean the car will fall apart when it drives over a rock, it is significant enough to notice. My Edge, with a Pano roof does the same as the OP and I just close it by hand as a work around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrcold Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 So you think the tailgate is not closing because your Edge has a pano sunroof vs not? I have the pano roof and have never had this problem. Again, I point to a failure or weak struts and/or actuators. Let's just agree to disagree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 So you think the tailgate is not closing because your Edge has a pano sunroof vs not? I have the pano roof and have never had this problem. Again, I point to a failure or weak struts and/or actuators. Let's just agree to disagree. I give up. OP your car is broken, please take it to Ford so that they can fix it. Looking forward to hear what is wrong so that I can fix my broken Edge too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Mine is going in on Monday. I was inspecting the latch and striker and the bumper guide on one side of the strike plate is cracked in half. The whole liftgate is shifted about 2-3mm towards the passenger side. https://photos.app.goo.gl/tccZgfcSkRN7Fj422 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 (edited) Not sure how I double posted, sorry! Here's a better photo of the gap difference. Sorry, it's dark out and just rained.https://photos.app.goo.gl/gaiSVuXKgSVuK4vy1 Edited January 12, 2018 by markwilson66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Here's a better photo of the gap difference. Sorry, it's dark out and just rained. https://photos.app.goo.gl/gaiSVuXKgSVuK4vy1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 (edited) Not sure how I double posted, sorry! Mine is going in on Monday. I was inspecting the latch and striker and the bumper guide on one side of the strike plate is cracked in half. The whole liftgate is shifted about 2-3mm towards the passenger side.https://photos.app.goo.gl/tccZgfcSkRN7Fj422 Edited January 12, 2018 by markwilson66 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTFordfan Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 17 Lincoln Continental is same CD4 platform. This is interesting because I just drove a Titanuim with a pano roof and I felt it was not as rigid as the one without-that we ended up buying. This was the first comment I made to my wife during the test drive. I have been driving nearly 40 years now and I could tell the difference almost immediately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 17 Lincoln Continental is same CD4 platform. This is interesting because I just drove a Titanuim with a pano roof and I felt it was not as rigid as the one without-that we ended up buying. This was the first comment I made to my wife during the test drive. I have been driving nearly 40 years now and I could tell the difference almost immediately. Yeah, manufacturers are still spending millions of dollars on chassis rigidity but when business comes along and says our customers want a 2m long glass roof that opens, there isnt much they can do. They can strengthen the tub to give it the same kind of rigidity as the normal roof car but would need to add so much weight that it would detract from other areas like performance and fuel consumption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTFordfan Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Yeah, manufacturers are still spending millions of dollars on chassis rigidity but when business comes along and says our customers want a 2m long glass roof that opens, there isnt much they can do. They can strengthen the tub to give it the same kind of rigidity as the normal roof car but would need to add so much weight that it would detract from other areas like performance and fuel consumption. The pano roof was impressive and it was not the only factor in choosing the other without it. It was more the price that fit our budget. We traded in an 11 SEL that seemed very solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaX83_ZA Posted February 9, 2018 Report Share Posted February 9, 2018 My pano roof is currently closed. I am too scared to even tilt it open. I know for a fact it wont slide open currently... I will take it to Ford in spring. I can definitely tell you my next car will NOT have a pano roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sport17 Posted May 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 So, I'm not sure if it's related or not but my left (driver's side) lift actuator broke off. I tried snapping it back on but it won't stay. Ugh. I ordered a new one for $120. Anyone have experience installing one? It looks pretty straight forward but that isn't always the case. As for the gate not closing when parked at an angle, I feel like that is an adjustment/alignment issue to the gate. In fact, I'm thinking that the alignment issue may have caused the failure to the actuator. Guess I'll find out soon enough. Hoping for the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colletta.Louis Posted June 3, 2018 Report Share Posted June 3, 2018 Not sure how I double posted, sorry! Mine is going in on Monday. I was inspecting the latch and striker and the bumper guide on one side of the strike plate is cracked in half. The whole liftgate is shifted about 2-3mm towards the passenger side.https://photos.app.goo.gl/tccZgfcSkRN7Fj422 Did this correct your liftgate issue? My liftgate is very hard to close also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilson66 Posted June 3, 2018 Report Share Posted June 3, 2018 Yes, with the new striker plate adjusted properly it now closes more easily. It's not 100% perfect, especially when parked on our driveway that curves and slopes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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