this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
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I read the article. Is this really new? Nothing wrong with talking about it, but tailgates have long been notoriously easy to steal. I suppose there wasn't as much market in the days when a pickup truck did work and only work, meaning the only need for replacement was from hauling damage. However, I know 10 years ago, the dealership I worked for got hit and a bunch of high-trim/luxury tailgates got swiped. Only those, not base models. It happened a few times a year. The 2015 gen of F-150 and... 2017? Gen of F-250 thru 450 introduced locking tailgates via remote with the doors. Didn't matter, still continued to get swiped for those pretty, pretty Platinum-trim tailgates *due to employee negligence and/or dead batteries preventing it from being locked. They didn't require any tools at all, which is why I'm surprised the author goes through the trouble of explaining how easy it is to replace a taco tailgate on a farm. Tailgates have long been removable with an unlocked latch, unhook of the cables, 45 degree tilt, lift from one side, and slide out the other.
Edit: added why the power lock tailgates still get stolen (by accidentally not being locked). Also, I think locking tailgates preceded power locks, although they required turning the actual key in the tailgate. Or maybe that's what the base models had in the reference gens above, despite power locks becoming atandard
I think it also comes and goes in waves. For a while, a specific model of Ford SUV was having its factory alloy rims stolen. Because they were being stolen so much, and there weren’t replacements available, junk yards were able to sell rims they ‘happened’ to buy sans vehicle for near retail prices. They also paid more for the wheels than other parts, so it was sort of a self-sustaining theft economy.
Huh. It’s like little criminal entrepreneurs chasing pricing bubbles in inelastic goods. But they also create demand for those goods by doing crime.
I guess, the word got out, or the economy got bad enough where suddenly lots of folks are doing it? Or the easiness of fencing the tailgates on social media is encouraging folks who wouldn't know how to sell a catalytic converter to get into the "steal components" game? Not totally sure!
I am sure that it's newly cropping up as a common problem. It's all over the Tacoma subreddit, even the news is covering it (local news in Alameda covered a chop-shop bust that was targeting Tacomas specifically, and that was like, 2 days ago).
So yeah, I'm as mystified as you are. I explained the removable tailgate concept just for folks who maybe never drove a pickup truck or the many folks who don't use that feature.
(Edit: and thanks for the dealership insights! I never drove any F-Series other than the F-150, so I had no idea how the heavy duty models handled tailgate features)
I mean that's fair. I would think pickup owners already know how easy it is to remove the tailgate, but it is reasonable to explain to non-pickup owners that it's easier than stealing a door. I was assuming non-pickup owners wouldn't really care in the first place, but why exclude them? I guess my question is really whether this is truly trending or if it was simply sensationalism by main media outlets.
I'd also add a possible legitimate source of a bunch of tailgates: truck body upfitters. While you can order a pickup-style truck without the bed to installed some kind of work body, sometimes it's worth it to get one with a bed and remove it. Most people don't want a spare bed they'll never use, so the upfitters will keep the bed and factor it into the sale price. However, I saw that market trend up and down in my time there as well, so, sometimes, it was best to eat a little loss to save a ton of storage space. So, they'd remove the tailgate and taillights, then crush and scrap the bed. Now, they didn't upfit Tacos when I was there, but Ford, Ram, and Chevy were all viable in the 250-3500 classes