On the tailgate of my 855, there's a small rod that runs from the lock cylinder to the latch assembly.

On my car, it has popped free from its latch a few times. It slides into a grommet, but the rod is smooth, as is the grommet, and I'd really like a way to retain it.

Do they all just slide in? Or is there something missing or broken here?

Has anyone found a way to retain it so it can't fall out?

I've replaced my tailgate shocks, and put a repair kit on the tailgate panel.. so until the shocks wear out again, it won't be slammed anymore.. but if there was a better way to retain it, I'm sure it would be good!

 

BTW, it appears if you take the tailgate cover off *once*, you need to be prepared with another tailgate repair kit! Those metal repair plates that go over the clip holes don't easily come off.. to the point where you have to deform them to remove the cover!