I got a call recently from a friend who had the tailgate stolen off his 2005 Chevrolet Silverado. He had stopped at the grocery store on the way home for a few things, he wasn’t in the store for longer than 15 minutes, and when he came out… Poof! His tailgate was long gone. I sympathized with him, because I know that is an awful feeling… But I couldn’t resist chiding him just a bit either, since I had warned him about tailgate theft when he first purchased the truck, and advised him to install one of our tailgate locks to prevent it from happening.
Tailgate theft has been a problem since 70’s when trucks became more popular in urban areas. As tailgates become damaged from use, or accidents, it is common for thieves to seek out a similar gate, remove it, and use it as their own or sell it to unscrupulous shops or yards who then resell it to honest people who just need a new gate. The tailgates make attractive targets because they can be removed in about 30 seconds, sometimes without tools, and can cost up to $500 used and $1,000 new, and rarely have vehicle identification numbers etched in them, making the stolen parts hard to trace or to identify as stolen.
Stealing a tailgate without a tailgate lock can be as simple as:
Finding a truck without a tailgate lock.
Opening the tailgate and disengaging the retention cables on both sides.
Lift the notched side out of the channel.
Once notched side is free, slide the opposing side out of the channel and lift the tailgate free.
Beat a hasty retreat.
So don’t make the same mistake my friend did. If you own a pick-up truck I urge you to install a tailgate lock. They come in many varieties including keyed tailgate locks, integrated tailgate locks and power tailgate locks.
The bottomline is any device that makes it harder to steal your tailgate would encourage a thief to move on to someone else’s truck. Be smart… Install a tailgate lock today!
I hope this helped… As always, thanks for your continued support of HubcapsPlus and if you have any questions or comments I’m always here!