Last weekend, I had to drive through winter storm "Draco" with 20 inches of snow and winds of 70 mph. I stopped in a small town in Wisconsin in the midst of the storm and had to fetch some items from the rear. When I opened the tailgate a wind gust caught it. Afterwards, it was real hard to close the gate. I did get it shut with a little lifting and slamming.

Yesterday, I was able to get the gate to function by adjusting the hinges and striker but I noticed a full 1/2 inch gap along the upper part. I was able to make a temp fix by zip tying 1 inch pipe insulation to the gasket around the upper door frame

I think this is very poorly designed door because it is so heavy and carries the spare tire as well. You don't see any other SUV with a similar set up just look at Suburbans and Explores that have double doors and others like BMW's open on a horizontal axis but oh well it's a British Vehicle; nice to look at but lacking in engineering foresight and durability.

My question is? Has anyone out there had this issue? Is the tailgate itself distorted or is it just the hinge? Are there any links to sites addressing this issue?

 

mostly the hinge. once they swing out too far they get bent. Happens to most other vehicles too. Its because the spare is on it that the door catches the wrong way. But that is why the check strap is there. That should catch it. But understand this adjusting the door itself is an art not a science. you can pay a body shop to spend the time in adjusting.