Good evening hope everyone is doing well, I just replaced the tailgate hinges on my 2011 jk and the noise got worse, just discovered there is a stress crack right at the 2 rivet welds on the back side of the hinges or the inside section of the tailgate , I tap on it and it sounds exactly like if you’re driving it down the road, anyone have any good suggestions?? Already know it’s not the tailgate hinges making the noise

 

how about grind paint and weld, repaint with primer...

 

Good evening to all, I was thinking about grinding having my buddy spot weld and then painting the tailgate but I came up with a nice decent solution which I can’t believe it actually worked. I followed the well spots where the cracks were pre-drilled and installed self tapping screws, and it worked excellent and there is no noise. Maybe if somebody else is having the same problem, they can try this solution it worked for me.

 

ericocas, good for you , there is more than one way for fixing things. If the crack starts to grow, you might stop drill at the end of crack to keep it from spreading. Easy fix !

 

I think I'd still grind, weld, paint just for good measure, but I understand how that is a 5 min fix for those that can weld, and a huge ordeal for those that can't. Hopefully your fix holds up.

 

Hi. I have the same problem. Has this fix held up over time?

 

Good morning, ever since I did those self tapping screws I haven’t had any noise and also has held up very well, I tap on the tailgate panel once in a while to see if I hear any loose welds but it’s holding up fine, hope this helps

 

This is my crack. It starts above the door check hinge and goes around that all the way down to the louvers, one of which is cracked. Do you think I will be able to put screws on both sides of the crack? I tapped around the crack and I don't feel any steel support on the right side of the crack. Sounds solid on the left side of the crack. Any thoughts? Perhaps dremel along the crack and jb weld?