D40 Tailgate Hinges

Hi all, As I am a newbie I apologies now for any wrong doings - but we all have to start somewhere.

Just wondering if anyone has had /knows issues with the D40 (2012 RX model) bending the tailgate hinges. It appears as though carrying a single offroad bike was the cause (However this was done multiple times and with 2 bikes in my Bravo with nil issues) Nissan have rejected my warranty query so I am getting ready to discuss further with them

Just doing some checks if anyone else has seen / knows of this issue.

Thanks in advance.

My hinges didnt bend but the tailgate itself. I have a spare tailgate in the back shed and its exactly the same.
Look along the bottem edge of the tailgate and you might see it curves our near the hinges
Nissan supplied packing plates as mine wouldnt close and there is no adjustment .
Mine was caused by letting the tailgate bounce open once too many times .

Hi Aussie Frontier thanks for the reply. I have checked but it is definitely the hinges that are bent. The metal is too thin and I think a poor design. My son is a mechanical design engineer (it was his bike on the back) he said the same thing. I will be speaking to Nissan this week - I am not expecting to get anywhere but this is spoiling what is a great ute. Guess I will have to do my own design and beef up the hinges.

Hey they must have made the tailgate stronger so thats a good thing.
When I looked at mine its basically just sheet metal and bugger all strength at all.
I first found out when the tailgate appeared to have dropped and was about 5mm lower than the sides .

Their tailgates sure are heavy compared to Landcruisers & holden utes

Hi, Well I had the phone call chat with Nissan Australia and as suspected it's all my fault due to "excessive weight" being applied to the tail gate. However NO information was supplied as to what is classed as "excessive" and I was not able to get information on what weight IS allowed to be put on the tail gate, so I have no idea how to ensure I do not place "excessive" weight on it again. "It is not a load bearing structure" is the only line they used - I also did not get an explanation of how you actually then put loads into the tray without 1st putting it on the tail gate.

So net result, as expected was.... nothing.. and I still have the sad feeling I have purchased an inferior product. I will write to Nissa to gather further explanations and will post the replies if folk are interested.

In the mean time I will be looking at the hinges and guess design my own to get them on par with other utes on the market!

Is it the honge plates or the pivots themselves?
Could you take pics to show the damage?
Like I said my tsilgste was the weakest part and the hinges seemed ok

Its the piece of metal between the actual pivots. Both sides have bent - right side more than the left. The metal is, as far as I am concerned (as is my son who is a mechanical design engineer) too thin - I will try take pics over the weekend.

There was chatter on a USA forum about this a while ago and it appears there may be after market hinges there so investigating that as well. About to go through the user manual to check again if they stipulate a weight limit on the tail gate. The actual tail gate appear fine.

I am also investigating what appears to be the whole body sitting about 10mm lower on the right side. I have measured from the top of the wheel rim (not Tyre) to the bottom of the wheel arch and both right and rear right side sit 10mm lower than the left. Tyre pressures are the same, ground is level (I have turned the ute around so it removes and possible slant of the garage floor away and the same result) very strange but noticeable to the eye. Starting to wonder about my nice new shinny ute with only 6000km's on the clock.

I had to try to find these pics I took of the "Nissan Repair" to the lack of adjustment





Its not easy to see but the bending is actually where the alloy spacer plates bolt to the tailgate



Hope the pics help as you will be able to compare my 07 hinges to yours .
Just for your info the D40 Frontier runs a totally different hinge setup so anything you can get as far as hinges from the US will more than likely not fit ours

As to the height of the truck you will need to determine if the issue is front or rear. When I checked mine I would jack the front from a thin board between the chassis and the jack so it acted like a pivot point. If the rear is out then the wheel arch heights will be different on the rear.
Then under the pumkin of the diff with the jack and check the front.

I would try going onto the "NISSAN NAVARA" facebook site and have a whinge on there.
I did notice a pic on there a few weeks back of a Nav with a bike ramp out off the tail gate and a bike parked next to it suggesting the ute carried the bike to the bush to go riding, maybe post a comment on that pic as well. Might be worth a shot??

I gather Nissan said the damage to yours Aussie Frontier was not a warranty issue. I will do a close inspection this weekend and compare pics.

Thanks Nathand22 - I will go have a look at the page - I may hold back public comment just at the moment but I will be drafting my mail to Nissan over the next few days.

Its a pity something like this tarnishes what is a great ute

Nathan22 - Could not resist asking a question on their facebook page - However the chap from Nissan said they had no way to know if I did not "load excessive weight" other than the bike - but this pic certainly indicates I should be able to do it - Or it that false advertising?

I did have one of my hinges get allot of play in it at the main pin almost like the nylon bush had perished and Nissan replaced the hinge and colour coded it as well under warranty (they all come mat black)
I did not tell them how i thought it happened just pointed out it had happened and played dumb.

Maybe I was too honest and told them it happened after my son had his dirt bike on it. Nissan quoted be $195 PER HINGE!!! + then you have to paint them so a repair not under $500. Had my Mazda Bravo for 14 yrs - no issues like this. Navara is 6 month old - Thanks for the info

Martinb said:

I gather Nissan said the damage to yours Aussie Frontier was not a warranty issue. I will do a close inspection this weekend and compare pics.

Click to expand...

Covered by warranty actually .I didnt tell them anything apart from the tailgate was no longer lined up. Actually I think the damage was done by the tailgate flying open when we hit a big hump while doing mach 5 on the racetrack.
They did say at the time that it was a kit they had made to rectify the alignment issues .

Have a look across the bottom edge of the tailgate and it should be a continuous curve.I found that where the hinges are the bottom edge was curved inwards ( hinge mount had bent upwards towards the top of the tailgate ) .Very easy to see as my truck is black so you will see the reflection curves at the 2 hinge points.

Whats the easiest way to insert a pic on here - seems you might need to have the pic on a site some where and insert the link to the site?

Yeah I think I have been to honest in telling them what I believe caused the issue - But they have not heard the last from me - given their facebook page showing its the OK thing to do.

You can either use somewhere like Photobucket and link to that or if you go into advanced mode when replying you can attach a pic from your pc

Thanks - pic shows my finger pointing to a spot the paint has "chipped" off where it bent. You can actually see a crack in the paint. The hinge brackets (where it attaches to the body / gate) are sitting flush and bottom of the tail gate all looks OK.

Yeah I can see the cracks but it looks like its only tweaked on 1 side not right across the hinge.Almost like the hinge was a dud to start with as if it was going to bend it would be right across the hinge not an outer edge

Out thoughts as well - but Nissan refute any claim - all my fault. Letters to Nissan will be sent and I don't mind contacting the ACCC either. Its a matter of principle and Nissan wanting to keep a new customer / owner satisfied. Anyway - rant over for the night LOL.

Many thanks for all the info / support - this is a great site - Hopefully I will have my Nissan long enough to participate in positive forums

Update to come on this saga.