My new to me 99 tahoe took a pretty tough ride across country shipping from CA to me. When it got here in Ohio, the tailgate wouldn't open. So I had to unscrew all the inside cover and then you'll see another cover plate (see pics). Once I removed it, it was pretty obvious that the rod that pulls the mechanism was out of where it should be; unfortunately I couldn't see how it was attached. Just putting it back in wouldn't keep it there. Maybe there is some sort of factory piece that keeps it in that fell off. In any case, I simply unscrewed the rod, and made the L shaped end a hook shape by putting it in my vise and hammering it slowly. Once threaded back in I had to compress the piece it goes in slightly to get the hook in--but now that its in it won't come out. So took me about an hour or a bit more of not working too fast. See pics; it should be obvious. Tailgate release works fine now.
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