You'd think, now that I'm on my zillionth wagon, I'd know about tailgate rattles. But I just solved another (intermittent) squeaky rattle.

The mounting bracket for the lock motor secures to the bottom of the tailgate by two sheet metal screws up through the bottom edge of the tailgate. These had loosened, and by rattling and jiggling, the holes had worn in the bracket. Even though the (oversized) screws tightened, they weren't tightening into the bracket metal, but instead into the tailgate metal. The screws were tight, but the bracket could vibrate.

I drilled through the existing holes and install a coupla 1/4" panhead screws with nuts 'n lockwashers. Had to remove the lock motor and also use a universal socket (7/16") to sock down the nuts, but now it's quiet. I even notice a lack of vibration when I slam the tailgate.

Took about 15 minutes. No soldering necessary.