Review on 🔑 DORMAN 83367 - Black Tailgate Handle Replacement for Chevrolet Avalanche 2013-07 by Nick Grays

The thing is, I used to work for GM and as an engineer at a plant in Rochester, NY that made door lock actuators. This factory closed around 2008, the business was sold and most of it was shipped overseas. Dorman appears to have a license to manufacture the drivetrain and crank assembly in Taiwan. Yes, I had the same block in my 2011 Chevy Avalanche. So the quality as such is the same as the OEM. I have a hypothesis as to why my latch actuator failed. My truck was parked on a hill, the tailgate was facing the direct afternoon sun, the outside temperature was around 30 degrees and the humidity was high. I turned on the locks to get in and opened the back door to load some gear when it wouldn't open. One method of mounting such drive motors is to use glue instead of steel brackets to hold the magnets in place inside the device. The temperature and vibration of locking the lock can cause the adhesive to loosen and catch the armature with a pre-loaded magnet. I'll have to take the old one apart to check, but that's my first thought. Too bad this actuator is part of a whole handle assembly. Combined with the other body and shape changes to the Avalanche design that has been completed it seems like more of an afterthought compared to some of the truck's other really great builds, this build is hard, not very, very hard to achieve . Once there, it's easy to uninstall and install a new one. Be sure to fully coat this assembly with a non-tacky rust preventative since the frame is sheet metal. I put rubber washers behind where it connects to the tailgate to further prevent metal to metal contact. Note. You will most likely damage the spoiler to get to this drive and handle assembly. At the moment there are still spoilers available for exchange. But also note that behind the spoiler and in front of the actuation handle block is an internal plastic panel that nobody else makes. If damage occurs, you are unlucky with the cover and only have a spoiler that protects the inner workings of the drive unit. Note: This inner lining is not part of the spoiler. It is held in place by two clips under the spoiler above the handle. So this actuator was the perfect replacement, but be patient and have an extra pair of hands if you decide to remove the old one and install the new one. Much luck!