# 2004 Ford Freestar tailgate handle pulled off!

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-ford-freestar-tailgate-handle-pulled-off/124382>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** ford, freestar\
**Created:** [September 5, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-ford-freestar-tailgate-handle-pulled-off/124382 "2018-09-05T02:44:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JohnG08](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@JohnG08](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JohnG08)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-ford-freestar-tailgate-handle-pulled-off/124382/1 "2018-09-05T02:44:09Z")

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the tailgate handle just pulled straight out in my hand, no other way to open it, where do I start?

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**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-ford-freestar-tailgate-handle-pulled-off/124382/2 "2018-09-05T15:52:12Z")

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You will need to crawl in the back and find a small square panel about 2 X 2 inches.Pry it off with a screwdriver and using a flashlight and a screwdriver you can unlatch the lid. Once open you can remove the entire inner panel to replace the latch.

Yosemite