CAUTION: New Tailgate Raises Higher Than Older One

We can agree to do that.


Though I'll also agree that poor ergonomics suck.

 

My earlier point about lowering the tailgate has to do with nailing your head unexpectedly on a slightly lowered door. Thing is, there are some universals when it comes to designing environments meant for humans to be around while moving in common situations. One is to make clear the ground (never leave uncovered holes where people commonly walk, remove trip hazards, stairs with individual steps of the height etc), and the other is to have head clearance around commonly traveled areas (standardize door heights in structures to clear the mean individual’s height, keeping hanging lights sufficiently high to walk under, etc). It’s such a basic expectation for areas traveled by people, that people are quite easily hurt by deviations from these expectations.

The open door height on a car’s hatch comes adjusted to open to allow nearly all individuals to walk under it. Or at least the expectation that the clearance is the same all the way around the hatch. By lowering it a little bit, it causes the corners to be at forehead level. Normal height does not require caution, the other does. (Imagine a stairway with the last step at a different height than the rest). Most people move about in environments that are standardized and don’t require heightened caution because expectations are set. So if you switch up one little variable that requires you use caution, you’re simply going to increase the probability of somebody getting hurt. And it would happen unexpectedly, by definition.

eta: The point is that having adjustable height hatches is not all it’s cracked up to be. Or maybe it is?

 

Much better explained than my attempt, thank you.

 

Fellas, I do understand what you’re saying.

It seems, though (unless I’m not understanding correctly), that you’re implying the open height of a 6G tailgate should be the same as the open height of a 5G tailgate. But if we extrapolate that… should every open tailgate be at the same height, to “allow nearly all individuals to walk under it?” What’s that say for an Outback or an Impreza? (Yeah, I’ve knocked my noggin on those.) Or for my R51-series Pathfinder? (Bonked that, too.) For the record, it’s not as if I’m as tall as Lurch.

 

yes that's what @FourBelugas was implying unless I misunderstood him.

exactly, as long as it's not ridiculously out of the ordinary, manufacturers are not going to have the hatch open exactly to the same height. It is standardized within an acceptable range so people have more or less a general expectation like @McSpazatron said in his post.
At the end of the day, it is the owner who has to check if it fits their specific environment (whether it is hatch height, vehicle length, width, etc...)

 

... to know where his tailgate stops, and where that is in relation to his head and his garage door. :D

 

Last checked we are not on some subaru forum. I don't give much thoughts to Subarus as long as they use the stupid boxer motors and CVTs in jacked up IRS unibody wagons with high CoG.

If a 5th gen can clear common sized garage doors without people banging their heads under the rear hatch, but Toyota finds that parameter impossible for 6th gens, that's on Toyota. We are not talking about Subarus or Nissans or Yugos or whatever, we are talking about 4runners.

 

the most common garage door height is 7ft. So no, the 5th gen cannot clear common sized garage doors when the liftgate is fully open

 

Well how come McDonalds had to pay massive settlements in lawsuits about their coffee being too hop and/or after people spilled it on themselves.
Likewise when Popeyes was sued cause a man choked on his chicken cause he only got a spork and no knife....
This is why there are directions and disclaimers on Tide Pods and batteries telling you not to eat them, because of idiots who are sue happy.

 

I learned this the first time I opened my 5G in the garage. And I adjusted my parking practices accordingly. --> Back into the garage, and there's plenty of room for the tailgate to open fully, because the garage door isn't hovering there over the tailgate.

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I think I'd like to see the Toyota design guideline that says, "be sure and design the vehicle to fit garage doors in the 80th percentile of opening-height" or some such restriction.

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Lawd. This is beginning to become one of those discussions I should have stayed out of. A wise man once told me, "never miss an opportunity to shut the heck up."

As for McD's and the coffee... wasn't the root of that problem simply that the lid wasn't on the cup well?
And if a man tries to eat chicken with a spork... I've got nothing nice to say about his situation.

Yes, there are plenty of sue-happy idiots, and plenty of lawyers eager to take someone's money.

But somewhere along the line, fellas, we have to take personal responsibility for our own actions (and clumsiness). Toyota can't design and mass-produce tailgates to suit every buyer's height and garage door opening. We have to be aware of our conditions and surroundings, and when we aren't then we're likely to take some damage.

Some days you bite the bear, some days the bear bites you.

 

I think the thing that catches me out with a lowered tailgate is the fact that it’s angled, making the corners much lower than expected.

For example, you pick someone up at the airport, open the hatch, and go help a family member with the luggage. It’s busy and there are cars moving about. You get the luggage turn around and bang your head in the corner. Then duck underneath to load the luggage. Somebody honks, a big bus starts to squeeze in next to you. Ok…Time to get a move on…you turn around to get the next piece of luggage and bang your head on the way out to get the next piece. Rage boiling inside, you finally load the last piece without banging your head.

You get home and return the hatch to the default height and never ever open the hatch in the garage again lol.

It’s not about suing people (I meant that in jest, but yeah people will sue if it ends up in an old person being injured as a result).

For me, my posts were about pointing out the fact that a hatch adjusted to a lowered height actually sucks. It trades one problem for another that can hurt. It’s best to leave it at normal height (where the hatch above you is horizontal all the way around). I’d rather the garage door leave a ding in the hatch than see stars when I least expect it. Or just figure out how to position the car in a garage so it doesn’t hit, or adjust the garage door.

A lower corners height means the hatch sits at an angle, and it hurts to get nailed. It’s a trip hazard for the head. Also, it’s embarrassing when it happens in public

Even more embarrassing is if it happens to a guest in your car.

 

They seemed to have it figured out pretty well but then went and changed the parameters on the 6th gen. So again, Toyota's choice. If your get joy out of making excuses for Toyota, that's your choice.

 

Indeed.

You're an argumentative sort, aren't you?

 

Look who's talking.

 

It's not just about garage door heights, I adjusted mine lower because when I have my kayaks loaded the door will hit the kayaks if I don't have it adjusted lower. Will I bang my head on the corner, maybe, but guess who that's on....


I think we're being trolled.... lol


.

 

Ooh! Ooh! I know!

 

Well, let's go back to agreeing to disagree.

Cheers.

 

I like tho how the 6th gen rear silver valance looks like it sits up higher than the 5th.

 

Am I the only one who waits until the garage door is closed to open the hatch? I’ve never had a problem with my ‘21 ORP and I replaced the stock tires with BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2. I am about to pull the trigger on a ‘25 ORP; is it really that much taller? I am going to ask my salesman who fortunately I’ve known for years and trust.

 

Someone said above that the height is adjustable bud

 

You have space to open the hatch with the garage door closed? If had space behind my hatch, I would immediately move the parking position backwards and stuff more crap in the garage

 

You could get slightly shorter struts. Pretty sure there's a whole thread about that.