Rear door panel (exterior) to body side aperture defect/gap?

wolfnards · Mar 25, 2024

MY23 just over 1 year old. Noticed a month into ownership there’s a slight gap on the passenger rear door where it looks like the door is slightly open towards the bottom, i.e. door looks like it hasn’t been pushed in all the way. You can definitely put your finger on it and tell there’s a pretty noticeable difference from the other doors where the door is sticking out. (see 1st attached picture).

Tried to not let it bug me, but I finally brought it into the dealership to see if they can correct it. Feedback from service advisor is that past history suggests if they try to adjust the door, it will cause another part of the door to be uneven and better to just leave it alone.

I politely and respectfully explained this is a 6-figure vehicle and I even purchased the extended warranty, so asked what my options were. He mentioned that the door was within spec, so there’s nothing to be done.

I asked what within spec means and what was the measurement he took so that it’s documented as I planned to reach out to @RamCares . He provided me the spec (see attached picture) and advised that when I reach out to RAM Cares, they will just contact the dealership, at which point the dealership will confirm it’s “within spec”.

I haven’t sat in the rear passenger seat yet so haven’t been able to tell if there’s additional wind noise, but will plan to over the next week or two.

1. I’m a very reasonable person, but “within spec” while visibly and physically noticeable just doesn’t sit well with me. Am I being unreasonable here?
2. I did a quick search on the forum but didn’t notice anyone with a similar issue. Can someone advise if this is a known issue and has it been resolved to satisfaction?
3. (dangerous question, requesting for flame-free zone here) - what would you do in my shoes?

TIA

IdahoKTM · Mar 25, 2024

wolfnards said:
MY23 just over 1 year old. Noticed a month into ownership there’s a slight gap on the passenger rear door where it looks like the door is slightly open towards the bottom, i.e. door looks like it hasn’t been pushed in all the way. You can definitely put your finger on it and tell there’s a pretty noticeable difference from the other doors where the door is sticking out. (see 1st attached picture).

Tried to not let it bug me, but I finally brought it into the dealership to see if they can correct it. Feedback from service advisor is that past history suggests if they try to adjust the door, it will cause another part of the door to be uneven and better to just leave it alone.

I politely and respectfully explained this is a 6-figure vehicle and I even purchased the extended warranty, so asked what my options were. He mentioned that the door was within spec, so there’s nothing to be done.

I asked what within spec means and what was the measurement he took so that it’s documented as I planned to reach out to @RamCares . He provided me the spec (see attached picture) and advised that when I reach out to RAM Cares, they will just contact the dealership, at which point the dealership will confirm it’s “within spec”.

I haven’t sat in the rear passenger seat yet so haven’t been able to tell if there’s additional wind noise, but will plan to over the next week or two.

1. I’m a very reasonable person, but “within spec” while visibly and physically noticeable just doesn’t sit well with me. Am I being unreasonable here?
2. I did a quick search on the forum but didn’t notice anyone with a similar issue. Can someone advise if this is a known issue and has it been resolved to satisfaction?
3. (dangerous question, requesting for flame-free zone here) - what would you do in my shoes?

TIA

That would bug me too and you're not being unreasonable. It seems they could adjust the door striker more inward so the door could close flush with the body. @Viperjim, how is this addressed at the factory?

Viperjim · Mar 26, 2024

IdahoKTM said:
That would bug me too and you're not being unreasonable. It seems they could adjust the door striker more inward so the door could close flush with the body. @Viperjim, how is this addressed at the factory?

The way this is adjusted is by taking the middle of the door on the top body line and 1 hand down on the lower part of the door and pull the top and push in the bottom to tweak the door as this will bend the door in at the bottom

TRXNUT · Mar 26, 2024

Viperjim said:
The way this is adjusted is by taking the middle of the door on the top body line and 1 hand down on the lower part of the door and pull the top and push in the bottom to tweak the door as this will bend the door in at the bottom

The good ol' bend, push, pull, put 2x4 under the door and on the sill and reef up until door closes alignment trick, been used since Henry Ford put his first car on the road

TRXNUT · Mar 26, 2024

In all seriousness though Jim is right, I've done this exact thing to many of my vehicles and it has corrected the issue. My rear door bottoms on my trx poke out a bit too so OP you're not alone on this issue. It just hasn't bothered me enough or caused and issues for me to even worry about it.

Viperjim · Mar 26, 2024

TRXNUT said:
The good ol' bend, push, pull, put 2x4 under the door and on the sill and reef up until door closes alignment trick, been used since Henry Ford put his first car on the road

Yes, and being metal is so thin now , it’s even easier

TRXNUT · Mar 26, 2024

Viperjim said:
Yes, and being metal is so thin now , it’s even easier

Yes it is, not like tweaking a 5' long door of a full size 60's car

RedEyeTRX · Mar 26, 2024

My rear door looks the same. Nice and flush at the top, stands a bit proud of the body at the bottom. I just left it, not wanting to cause new issues trying to adjust it. Cheers !

wolfnards · Mar 28, 2024

Thanks for your input everyone. I truly love this forum.

Will keep you posted with any updates.

trxmanusa · Mar 28, 2024

mine pokes out on the bottom of the rear driver side,, never bothered to check the passenger. One think that pissed me off more is the alignment of the hood, driver side back by the hinge, it looks out of alignment and were it meets the top center of the fender looks off as well.

Exterior fit and finish of RAM is way behind GM and Toyota.

IdahoKTM · Mar 29, 2024

trxmanusa said:
mine pokes out on the bottom of the rear driver side,, never bothered to check the passenger. One think that pissed me off more is the alignment of the hood, driver side back by the hinge, it looks out of alignment and were it meets the top center of the fender looks off as well.

Exterior fit and finish of RAM is way behind GM and Toyota.

My hood was like that too. It took me about 15 minutes to align it. My tailgate was misaligned too. Once I figured out how to fix it, it was about a 20 minute fix. I'd rather not have to fix things like that, but it wasn't a big deal.

I disagree about Toyota being better. My Tundra had a misaligned hood (front low and rear high)that I didn't bother fixing. The bed was misaligned with the cab by about 1/2". It wasn't too big of a deal to fix, but I had to loosen the nuts on the bed bolts from underneath to slide it over.

trxmanusa · Mar 29, 2024

IdahoKTM said:
My hood was like that too. It took me about 15 minutes to align it. M tailgate was misaligned too. Once I figured out how to fix it, it was about a 20 minute fix. I'd rather not have to fix things like that, but it wasn't a big deal.

I disagree about Toyota being better. My Tundra had a misaligned hood (front low and rear high)that I didn't bother fixing. The bed was misaligned with the cab by about 1/2". It wasn't too big of a deal to fix, but I had to loosen the nuts on the bed bolts from underneath to slide it over.

Interesting about the Tundra. My wife’s Highlander was perfect. All my GM truck have been visually perfect too.

RedEyeTRX · Mar 29, 2024

trxmanusa said:
mine pokes out on the bottom of the rear driver side,, never bothered to check the passenger. One think that pissed me off more is the alignment of the hood, driver side back by the hinge, it looks out of alignment and were it meets the top center of the fender looks off as well.

Exterior fit and finish of RAM is way behind GM and Toyota.

It might be a dealership thing. My buddy is a 25 year service adviser at a GMC Buick shop and the stuff they see (cars and trucks) unloaded from the trucks would astound you. Fortunately their body shop guys are top notch.
BTW my wife's new RX350 had a noticeably larger gap on the right side of the lift back, compared to the left. I never had Lexus do anything about, from fear they would screw something else up in the process. The panel gaps on the rest of the car were 100%.