What do you mean by "interfere with unlatching the tail gate"? Are you saying when hot you can't open your tailgate (either drop down or swing)?

 

It's easy to rig a fan to a thermostat switch. The question would be where to pull in the air from and where to push it out. When we do this for equipment boxes that sit outside year round we install vented ports on both sides of the box. We also get white or close to white boxes as that makes a huge difference.

I think your best bet would be to figure out what part of the latch mechanism is causing issues with opening and see if you can resolve that issue. I think the ventilation thing is going to be a more difficult and undesirable fix.

 

There were some early unlatching failures in the G2 tailgate on some '17 models. One fix was removing one of the actuation rods and putting a small kink in it to shorten it up.

It is possible that the same actuating rod in your tailgate is at the edge of that tolerance, and in higher ambient Temps, the rod may expand just enough to not trigger the opening mechanism.

All of that to say, either:

1) Take it to your dealer and explain the situation. They may be able to check into that rod length.

2) Take the tailgate apart and put a slight bend in the rod yourself to fix it.

I think @BillmanMotion had a post here in 2017 showing pics of the rod before and after he put a bend in it.

Edit: See post #25 here:

200 mile review/update/bugs and fixes

I picked up my RTL-E this week (#9621), had some bugs but it won't discourage me. At 13 miles on the clock: -Noticed a ding in the body that the dealer put there. They wanted to drill the door jam to do PDR, I said no way. I gutted the entire rear seat and trim, to give my own PDR guy access...

www.ridgelineownersclub.com

 

For ventilation, if you can figure out some way to pump air in, it will escape out through the gaps around the tailgate. One avenue to pump air in might be to use the cover on the right side to mount a fan. Replacing that cover to go back to stock shouldn’t be too expensive. You will also also need to add holes in the cavity to draw air.

 

I have a Bedrug and also the UltraFlex tonneau has that same material on the underside of the tonneau. It actually stays pretty cool.

 

When the OAT is below approximately 80 degrees, both latches work smoothly. As the temperatures rise above that under the tonneau, (upwards to 140 degrees or more on warmer/sunny days), the more we need to jerk the handle to drop down the tailgate, swinging the tailgate works satisfactorily. Leaving the tonneau folded open also helps the issue. This issue began when we had the tailgate lock installed by the dealer where afterwards we could not open the tailgate at all in either direction when things got hot. After several return trips to the dealer, this is the best it has got.Beyond the tailgate issue, being able to ventilating the bed under the tonneau would also be helpful to lower the temperatures just when carrying cargo.

Bill

 

Be careful jerking the handle too hard, especially since the problem with both is probably the same problem... The handles are attached to the locks with a metal cog and metal rods, the cog and rods are held together with cheap little plastic clips...
The plastic clips may be getting hot allowing the rods to slip a bit more than when they are cold, when the clips break, you can't open the tailgate at all... weakened plastic clips plus extra force results in broken plastic...
Question for the group: Do they make those clips in metal yet?!?

 

And the dealer doesn't have an answer? Doesn't make sense that installing a lock woud change the the way the latch works in a hot area.

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You could explore the idea of having a vent installed with a suction fan operated by a thermostat (similar to an attic fan) to keep the temperature down in your tailgate. However, since the concern is not the heat within the bed, but its effect on the tailgate operation, I would say try to find a way to insulate the tailgate from heat generated in the bed. There are heat reflective coatings and films that folks install in engine bay for thermal management, and you can try that.

Have you explored WHAT prevents the latch operation when the temperature gets too high?

 

Thanks folks, even though it has been the tailgate that has brought my attention to how hot the bed area gets under the tonneau, it has since become a consideration with how warm it does get when carrying cargo, say especially, like groceries. Improving air flow really doesn't seem practical, but as suggested above, maybe insulating the cover itself may be a consideration? Otherwise, just leaving the cover open temporarily rectifies the situation. As far as the tailgate itself, as seldom as it becomes an issue, as well as how seldom we actually drop the tailgate, continuing to tear apart the tailgate just is not a priority at this time.
Thanks again,
Bill

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but the Bedrug has just the tailgate section available. It would help insulate the tailgate from heat withing the bed. Hope you get it all figured out.

Pickup Tailgate Mats | Bed Liners & Mats - Bedrug | Bedrug

View the all features & benefits of the Tailgate liner by BedRug. View images, video, installation, warranty, get price & find a dealer

bedrug.com

 

Perhaps the trunk drain plug hole could be used to draw in cooler air from under the truck. You could rig up a small fan and run it off the inverter however, the trunk lid would probably need to be open at least part way. Hot air would escape out the joints and gaps as stated by olgzr with a little pressure created by the fan. Sounds like a MacGyver situation!

 

Perhaps the trunk drain plug hole could be used to draw in cooler air from under the truck.

The in-bed trunk is sealed. So there is no free air circulation between the bed and the trunk.

 

It's a pretty good seal as well. The truck lid would need to be open for this to work. But if it is under the cover, no one would be able to see that it was open.

Or fill the trunk up with ice and wobbly pops and use the ice to refrigerate the bed. Again the trunk lid would need to be open.

 

Temps climb into the upper 90's for days on end in Mississippi and pavement temps can climb well over 100 on sunny days. Although the surface of my BakFlip MX4 gets very hot to the touch on sunny days, the foam insulation layer between the outside and inside aluminum layers of the BakFlip keep the in bed temps very close to ambient. I've sealed the bed gaps with butyl tape and still the in-bed temps are fine. I plan to do some testing this summer to confirm my casual observation that the trunk actually stays cooler than the passenger compartment and would be a better place to store sensitive camera gear.

 

We gotta agree that this was something that we did not consider when choosing a hard vs soft cover.

Bill

 

I have to agree with Coolbob. I have a Bakflip on my G1 and have never noticed the interior of the covered bed getting extremely hot at all. Maybe warm but not hot.

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I would look into adjusting the tonneau cover. I sounds to me that when it gets hot, something expands enough to cause additional pressure on the tailgate. I am guessing that there is a rubber gasket between the tonneau and the top of the tailgate. I would start there, or perhaps, something as simple as silicone spray might help.

 

Thank you for the thought, the cover just sits on top of the bed/tailgate, there is no pressure involved. The latches have been lubricated. The tailgate gets more resistant to opening any time the OAT gets hot and the sun beats down on it, the closed tonneau cover just makes matters worse.

Bill

 

If you fold or roll the cover away from the tailgate. Then let it sit in the sun does problem persist? Even slightly. It doesn't make any sense that the cover that just rests on the top of the tailgate causes the tailgate hard to open. The problem started after the lock was installed.. I'm thinking that the idea of ventilating the cover is just going to leave you with a big hole somewhere in your cover. So rain is going to be a problem.

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If you fold or roll the cover away from the tailgate. Then let it sit in the sun does problem persist? Even slightly.

lol, it looks as if I anticipated your question and responded just before your post!

Bill

 

You are quite correct, there didn't appear to be any "problem" with the tailgate before the lock was installed. Immediately after installing the lock, after a couple of pulls you could not open the tailgate at all in either direction, now that was frustrating. The Ridgeline was returned twice to the shop, parts were replaced and adjustments made, where now the remaining issue is lowering the tailgate on warmer days with the tonneau closed, which is not a big enough issue to make a whole lot of noise about. The circulation problem with the bed getting hot under the cover has grown into the greater concern, if you can even call it that.

 

Another idea is those window vents with fans. Maybe they could be ducted to fit between the tonneau and the tailgate.

 

If you don't need security, you can rig up an automatic window vent (gets hot and internal wax actuates arm, returns when temp cools).

Amazon.com : automatic window vent

 

I am seeking some innovative thoughts here, where with the tonneau cover closed, when the OAT rises above approximately 90 degrees and the Ridgeline is out in the sun, the bed temps get hot enough under the tonneau so to interfere with unlatching the tail gate. (With cooler temps the tail gate unlatches really nicely.) With this in mind, how about some thoughts and ideas of how I can circulate outside air under the tonneau cover to keep bed temps cooler?
Thanks,
Bill

I'm guessing you can figure out the ventilation or just leave the tailgate open to stay cooler when parked. Another thought for you here: Use spray silicone on the gaskets and the edges of the bed and on the latches. It is a great lubricant, safe, and doesn't stain, etc. WD-40 Silocone is good (not the spray oil/cleaner but Silicone) and there are several other brands too. Also good for sticking window gaskets, etc. as swelling and contraction occurs. Be generous with it. It helps. Good luck.

 

I am seeking some innovative thoughts here, where with the tonneau cover closed, when the OAT rises above approximately 90 degrees and the Ridgeline is out in the sun, the bed temps get hot enough under the tonneau so to interfere with unlatching the tail gate. (With cooler temps the tail gate unlatches really nicely.) With this in mind, how about some thoughts and ideas of how I can circulate outside air under the tonneau cover to keep bed temps cooler?
Thanks,
Bill

Check marine supply like West Marine. If you don’t mind cutting a hole you can install a solar powered vent fan that should circulate enough air to lower the temperature.

 

I am seeking some innovative thoughts here, where with the tonneau cover closed, when the OAT rises above approximately 90 degrees and the Ridgeline is out in the sun, the bed temps get hot enough under the tonneau so to interfere with unlatching the tail gate. (With cooler temps the tail gate unlatches really nicely.) With this in mind, how about some thoughts and ideas of how I can circulate outside air under the tonneau cover to keep bed temps cooler?
Thanks,
Bill

One thing that many don't realize is that a black cover absorbs a lot of heat. And yet most of them, are black.
Even without a cover, a dark colored bed still gets hot. And some knuckleheads put their dogs back there without thinking about how hot it is on their paws. It would nice if the cover manufactures would make them with a radiant barrier material. Thanks for posting this, because I am fixing to buy a cover and need to keep this in mind.

 

I am seeking some innovative thoughts here, where with the tonneau cover closed, when the OAT rises above approximately 90 degrees and the Ridgeline is out in the sun, the bed temps get hot enough under the tonneau so to interfere with unlatching the tail gate. (With cooler temps the tail gate unlatches really nicely.) With this in mind, how about some thoughts and ideas of how I can circulate outside air under the tonneau cover to keep bed temps cooler?
Thanks,
Bill

Perhaps a little filing?