Odyssey tailgate very hard to open- hyper-extended tailgate shocks?

Hi all

We have a problem on our 2000 Honda Odyssey and I'm wondering if anyone here
has encountered a similar problem and may be able to render advice.

The tailgate (rear hatch door) was accidentally left half open while a
garage door against which it was leaning was opened (wife pressed the remote
door opener without noticing that tailgate was pressed against garage door).
Now we have a tailgate that is basically non-functional because it is
incredibly hard to open (door is much heavier than I imagined it was). I
looked at the tailgate shocks (I've heard them also referred to as lift
cylinders); they appear to be bolted to the frame normally. But what could
explain why the door feels like it has virtually Zero assist from the
shocks? Could we have "hyper-extended" the shocks to the point where one or
both of them do not have any compressed gas in them? How could this have
occurred? I thought these things are under thousands of pounds of pressure,
aren't they? The shocks do not appear to be damaged when I performed a
cursory visual inspection.

Any other thoughts on what could have gone wrong?

thanks much, in advance.

RG

 

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The vehicle wasn't designed to be lifted by the open tailgate.

Put a 6' folding ladder under the open tailgate, or something similar.
Remove the shocks one at a time to see which one is weaker. Replace it.
They're about half-price at NAPA, but some people say the quality isn't
there. If problem persists, replace the other shock.

'Curly'

 

most likely you bent the hinges at the roof line.
Chip