The rod running to the Left (down) is the interlock rod that detects the glass being fully down. It is supported by a clip similar to the ones used for the hood cable, and the ones visible here on the long latch rods. The one to the R (up) is the one from the inside handle. You can see that the mechanism it's attached to is bent. This comes from attempting to open the tailgate before the glass is FULLY down and it causes the inside handle not to return fully flat.

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Owner caption July 2003 · Photo 80 of 5000