Pop & Lock Tailgate Lock Install: Wiring Harvest Bypass on a 2020 Silverado

My Pop & Lock PL8700 electric tailgate lock arrived from Amazon Thursday. $89.99. The box said "fits 2019-2024 Silverado 1500." The wiring harness inside was for a 2019, not a 2020.

The 2020 Silverado has a different body control module connector. The PL8700's T-harness wouldn't seat. I spent an hour on YouTube trying to find someone who'd hit this — found two forum posts from 2023. Both said the same thing: skip the T-harness, wire direct.

Here's what I did:

1. Ran the red trigger wire (pin 86 on the relay) to the driver-side BCM harness — specifically the brown wire on the trailer tow connector (pulse-to-ground on lock)
2. Ran constant 12V (pin 30) to the under-hood fuse box — tapped the empty AUX1 stud with a ring terminal
3. Grounded pin 85 to the chassis bolt behind the left rear taillight
4. Ran the blue wire to the tailgate actuator through the frame rail (used a fish tape to pull through the rubber grommet)

Total wire added: 14 feet of 18-gauge. Total cost beyond the $89.99 lock: $6 for a ring terminal pack and a 15-amp mini fuse tap from AutoZone.

Works perfectly. The tailgate locks with the key fob. No T-harness needed. If you have a 2020+ Silverado and the harness doesn't fit, don't bother with the $80 adapter kit — wire direct and save the headache.

— Marcus