Following up: New rear hatch supports installed. They made a bit of noise when I first open/closed the gate with them on, and I was worried that I'd have to put up with it.

So naturally I doubled-down. Opened and closed it about 15x in a row, and now....quiet. Oh...and not once did it beep and reverse on me. At least not yet. Had them in about 5 days now, and use it regularly. Maybe the lifts did the trick and I won't have to buy a motor. So far, so good. Thanks for the insight everyone.

 

Got a bit of an update. Ever since I put new lifts on the rear gate I get a lot of moaning and groaning plastic sounds when turning the vehicle, either slowly like at a light or on curves at speed.

I thought it was the small half moon shaped rear cover that snaps to the rear hatch itself, and removed that, but it still moans a lot. Started right when I changed the lifts. The lifts are not touching anything. Anyone had this happen?

 

Many ways to ruin the headliner. Permanent creases, grease or dirt stuck in the cosmetic flock side of the headliner, tear the headliner, etc. It's pretty delicate. Must be handled with care, but at the same time, it will fight you especially if you do not fully remove it. In my case, I did not fully remove it. It's super easy to stain it because handling the lift motor will make your hands greasy.

 

I hope you did not install them upside down. Or maybe the clips are not seated all the way. Double check the youtube videos.