You'd think so, most definitely. However, this happened to my roomie's Mustang tailgate latch, and I found a pretty acceptable fix. Go to your hardware store, and look in the bolt/nut/etc bins. You'll evetually find some nylon sleeves/spacers. Get one that has a close diameter. Slit this lengthwise on one side, pull it open with your fingers, and clip it over the offending post. Secure with a couple drops of super glue. It replaces the plastic perfectly. Been going strong for well over a year now.