VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN ON NOVEMBER 2017 DUE TO REAR TAILGATE/HATCH NOT OPENING PROPERLY AND MAKING NOISE SOMETIMES. STRUTS AND OTHER COMPONENTS REPLACED. VEHICLE IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND REAR TAILGATE MODULE CAUGHT ON FIRE INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND BURNED UP. GM CUSTOMER CARE CASE 8-43560624XX WAS STARTED. PART SHOWS SIGNS OF FIRE, HEAVY COMPONENT DAMAGE BURN MARKS EVERYWHERE AND GROUND PLANES WITHIN THE PCB SHOW SIGNS OF EXTREME OVERHEATING, INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE SMELLS LIKE BURNT PLASTIC AND THE REAR TAILGATE COULD NOT BE OPEN. GM IS NOT CALLING IT A FIRE BUT IT IS OBVIOUS FROM THE PART THAT THERE WAS A FLAME AND A LOT OF HEAT. TRIED TO ESCALATE THIS PASSED GM CUSTOMER CARE SO GM ENGINEERS CAN AT LEAST LOOK AT IT BUT CHRIS (DID NOT PROVIDE LAST NAME AND/OR ID NUMBER) INFORMED ME THAT THERE IS NO MORE ESCALATION AT THIS POINT. WAS GIVEN THE TYPICAL SCRIPT "WE APOLOGIZE, BLAH BLAH BLAH, VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY".GM ENGINEERS SHOULD LOOK AT THE PICTURES AND THE PART TO MAKE SURE THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE. PICTURES ATTACHED OF THE "THERMAL" EVENT AS GM CALLED IT AS THEY CANNOT SAY IT CAUGHT ON FIRE.