The embodiment of the invention discloses a power operated tailgate control method and device, and belongs to the technical field of automobile control. The method includes the steps that an operating instruction is formed by collecting switch variables, and a tailgate motor is controlled to move according to the position of a power operated tailgate so that the power operated tailgate can ascend or descend; the voltage drop of a sampling resistor connected into a driving circuit of the tailgate motor in series is collected in real time, and whether the working current of the tailgate motor is larger than a preset current or not when the power operated tailgate is controlled to descend is judged according to the collected voltage drop; and if the working current is larger than the preset current, it is determined that the power operated tailgate breaks down, and the power operated tailgate is controlled to rebound upwards to a preset safety height. According to the power operated tailgate control method and device, whether an obstacle exists or not can be detected automatically when the power operated tailgate is controlled to descend, and therefore the phenomenon that passengers are hurt by jamming is avoided, and tailgate control safety is improved.