I found the following info on the tail wheel retraction problems in "Focke-Wulf Ta 152 The Story of the Luftwaffe's Late-War, High-Altitude Fighter" by Dietmar Harmann; ISBN 0-7643-0860-2.
In a report from front line unit III/JG 301 it is mentioned that there are problems with retracting the tail wheel. The cause is unkown, but the load on the hydraulics could be to high. Also, the rollers on the retracting mechanism were jumping out of the tracks.
Brian