Government Upgrading Investigation of GM Pickups

AP ^ | 4-18-2005 | Ken Thomas

[Cagey]

....tailgates are falling off the back of some General Motors Corp. pickup trucks without warning.

Without warning! Be careful who you're driving behind.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

I see a lot of pickup truck owners, A LOT, that should not own trucks. They have no knowledge of trailering, hauling, securing cargo. I've seen trucks literally sitting on the stops towing trailers too heavy and never meant to be towing such capacity. I've seen stuff fall out the back because it's not secured.

[rdb3]

I'm a Ford truck man, that's all I drive...

[PAR35]

GM has sent reminders to vehicle owners who have not yet had their trucks repaired every two months.

I hope the writer made a mistake here. Do you really have to bring in a GM truck for repairs every 2 months? Even their cars are slightly more reliable than that, if you remember to add a quart of oil every week or two.

[IamConservative]

My 2003 Avalanche was recalled for this.

The support cables would only break when down and under load. Mine did not break.

I would guess they were flexing beyond the point of recoverable elasticity with frequent use and simply broke much like you can break a wire hanger by bending in the same place repeatedly.

[Spktyr]

Yes, but on GMs, the door and tailgate hinges are *glued* onto the body after 1999. And, of course, they used "industrial adhesive" from the lowest bidder with little thought for quality. That's why the tailgate is falling off after the latch fails and the support cables separate.

If you don't believe me, go look at any 99-02 GM full-size truck, and look for bolts on the hinges where they meet the body. You won't find any.

[Enterprise]

I have a 2001 Silverado and I took it in for the cable replacement. I don't haul a lot with it either. I've really enjoyed driving it.

[Who dat?]

NHTSA said consumers have reported about 50 injuries due to the alleged defect, which involves the breaking of the support cables because of metal fatigue, leading to the separation of the tailgate.

It’s been years since I owned a Chevy or GM… anyhow, whatever happened to the way tailgates used to be put on? There were chains/hooks on the step-sides and a couple of links on the fleet-sides.

You couldn’t just drop the tailgate to get it to come off in any event – it usually involved dropping the tailgate to a certain angle and pulling it out, or bending the links “backwards” and removing them, then lowering the tailgate to a certain angle and pulling it out.

Either way, no way (IMO) that a tailgate could just “fall off” by accident. Having said that, the last pickup I had was a Nissan and that was 1990. I guess they changed things for some reason.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

That's sad if they are "glueing" parts on to a car. I guess the engineer has only played with toy models. In the real world, glue won't work ;)

[kempo]

This article is misleading. The cables that hold the tailgate flat when opened are breaking making the tailgate fall down onto the bumper. The tailgate does not fall off the truck. The replacement cables are made of stainless steel. I've had mine replaced.

[Spktyr]

Almost every post 99 GM design has the door hinges glued onto the body. I don't think the GTOs or Cadillacs do that, though.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

I guess sometimes it's better to stick with the OLD school stuff. :)

[Spktyr]

Or at least cars that aren't designed mostly by beancounters.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

I love gm/chevy trucks. I've got a 63 myself and it's heavier duty truck. It's still rock solid with the original motor ~73K, it's actually all original. :)

[Old Professer]

I'll bet you dollars to donuts, no gate that was latched fell off.

I've seen guys try to cram two cubic yards of gravel on a 1/2 ton truck.

[Old Professer]

The cable anchor at the side mounts has a spring tab that keeps the anchor in place over the stepped pin; it is made this way so that one can depress the tabs, move the gate to a half-open position, remove both side cables and then lift the gate from the truck.

This design has been in use by G.M. for years; there are 6 major points for sudden failure. In all probability, some penny-pincher went to a smaller gauge somewhere to maintain profit.

Basically, I will stick to my original suspicion that stupidity remains supreme.

[Graybeard58]

I bought about a half ton of sand last year and hauled it in my half ton, no problem. The man who loaded it for me told me that he had people coming in all the time telling him to fill it up. Meaning fill up the bed, level full.

Some people sure are clueless.

[Old Professer]

Is it a wire rope failure (unraveling) or an anchor failure?

[Old Professer]

2 Cubic yards goes about 4,000#, and it will fit in a 4X8 bed; a half yard won't look like much, but it is a good place to stop.

[TFMcGuire]

Chevy recalled theirs already.

The problem is this:

The support cables were made of galvanized steel which, in extreme cases electrolyzed, weakened, and broke.

The replacement cables are stainless.

I have been extremely happy with my 2001 Silverado. I had the cables replaced when I received the manufacturer's letter but they were not corroded at all.