Feds Probe GM Pick Ups ... Again
ConsumerAffairs.com

04/19/2005 - General Motors' best-selling pickup truck -- the Silverado -- is once again the subject of a National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation that could lead to the second recall of the vehicle in less than a year.

The investigation centers around galvanized steel cables that support the trucks' tailgate. Customers say the cables can corrode and snap, dropping payloads or people to the ground.

A total of 3.1 million vehicles are covered by the investigation, including 1.67 million Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups after reports of at least 35 more injuries due to broken support cables, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site Monday. That study covers 1998, 1999 and some 2000 vehicles.

The tailgates on GM's smaller Chevrolet S10 and GMC Sonoma pickups are also being looked at, the agency said. That investigation covers as many as 1.43 million trucks from the 1998 through 2004 model years.

In the current investigation, NHTSA has logged 29 injuries involving the smaller S-10 and Sonoma pickups for the 1998-2004 model years, and 54 tailgate injuries involving Silverados and Sierras sold in 1998, 1999 and part of the 2000 model year.

The tailgates could be prone to the same tailgate failures that led to a recall of 3.66 million vehicles last year. NHTSA points out that the S-10 and the Sonoma cables used similar sheathing material as the larger pickups recalled last year.

Last year's recall covered 4.1 million Silverado and Sierra pickups to fix a similar problem. Customers have been informed via mail that they can take their trucks to a dealer for new rust-resistant stainless steel cables.

NHTSA reports that its has documented nearly 13,000 consumer complaints and warranty claims for Chevrolet Silverado, Sierra, S-10 and Sonoma pickup trucks. They were not covered by a previous tailgate cable recall in March 2004.