GM Truck Probe Widened

February 23, 2004
Federal safety regulators have upgraded a probe into tailgate failures on full-size pickup trucks built by General Motors Corp. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded the probe to an "engineering analysis," a step that can precede a recall.

GM Tailgates • GM Recalls Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra Pickups to Fix Tailgate • Feds Probe GM Pickups ... Again • GM Recalls 4 Million Pickups • Pickup Probe Widens --- • Consumer Complaints about GM Tailgates

A recall would involve nearly 4.5 million of the pickups. The trucks involved are 1999-2003 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras, as well as Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac EXT trucks from the 2002 and 2003 model years.

GM has reported 96 injuries linked to the tailgate problem. The company has received 430 complaints about one or both of the tailgate support cables breaking on the trucks that are being studied.

It happened to Dale of Walton, Ken. "While working in the back of my 2001 Chevrolet Silverado I stepped from the bed onto the tailgate. Both support straps on the tailgate broke and I fell onto the crank of my landscape trailer," Dale said in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.

"I found that I severely bruised my ribs and whatever other muscles are in the area. I have incurred doctor and hospital charges as well as 2 days off work for myself and one day for my wife," he said.

NHTSA says GM has also reported more than 61,000 warranty claims due to the problem.

GM has recalled more than 2.4 million vehicles due to other potential safety problems this month. The recalls, though not uncommon for a mass market automaker, follow GM's recent assertions that its quality has rebounded from the dark days of the early 1990s when it almost went bankrupt.

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