Flawed design in Chevy & GMC frames - Recall Needed

Okay, I'm not a troll. I have a 2005 Silverado straight cab, full bed 4x4 with 75,000 miles on it. The exterior looks great, if you don't look at the crappy step-n-tow bumper that's just about rusted through.

My point is that the cross frame tubes used forward and aft of the rear axle that the shock absorbers attach to are a flawed design. Those on my truck both disintegrated this past winter. IF lucky, for about $1,500.00, I can get some replacement parts and have them installed. These 'tubes' (too thin to be called pipes) have sheet metal screws in them holding on the brake lines. The forward tube is also hanging the fuel tank, so trouble is coming from that quarter soon. The tubes appear to be just cold rolled steel.

These tubes should have had their ends closed and/or been made out of rust resistant material or come factory sprayed with something to them last longer. I expect rust. I don't expect a $25,000 truck to have to be junked in less than 10 years because it is too rusted to be on the road.

The new 2014 are built the same way. I feel strongly Chevy should change the design and make good on this crappy bit of engineering.

Any other owners dissatisfied enough to sign a petition to GM to have this issue addressed? Are all American trucks built this way?

Reply to
Wilson
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Worried about corrosion? Talk to the big truck drivers that can't get a million miles out of a real heavy steel chassis. Ice free roads come with a price, your vehicle. More sand and less ice melters are the only solution. All this brine use and various chlorides eat vehicles, period.

Reply to
repairman54

On 05/16/14 8:20 AM, sometime in the recent past repairman54 posted this:

But I only put 8,400 miles a year on the truck! I'm just saying, this problem could be delayed with end-caps and is a major design flaw. Unless of course obsolescence is the design.

I guess as a repairman, this isn't a problem as much as a meal ticket for you, but thanks.

Reply to
Wilson

Actually end caps make it worse. Corrosion depends on moisture, and capped tubes, once wet, stay wet. If you want your truck to last, wash it out every spring to get the clorides out of the tubes - clorides attract moisture. And when you are not driving it, DON'T park it on grass!!!!

And spray the inside of the tubes (and the whole frame and underbody) with a good oil type rustproofing like Crown or Rust-Chek (or even gear oil). On an older vehicle, soak the inside with WD40 first to dry it out, and then add the heavy oil, which will be drawn into any rust by the WD 40. (one thing WD40 is actually not too bad at)

Reply to
clare

On 05/16/14 1:18 PM, sometime in the recent past snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca posted this:

Those are good ideas, ones I wish the original owner had done.

My point about the having end-caps was that it should have been designed into the OEM parts and the caps would have been welded on after insuring the interior was dry.

Reply to
Wilson

The welds are NEVER 100% - moisture gets in and you are guaranteed it will rust. Ask Toyota about the problem they had with the rear suspension arms on firdt generation Tercels. The fix was to drill drain holes and pump in penetrating oil and reustproofing.

You do NOT want imperfectly sealed closed sections in ANY frame component. Same problem with Aerostar rocker panel "beams" - rotted out under the doors even faster than the seam where top side panel, bottom side panel, and floor panel met down the driver's side.

Reply to
clare

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