NHTSA complaint: 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE — STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
THREE FAMILIES AND THERE KIDS WENT TO A LAKE IN ARKANSAS. ONE DAY WE DECIDED TO GO DOWN TO THE LAKE ON A GRAVEL ROAD. FOUR TEENAGE KIDS DECIDED TO RIDE ON THE TAILGATE. TOGETHER THEY ALL WEIGHED UNDER 600 POUNDS. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE GRAVEL ROAD @ ABOUT 5 MPH A HEARD A POP THEN VOICES THEN A THUD AND I LOOKED IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND NOTICED THE KIDS ON THE GROUND. WHEN I STOPPED TO GET OUT, I ALSO NOTICED MY TAILGATE HAD FALLEN OFF COMPLETELY. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX MY TAILGATE, BUT REPLACED MY CABLES AND MY TAILGATE HANDLE WHICH HAD BEEN DAMAGED. I TRIED GM, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THE DEALER WAS THERE EYES AND EARS. THE DEALER FELT LIKE THE TAIL GATE WAS OVERLOADED AND THAT HAD CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER HAD TOLD ME THAT THESE TYPE OF CABLES HAD BROKE ALL OF THE TIME. A YEAR WENT BY AND GM HAD ISSUED A RECALL ON ALL OF THE THESE TYPE CABLES. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER TO SEE IF THEY WOULD FIX THE SCRATCHES ON THE TAILGATE AND THEY SAID NO. I WENT BACK TO GM AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE DEALER WAS THEIR EYES AND EARS AND THEY WOULD NOT FIX MY TAILGATE. I BELIEVE IF THE CABLES FAIL AND YOU HAVE ANY LOAD ON THE TAILGATE IT IS LIKELY THAT THE TAILGATE CAN COME OFF. THE TAILGATE HAS NO PIN TO SECURE IT. IF THE CABLES BREAK AND THE TAILGATE IS AT THE RIGHT ANGLE IT WILL COME OFF. IF A TAILGATE COMES OFF THE TRUCK ON THE HIGHWAY I SEE THIS BEING A VERY DANGEROUS SCENARIO. I FEEL THE DEALER IS NEGLECTING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO STAND BEHIND THE PRODUC
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation