2005 Chevrolet Silverado

THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED IN YOUR NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE05020 FOR EARLIER MODEL YEARS OF THE SAME TRUCK ARE OCCURRING IN MY 2005 TRUCK. THIS HAS LED TO NEAR REAR-END COLLISIONS. THE BRAKES GO INTO AN "ANTI-LOCK" CONDITION AT SLOW SPEEDS WHILE BRAKING, NO MATTER WHAT THE WEATHER OR ROAD CONDITIONS ARE. YOU SHOULD EXTEND THE MODEL YEARS COVERED IN YOUR EARLIER RECALL TO INCLUDE ALL THRU 2005 MODELS AND PERHAPS BEYOND OR ISSUE A NEW RECALL BASED ON THIS AND SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS. OBVIOUSLY GM DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM IN FOLLOW ON VERSIONS OF THE SILVERADO. *KB

IN JUNE, 2011, I BEGAN NOTICING MY ANTIFREEZE LEVELS WERE DROPPING SLIGHTLY. THERE WERE NO NOTICEABLE LEAKS OF ANTIFREEZE ANYWHERE. I ATTRIBUTED IT TO EVAPORATION & ADDED COOLANT. OVER TIME THE TRUCK STARTED USING MORE & MORE ANTIFREEZE. A FRIEND OF MINE NOTICED A PUFF OF WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE TAILPIPE. AT THE TIME I DIDN'T REALLY THINK ANYTHING OF IT. LAST WEEK WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AFTER FINISHING UP A "B" TRICK JOB (11PM), I NOTICED A KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IT SMOOTHED OUT AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING IT. THE NEXT DAY IT HAPPENED AGAIN ( I WORK 26 MILES FROM HOME) AGAIN IT SMOOTHED OUT & I WAS JUST GRATEFUL I GOT HOME SAFELY THAT NIGHT. BY THIS TIME I KNEW THERE WERE SOME SERIOUS ISSUES & DECIDED NOT TO DRIVE IT AGAIN. I BEGAN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ON LINE & FOUND OTHERS THAT WERE EXPERIENCING IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS. TURNS OUT THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE CYLINDER HEADS IN THE ENGINE MANUFACTURED FOR GM BY CASTECH. ACCORDING TO OTHER PEOPLE & BY GMS OWN ADMISSION, A FAULTY, WEAK MATERIAL WAS USED TO BUILD THE CYLINDER HEADS. OVER TIME THE MATERIAL WEARS AWAY CAUSING POROUS CRACKS & THE ANTIFREEZE SEEPS INTO THE OIL SYSTEM POLLUTING IT, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. (BY THIS TIME MOST EXTENDED WARRANTIES ARE UP). THE ANTIFREEZE MIXES WITH THE OIL & IS EMITTED OUT OF THE TAILPIPE AS EXHAUST. THIS IS WHY NO TRACES OF ANTIFREEZE WERE FOUND & THE REASON FOR THE WHITE PUFF OF SMOKE. GM ISSUED A BULLETIN #06-06-01-019B IN JUNE 2007 INFORMING REPAIR TECHNICIANS ON WHERE TO LOOK FOR THE DAMAGE. THROUGH OTHER PEOPLES EXPERIENCES, I AM FINDING THE ENGINES WERE RUINED IN 90% OF THE CASES & GM CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY. IN MY CASE I AM DRIVING A FRIEND'S VEHICLE WAITING ON WORD FROM MY MECHANIC AS TO MY OPTIONS. THESE REPAIRS ARE COSTLY. UP TO $5000!! THIS IS NOT FROM NORMAL WEAR & TEAR THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT & I FEEL A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE SPARE TIRE CABLE FRACTURED CAUSING THE SPARE TIRE TO DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE. THE STRANDS WHERE THE CABLE FRACTURED WERE UNEVEN AND CONTAINED RUST. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE UNSURE WHAT THE APPROXIMATE SPEED WAS WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 01/13/12*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT ABNORMALLY DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL INTO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME WHERE IT WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THERE WAS EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME AND THE REAR BRAKE LINE WAS FRACTURED. THE REAR BRAKE LINE WAS REPLACED. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE OTHER FRONT BRAKE LINES WERE ALSO RUSTED AND COULD POSSIBLY FRACTURE IF NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD CLANKING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WIRING FOR THE AIR BAG SENSOR UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS FAILING. THE VIN WAS AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. THE CONTACT STATED THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTED TO THE BLOWER MOTOR BECAME HOT AND BEGAN TO MELT. A PRIVATE MECHANIC REPAIRED THE RESISTOR IN OCTOBER 2008; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN. IN JANUARY 2011, THE CONTACT HAD THE WIRING HARNESS AND THE RESISTOR QA REPLACED BY A PRIVATE MECHANIC SINCE HE SMELLED A BURNING ODOR AND HAD TO DISCONNECT THE WIRING HARNESS IN ORDER TO PROTECT IT FROM MELTING. THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 119,000. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I WAS DRIVING ALONG WHEN THE CAB FILLED WITH SMOKE AND A BURNING PLASTIC SMELL. I SAW SMOKE COME FROM UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD. THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR HARNESS HAD CAUGHT FIRE. I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT OUT WITH DAMAGE TO ONLY THE HARNESS AND RESISTOR. IT WAS REPLACED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I HAD PURCHASED FROM GM. FAST FORWARD TO MAY 9, 2010 AND 50,000 MILES LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND GM CORPORATE TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO EVEN THOUGH THIS SAME MODEL VEHICLE HAS BEEN RECALLED IN CANADA FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS QUOTED $300.00 FOR THE REPAIR. ON MAY 10.2010, MY DEALER CALLED AND SAID HE RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM GM STATING THAT GM WAS IN THE PROCESS OF OFFERING A 10 YEAR 150,000 MILE WARRANTY ON THE BLOWER MOTOR AND HARNESS REPAIR. HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTICE FROM GM YET BUT DEALER SAID THEY WOULD FIX IT NO CHARGE.