1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Suspension

FRAME FAILED. CRACKED AT TORSION BAR CROSS SUPPORT BOTH SIDES. IN THAT SECTION CAN PUSH SCREWDRIVER THRU FRAME. ENTIRE FRAME FLAKING LARGE CHUNKS, SPARE TIRE FALLING OFF. HAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED GAS TANK STRAPS, NEW SS BRAKE LINES. FUEL LINES NOW RUSTING THROUGH. SANDWICH PLATED WITH STEEL/BOLTS. FRAME REPAIR MORE THAN VALUE OF TRUCK. HAS 108,000 MILES, ABOUT 1/2 OF MILES I EXPECTED TO GET OUT OF IT.

I HAVE A 1999 SILVERADO 1500, IN THE PAST FEW DAY I'VE BEEN HEARING A NOISE COMING FROM THE DRIVERS REAR WHEEL AREA. TODAY I PUT THE REAR OF THE TRUCK ON JACK STANDS IN ORDER TO LOCATE THE NOISE, AFTER REMOVING THE WHEEL AND TIRE I NOTICED THE FRAME BEHIND THE TIRE HAS HOLES RUSTED THROUGH AND IS PAPER THIN. THEN I NOTICED A PLATE WELDED TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE FRAME APPARENTLY BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER BEHIND THE PLATE THE FRAME HAS BEEN BROKE . I THEN CHECKED THE OTHER SIDE AND IT TOO HAS A PLATE BUT DOESN'T LOOK AS BAD. NOW, GROWING MORE INTERESTED I BEGAN POKING AT THE FRAME WALLS AND IN MANY PLACES ITS CHIPPING AND GOING THROUGH LIKE ICE. I AM NOT A RICH MAN AND CANNOT AFFORD TO REPAIR OR REPLACE SOMETHING THAT SHOULD LAST LIKE YOU WOULD THINK A FRAME SHOULD. A FEW YEARS AGO I HAD A 1979 CHEVY TRUCK AND SOLD IT, EVEN NOW THE FRAME IS IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE THAN A TRUCK THAT IS 20 YEARS NEWER. GM NEEDS TO BE THE HONORABLE COMPANY THAT I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY WERE AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I TOOK MY 1999 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 IN FOR SERVICE AT A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHO, UPON ATTEMPTING TO LIFT THE VEHICLE ON A HOIST, INFORMED ME THAT THE VEHICLE SHIFTED DUE TO THE FRAME BEING RUSTED THROUGH ON BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THEY LOWERED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT ONTO ANOTHER SERVICE AREA WITH A PIT ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO BE INSPECTED FROM UNDERNEATH WITHOUT THE USE OF A HOIST. THE SERVICE REPAIR TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME THE SIGNIFICANT RUST DAMAGE TO THE FRAME AND ADVISED ME NOT TO SINK ANY MONEY INTO REPAIRS DUE TO THE FACT THE VEHICLE STRUCTURE COULD FAIL AT ANY TIME DUE TO FRAME BREAKAGE. I WAS TOLD BY A FORMER ENGINEER AT GM THAT THE FRAMES WERE SOURCED TO MAGNA CORPORATION AND THAT BRAND NEW VEHICLES WERE EXHIBITING FRAME BENDING WHEN BEING LOADED AND CLAMPED DOWN ON DELIVERY TRUCK TRAILERS. THE SUPPLIER MUST HAVE COMPROMISED THE MATERIALS AND PROCESSING OF THE TRUCK FRAMES IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE CONTRACT FROM GM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY PROBLEM DUE TO NEGLIGENCE OF BOTH GM AND THE SUPPLIER OF THE TRUCK FRAMES. I ALSO HAD EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE IN 2011 DUE TO THE BRAKE LINES RUSTING FROM THE OUTSIDE, WHICH WOULD ALSO INDICATE COMPROMISED MATERIALS AND PROCESSING. I NOTICED MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS REPORTED TO THE NHTSA ON THIS SITE ABOUT BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO EXTERNAL RUST FOR 1999 CHEVY SILVERADO TRUCKS JUST LIKE MINE. I AM AFRAID THAT MANY OF THOSE VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE NOT YET NOTICED THAT THEY WILL ALSO HAVE TRUCK FRAME FAILURE DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT RUST PROBLEM EXHIBITED BY THESE VEHICLES. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THESE STRUCTURAL COMPONENT AND BRAKE LINE FAILURES WILL RESULT IN MANY VEHICLE CRASHES AND THE UNSUSPECTING VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS WILL INEVITABLY HAPPEN UNLESS THE NHTSA STEPS IN AND FORCES AN INVESTIGATION AND RECALL OF 1999 THROUGH 2006 CHEVY SILVERADO VEHICLES. *TR

WHILE HAVING NEW TIRES PUT ON MECHANIC NOTICED THAT DRIVER'S SIDE BALL JOINTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

ALIGNMENT PROBLEM RUINED LEFT FRONT TIRE. THE SIDEWALLS WERE CRACKING ON ALL THE TIRES. DEALER SAID THE TIRES WERE NOT SUITABLE FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE VAN. THERE SHOULD BE A STANDARD FOR REPLACEMENT PART.

WHEELS CANNOT BE ALIGNED DUE TO THE WASHER WHICH IS WELDED ON. REPLACED TIRES LESS THAN ONE YEAR FROM PURCHASE, VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT. *AK *ML

BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARING WENT OUT AS WELL AS WINDOW REGULATOR'S WITH LESS THEN 3000 MILES ON THE PICK UP AND THE DEALER HAS HAD OTHER TRUCKS OF THE SAME TYPE WITH FRONT END SUSPENSION PROBLEMS WHICH DUPLICATES MINE.

WHILE DRIVING 45-65 MPH EXTREME VIBRATION OCCURS, DEALER HAS REPLACED THE SHOCKS AND TIRES WHICH HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH OR ABOVE THE STEERING WHEEL HAS A VERY HARD VIBRATION WHICH MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND CRASH. MANUFACTURER HAS A TSB BULLETIN 99-43-09-002 STATED THAT IT WASA MANUFACTURER'S DESIGN . PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

BOLT ON RIGHT SIDE UPPER CONTROL ARM CAME OUT WHILE DRIVING CAUSING AN ASSEMBLY FAILURE. COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAD IT OCCURRED AT A HIGHER SPEED.

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THERE IS SOME NOISE WITHIN THE STEERING. ALSO, WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP, THERE IS A LOUD NOISE, AND THE TIRES ARE OUT OF BALANCE. ALSO, WHEEL IS BEND. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON ANY SPEED, VEHICLE VIBRATES, AND CONSUMER LOSES CONTROL, ALMOST GETTING OFF THE ROAD. *AK

SEVERE FRONT END VIBRATION, PROBLEM IS UNPREDICTABLE, HOWEVER WHEN IT OCCURS IT IS SO SEVERE CONUMER HAS TO SOMETIMES PULL OVER, FEELS UNSAFE DRIVING VEHICLE.

TRUCK HAS A VIBRATION IN THE FRONT END AT 60 TO 70 MPH. THIS VIBRATION HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE TRUCK WAS PURCHASED FROM TOM PEDEN. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN CHECKED BY FIRESTONE TWICE. THE SECOND TRIP TO THE DEALER ON 12/4/98 THE SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A FACTORY DEFECT AND THE NEW PARTS TO CORRECT THIS DEFECT WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR THIRY TO SIXTY DAYS. I REQUESTED THAT THE VEHICLE BE REPLACED OR A LOANER VEHICLE BE PROVIDED SINCE THE VIBRATION ALONG WITH ROUGH ROAD CONDITIONS COULD CAUSE A LOSS ON CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER AND THE CHEVROLET REFUSED TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE OR PROVIDE A LOANER. I FEEL THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE