Tailgate Hinge problems of the 2000 Chevrolet Silverado - part 1

04 v 129 000/tailgate support cable: while opening the tailgate, both support cables broke and the tailgate drop completely down. No injury was reported. The dealer was notified. The dealer informed the consumer that their vehicle VIN # was not included in the recall.

Recall campaign 04v129000 concerning tailgate support cable. Consumer received notification from the manufacturer in regard to this recall. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and was informed that hew would have to repair the defect himself. The service technician fixed one cable, and handed the second cable to consumer, telling him that he would have to fix it by himself. Also, they claimed they were not a body shop, and he would have to get this fixed on his own.

Consumer received recall 04v129000 for the tailgate, made an appointment dealer, and upon arriving the parts were not available. Consumer went home. A second recall letter stating the recall for the vehicle had not been performed. Consumer made an appointment once again, took the vehicle to dealer, and once again was told the part was not available.

While unloading the tailgate dropped completely down. No injury reported. The dealer was notified.

Consumer received mfr recall 04007, NHTSA recall 04v129000 concerning tailgate cables. No parts were available. Service manager michael page.

Re Chevrolet safety recall for 2000 Silverado trucks, defective steel tailgate support cables. When the consumer called to schedule an appointment to have the recall performed, he was told there were no parts and he would receive a call once the part(s) arrived. The consumer received another recall letter and he called the dealer again and was told the parts were still not in. )recall#04v129000).

Tailgate support cables failed.

When opening the tailgate owner noticed the straps wore out prematurely. A recall was issued, however this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN. Dealer refused to repair the consumers tailgate support cables.

Consumer stated tailgate cables broke . A recall was issued. Howwever this vehicle was not included due to VIN.

Contact received recall 04v129000 concerning tailgate: hinge and attachments. The dealer replaced the galvanized steel straps with the same type of straps. The recall letter indicated the replacement should be stainless steel. The vehicle was experiencing the same problems as indicated on the recall letter.

Tailgate fell off pickup chevy. Silverado pickup truck . Ttailgate dropped down while I was driving. Cable on passenger side broke causing tailgate to drop off truck. Driver side didn't break,however tailgate was dragged on road untill I was able to pull over. Traveling about 10 miles per hour. I was making a right hand turn. Tailgate damage $ 178. 00 bill from collision shop two new cables $ 29. 23 bill from chevy dealership ideal chev. Geneseo NY. New cables need to be replaced when gm comes out with new replacements. Contacted Chevrolet moters at 800-630-2438 on June 1,2004. Sr31-222651780 advised that parts & damaged not covered at this time. Cables were rusted. I have broken cable. Chevy Silverado 2000 no one hurt however very upsetting when it occured can you help? thank you.

Recall no. #04v129000, tailgate support cable: the tailgate support cable has broken on the vehicle. The consumer received a recall letter but, the manufacturer insisted that the letter was not a recall letter. The manufacturer informed the consumer that an actual recall letter is due out this summer.

Consumer was informed by the dealership that the parts to perform the tailgate support cable recall 04v129000 weren't available, and he will be contacted when they become available. Almost a year later, the dealership told the consumer he was no longer was eligible for the recall.

While driving and upon hitting a bump in the road tailgate dropped down and the belts broke. The tailgate and strap's were totally disengaged from the vehicle.

The was standing on the tailgate and without warning the tailgate cable snapped. The consumer contacted the deale and the mechanic informed the consumer no parts were available. Both supports were holding the tailgate.

Tailgate support cable broken.

While opening the tailgate, the cables broke without warning. As a result the tailgate dropped about a 1/2 inch.

Broken tailgate cable.

Tailgate cable broken one side found.

The tailgate support cable (on one side only) snapped while I was attempting to get out of the pickup bed after installing a tonneau cover. Luckily, only one snapped; otherwise, I would have had considerable damage to my tailgate as well. Although the truck is a 2000 model, it has been garaged 80% of it's life. C'mon gm, spend the extra $2. 00 and give us some real cables.

The contact is having the same problem with tailgate that was recalled on other vehicles. The contact received a recall letter, but his manufacturer told him that this particular model is not in with the recall but he is having the same type of problem. The NHTSA campaign id number is 04v129000 the summary for the compalint is as follows: on certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the galvanized steel tailgate support cables that retain the tailgate in the full open (horizontal) position may corrode, weaken, and eventually fracture. If both cables fractured, the tailgate would suddenly drop and strike the top surface of the rear bumper. This is the same problem the contact is having with his vechile. The contact was having problems with his tailgate before the recall was even made. The contact was standing on his tailgate while it broke.

Tailgate hinges corroded and broke while someone was sitting on it in December 2003. We replaced both hinges in March.

Both tailgate cables on my 2000 chevy Silverado failed when unloading cargo (5 gallon pails of corn). I can see they were rusted out inside the plastic casing enclosing them. I injured my legs when the tailgate fell.

This is additional information related to a preliminary investigation (pe03-049). Own a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. At approximately 25k miles, both tailgate straps broke; the rubber case over the cables allowed water in, and the cables rusted. Both cables were replaced under warranty at that time. At approximately 52k miles, one of the "new" cables broke; expecting that the other one would fail soon, I bought two new cables. Fortunately, no one was injured when both cables broke the first time. From now on, I intend to replace both when even a single cable breaks. I don't believe the cables should break so frequently. If they were made of galvanized steel or stainless steel they would fare better.

Tailgate support cables broke. My wife let down tailgate and had to catch the tailgate before it hit the bumper. There was no weight on it.

When loading an off road vehicle to the back of the consumer's vehicle the tailgate cables broke, causing the tailgate to detach from the vehicle. This caused some damage to the vehicle.

I was unloading a snow blower in a crate (about 300 lbs) from the back of my truck when both cables holding the gate snapped. Now I wasn't on it so it was just the blower when they snapped and I was able to catch my step on the ground. If I had been on the tail gate when this happened I could have gotten injured. Both cables had rusted on the inside of the plastic case that they are in and you could not have seen it from the outside. This to me is a very unsafe condition.

I was sitting on the tailgate of my 2000 Silverado pickup with my girlfriend, when both cables snapped and the tailgate dropped and we fell to the ground. The tailgate received a dent from hitting the bumper. Luckily, we were not hurt, but now I don't feel safe loading my lawn tractor on the tailgate ramps. Both cables appeared rusted within their plastic sheathing and snapped in the middle where the cable bends when tailgate is closed.

I have a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado. While I was sitting on the tailgate, the strap broke and my tailgate is now sprung. I took it to the dealer who said all they could do was sell me a new strap. I purchased the strap and now one strap is longer than the other strap. I have the old strap and it broke right in the middle. I hurt my hip when it happened.

In regard to the gm tailgate investigation I experienced a failure in the cable on the left side, 2000 2500 Silverado. There was a minor abrasion to the plastic coating approximately midway between the anchor points. Road salt appears to have penetrated to the wires that comprised the cable and corroded them to the failure point. Cable broke while loading a lawn tractor <> 700 pounds. No other damage, no injuries, right side cable held the load after left side failure. No indication of problem prior to breakage. Incident date is estimated. Thanks .

Consumer states that both tailgate support brackets broke simultaneously while standing on the truck bed. The consumer was injured as a result.

The consumer placed clothes inside the tailgate while the vehicle was parked and the side cables broke from the tailgate knocking the consumer to the ground. The driver sustained back injuries. He drove himself to the hospital. The consumer was sitting on the tailgate when the cables broke. The consumer fell to the ground and injured his neck, back and shoulders.

The contact states there is a NHTSA recall campaign 04v129000 concerning tailgate: hinge and attachments. This vehicle was experiencing the same problems as indicated in the recall, but was not included in the recall due to VIN. The contact has currently not repaired the vehicle.

Tailgate failure. While unloading a 4-wheel drive tailgate cable snapped. As a result the 4-wheel drive rolled backwards into a ditch. The cause of the failure was undetermined. Consumer was standing on the tailgate with the vehicle backed into a ditch. While trying to unload the atv, both cables snapped. The atv fell into the ditch and the bumper was dented.

We have a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado that both of the tail gate cables have broken.