Two problems related to tailgate have been reported for the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
On Sunday, March 14 my friend was hunting with a group of friends on a ranch in tennessee. My friend shot his first ram and then he and the guys loaded it in the back of the truck. Guys loaded into the cab and the bed of the truck. My friend and another man sat on the open tailgate. They were just going to ride down the two track a bit back to the lodge. They were going approximately 10mph. The tailgate broke. One man was thrown from the truck with minor injuries. My friend was thrown down and hit his head on the tailgate. He died Monday, March 15 of head injuries. He was riding in a '02 chevy Silverado. Chevy recalled this truck for this problem on Monday, March 15. I believe you have your first fatality related to this problem. What do we do now?.
The tailgate cable broke while load an atv. The atv fell on the consumer breaking his shoulder in three places. Dealership indicated that this was caused by the tailgate rubber coating rusting.