Winch Equipment problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

Gm, you have got to be kidding me!!!! if I was on the side of the highway with my boat on the back, I'd have unhitched the boat, moved it to a safe location, and then torched the truck to the ground! ok not really, but I'm just beside myself that gm would do such a dumb move and install a safety feature which would hinder you in an emergency situation. My 2004 silverado has a "safety latch mechanism" for the spare tire that becomes rusted or dirty and won't allow you to get the tire down!! they should at least warn people to check it and see if it will lower and to grease it or put anti-seizing compound on it, something. The dumb thing says patent pending on it! what a joke! they need a better design and recall! I've heard of people having them burnt off to get it down! that is what the dealership told me they would do for about $225 - crazy! read this and more from other drivers on the internet!!!! the winch part number is 15247311. The part costs around $100. There is definitely a corrosion issue with the secondary latch. Best to check it, clean it, grease it, when checking air pressure on the spare. Spare tire will likely drop a couple inches when you uncrank the winch. If it hangs up at that point, the secondary latch is not releasing. Continuing to uncrank the cable can tear up the winch, as the cable has nowhere to go. After lowering the tire a couple inches, try supporting the tire and forcing it back up. This may give you enough room to fuss with the crusty secondary latch mechanism without having the tire drop on you. You may be able to free it up and then further lower it to clean and grease it. If anyone from gm reads this, you should not be proud of this latch. Anyone from detroit should recognize that the underside of the car is a corrosive environment and that should have been considered in this design. The tightly fitting parts and tiny spring can not withstand the exposure to dirt, water, salt, etc. . . And it turns to junk very quickly. Updated 08/24/10. Updated ivoq 08/25/jb.