Table 1 shows two common electrical system related problems of the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 3500.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Underhood Wiring problems | |
| Back Up Alarm problems |
We purchased a 2007 Chevrolet 1 ton new in August of 2007. On January 23, 2008 my employee was delivering traffic control. The engine was running as he was doing his paper work. He noticed smoke from under the engine compartment. He opened the hood and observed flames and smoke. He used the fire extinguisher, that is part of our on board safety equipment, and proceeded to knock down the fire. We had it towed to watson Chevrolet, where it was purchased, and there it remains to this day. The wiring harness has been ordered more than once and more than once the manufacturer has sent the wrong one. I am reporting this after reading about the fires in the full size SUV's. My understanding is that the engine and drive train are similar in these vehicles and in my 1 ton truck.
There is a safety defect that could cause serious injury or death to pedestrians. I have purchased a new 2007 Chevrolet 3500hd, ltz pickup truck. This truck was purchased with the factory installed ultrasonic backup sensor system. My system works just like it is described in the owner's manual, but I believe that the design is dangerously unsafe. It relies on visual only, instead of auditory (or a combination of auditory and visual) warnings. Users expect to have an auditory warning and thus will likely hit something or someone before discovering their misunderstanding. Briefly, in normal operation, the system will emit a single beep when it first detects any obstacle while backing up in reverse. When the obstacle is less than 12 inches from the rear bumper, it emits a burst of beeps. This is, of course, so close that it only serves as a panic stop indicator. In between those two audible signals, no auditory alerts are provided. Instead the driver is instructed to look over their shoulder out the rear window and observe a set of lights on one side. As one backs ever closer to an obstacle, first one amber light comes on, then a second amber light comes on indicating that the driver is still closer to the object and finally a red light comes on signifying that you are very close. This system design in inherently dangerous because the driver must look at the panel while backing up to get the benefit of the closing range indication. As anyone knows who drives a pickup truck, especially a â¾ or 1 ton model, you use your side mirrors to backup. This is because the tailgate is so high that you can not see anything but the horizon from the rear window. This subtle but vital flaw means that the driver can backup using their side mirrors but cannot benefit from the ultrasonic system until it is too late or can use the ultrasonic system but cannot see to backup. I have more to add but have run out of allowable space (2000 chr). . Ken johnston.