Tailgate Latch problems of the 1997 GMC Sierra

I had loaded some lumber into the back of the truck and the tailgate cable snapped. It had rusted inside of the plastic barrier. The lumber slid out of the truck while traveling. No one was injured. I contacted GMC, and they said their was no recall on that problem. I will have to purchase another cable for the tailgate.

Failure of tailgate support cable on my 1997 GMC Sierra short bed pick-up. Vehicle was primarily used for transportation to work and home. Cargo is very rarely transported, but on the day of the failure several dozen 2x4s were transported less than 3 miles with the tailgate down. The left side cable support broke during transport. The load was not lost in the roadway because the right side remained intact. Tailgate is no longer used to support any load due to fear of failure ,and remained upright and latched. No replacement part has been located.