NHTSA Complaint #10072840 — 2000 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

FACTORY BATTERY WITH SIDE-MOUNTED TERMINALS LEAKED ACID ONTO WIPER FLUID WELL MOUNTED BELOW IT CAUSING WELL TO CRACK AND DRAIN. DEALER REPLACED THE WIPER WELL, BUT RECOMMENDED I REPLACE THE BATTERY AS WELL. I REPLACED THE BATTERY MYSELF (INSTEAD OF LETTING THE DEALERSHIP DO IT) ON MAY 17, BUT NOT BEFORE THE OLD BATTERY HAD ONCE AGAIN LEAKED ACID AND CRACKED THE NEW WIPER FLUID WELL. OLD BATTERY CASING WAS NOT CRACKED OR OTHERWISE DAMAGED; ACID APPEARED TO LEAK DIRECTLY OUT OF THE TERMINALS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW BY EITHER AC DELCO FOR THE BATTERY ITSELF OR BY GM FOR NOT PROPERLY ISOLATING THE BATTERY FROM VIBRATION. FURTHERMORE, THE FOAM "DIAPER" THE OLD BATTERY WAS WRAPPED IN INDICATES THAT GM WAS AWARE OF A POTENTIAL LEAK ISSUE FOR THIS BATTERY. THE FOAM DOES NOTHING TO HINDER VIBRATION. MOST OF MY 40000 MILES ARE HIGHWAY MILES, AND I SELDOM GO OFF-ROADING (UNLESS THE POTHOLES ON THE INTERSTATES OF SC COUNT). AK