NHTSA Complaint #10186129 — 1999 GMC SONOMA

THIS MESSAGE WAS ORIGINALLY SENT TO MY BROTHER ADVISING HIM OF THIS PROBLEM. BELOW IS THE EXPLANATION. IMAGINE THE TRUCK HAS A COUPLE OF TOW HOOKS ON THE FRONT END LIKE MINE DID. I WOULD BE CAREFUL USING THEM TO PULL THE VEHICLE OUT OF A HOLE ,USING ANYTHING OTHER THAN A CHAIN. CONVERSELY THE SAME WOULD APPLY IF ON WAS USING THEM TO PULL SOMETHING.*AK I HAVE BEEN USING MINE TO PULL THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME BUT MOSTLY TO RAISE THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK FOR OIL CHANGES ETC. TODAY LIKE ALWAYS, I USED MY AIR BUMPER JACK TO ENGAGE THE TWO HOOKS AND LIFT THE VEHICLE TO WORK ON. BECAUSE THE AIR JACK IS OLD AND LEAKS, WHEN YOU GET TO THE HEIGHT YOU WANT, IN A MOMENT OR TWO, THE JACK WILL USUALLY SETTLE BACK DOWN A BIT UNTIL IT ENGAGES THE SAFETY STOP. THIS USUALLY RESULTS IN A CLUNK AND SOME G LOAD TO THE HOOKS WHEN IT STOPS. TODAY WHEN IT SETTLED ONTO THE STOP, BOTH HOOKS FAILED AT THE FIRST ATTACHING BOLTS! THE AIR JACK VAULTED INTO THE AIR AND THE TRUCK CAME CRASHING DOWN TO THE GROUND. IN ANOTHER MOMENT, I WOULD HAVE BEEN HALF UNDER IT PLACING THE JACK STANDS! WHEN I THINK BACK, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN I CHANGED THE OIL AND DID OTHER SERVICE WORK ON IT WITH NO SAFETY STANDS, AS THE AIR JACK HAS A SECURE SAFETY LATCH AND THE JACK PADS AND THE TOW HOOKS HAVE A POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT. IN LOOKING AT THE FAILURE, THERE ISN'T MUCH MEAT IN THE HOOK ASSEMBLY WHERE THE ATTACHMENT BOLTS ARE THREADED INTO THE SHANK OF THE HOOK. THE MATERIAL IS QUITE HARD AS THERE IS NO VISIBLE DEFORMATION IN THE FAILURE AREA. I GUESS IN RETROSPECT, THE HOOKS ARE THERE FOR PULLING AND NOT LIFTING BUT IF YOUR TRUCK WAS DOWN IN A DITCH YOU WOULD USE THESE HOOKS TO PULL/LIFT THE VEHICLE OUT. I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE STANDING IN THE WAY IF ONE OF THEM FAILED AND LAUNCHED A HOOK OF CONSIDERABLE MASS INTO THE AIR. JOHN