NHTSA Complaint #10229377 — 2003 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXT

THE REAR WINDOW IN THE GATE ON MY 2003 TRAILBLAZER HAS BECOME DISCONNECTED ON ONE SIDE AT THE HINGE. IT APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT WITH THE WAY IT IS ADHERED (VIA SOME SORT OF GLUE) AS THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO THE AREA ITSELF. AS MY VEHICLE IS AN EXT MODEL, IT HAS A SECTION ACROSS THE VERY TOP THAT IS ALSO SIMPLY GLUED TO THE BODY WHICH HOLDS THE CENTRALLY MOUNTED BRAKE LIGHT. I'VE NOTICED SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE LAST YEAR THAT THIS SECTION WITH THE BRAKE LIGHT COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE ROOF WHEN YOU OPEN THE MAIN GATE & SEEMS REALLY LOOSE HOT WEATHER. TODAY, WHEN I OPENED THE REAR LATCH/GATE I HEARD AN UNUSUAL SOUND AND WHEN I CLOSED THE GATE & INSPECTED IT I NOTED THAT THE WINDOW PORTION APPEARED SKEWED. UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE WINDOW AREA I DISCOVERED THAT THE PASSENGER-SIDE WINDOW HINGE HAD SEPARATED FROM THE GATE & WAS NO LONGER FORMING A SEAL. AS THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE AREA (THE HINGE SIMPLY LIFTED RIGHT AWAY FROM THE AREA IT WAS GLUED TO), ONE WOULD ASSUME THAT THIS MUST A DEFECT IN ASSEMBLY & MAY AFFECT SIMILAR VEHICLES. IF THE OTHER HINGE WERE TO ALSO SEPARATE THE ENTIRE GLASS ASSEMBLY WOULD NO LONGER BE ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN CAUSING A COLLISION OR OTHER INCIDENT TO VEHICLES FOLLOWING THE AFFECTED VEHICLE. OBVIOUSLY, OTHER DAMAGE CAUSED BY RAIN/ELEMENTS WOULD ALSO BE A CONCERN WITH THE LACK OF PROPER SEAL BETWEEN THE WINDOW & THE REAR GATE. *TR