NHTSA Complaint #10418812 — 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

MY WIFE AND I OWN A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Z-71. THE CAR IS 8 YEARS OLD WITH ONLY 17,714 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT HAS BEEN PARKED OUTSIDE ON MY ASPHALT DRIVE WAY. THE VEHICLE LOOKS TO BE IN PERFECT CONDITION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A NON-GENERAL MOTORS REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE THE BRAKES LOOKED AT. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN HOISTED UP AND INSPECTED, I WAS ASKED TO LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF RUST ON THE FRAME, DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING, BRAKES, CALIPERS, ETC. THE RUST WAS SO BAD THAT IT WAS LITERALLY FLAKING OFF THE FRAME AND DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING. THE MECHANIC WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE. ON JULY 22, 2011, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP (SULLIVANS O'NEILL'S CHEVROLET AND BUICK, INC. IN AVON, CT) THAT I HAD PURCHASED THE TRUCK FROM. I WAS ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE THE TRUCK A LOT AS IT WAS, IN THE SERVICE MANAGER'S OPINION, UNSAFE. THE SERVICE MANAGER GAVE ME A CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER FOR GM. I CALLED THE NUMBER, SET UP A CASE FILE NUMBER AND WAITED TO HEAR A RESPONSE TO MY COMPLAINT. NONE OF THE 3 PEOPLE WHO WERE PUT ON THE CASE WOULD EVEN GIVE ME THEIR LAST NAMES. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF, ON AUGUST 2, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM "MARIA" WHO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT GM WOULD DO FOR ME. IT WAS BEYOND THE WARRANTY, ETC. I ASKED FOR A WRITTEN RESPONSE OF THEIR POSITION AND WAS REFUSED. WE ARE NOW LEFT WITH AN OTHERWISE PERFECTLY GOOD TRUCK THAT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THERE WAS ENOUGH PRIOR WORK PERFORMED ON THE TRUCK BY THE DEALER THAT THE SEVERE RUSTING SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION.