NHTSA Complaint #10461324 — 2000 CHEVROLET TRACKER

FRONT SUSPENSION CROSS-MEMBER OF MY 2000 CHEVROLET TRACKER HAS CORRODED THROUGH THE HEAVY GAUGE METAL ADJACENT TO A SUPPORT BOLT AND RISKS AFFECTING THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A HEAVY GAUGE STRUCTURAL MEMBER THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE RUSTED THROUGH. SEVERE RUST-THROUGH IS THE RESULT OF IMPROPER METAL SURFACE TREATMENT BY THE MANUFACTURER AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. PLEASE FORCE THE MANUFACTURER TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY-OF-LIFE ISSUE ON THESE VEHICLES AS A CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE OF THIS COMPONENT, IF IT OCCURS DURING DRIVING, RESULTS IN WHEEL COLLAPSE BECAUSE THIS MEMBER SUPPORTS THE WHEELS A-FRAME. I ESTIMATE THIS RUSTING HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE 2009 EVEN THOUGH I JUST SAW IT IN 2012. I BASE THIS ON THE FACT THAT IN 2012 THERE WAS A HOLE RUSTED THROUGH THE CROSS MEMBER THAT I COULD FIT MY THUMB THROUGH HOWEVER, HOLES OF THIS SIZE USUALLY TAKE A FEW YEARS TO DEVELOP AND I NEVER NOTICED IT PREVIOUSLY. THIS MEANS THAT SUB-SURFACE RUSTING WAS OCCURRING FOR A FEW YEARS WITH SURFACE RUST OBSCURING THIS, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY THE HOLE WAS NOT VISIBLE UNTIL JUST RECENTLY (WHEN THE SURFACE RUST COLLAPSED, IT EXPOSED THE HOLE BENEATH IT). *TR