NHTSA Complaint #10475534 — 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

THIS TRUCK HAS EXPERIENCED TWO FUSE BLOCK FAILURES SINCE NEW. THE SYMPTOM, IN BOTH CASES, WAS THE TRUCK WOULD NOT START. BOTH REPAIRS WERE ACCOMPLISHED AT BROWN AND BROWN CHEVROLET IN MESA ARIZONA. THE FIRST REPAIR OCCURRED IN 2008 AND THE SECOND REPAIR OCCURRED IN 2012. WHEN REIMBURSEMENT WAS REQUESTED FOR THE SECOND FAILURE, THE BROWN AND BROWN SERVICE PERSON AND THE GM CUSTOMER CARE PERSON BOTH DENIED WARRANTY COVERAGE BECAUSE THERE ARE THIRD-PARTY DEVICES INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. THERE IS AN ALARM SYSTEM AND A KENWOOD STEREO, WITH A GM MODULE, INSTALLED THAT WERE DEEMED THIRD-PARTY. THERE IS ALSO A CB RADIO BUT IT WAS NOT CITED. ALL VEHICLE EQUIPMENT IS POWERED THROUGH FUSES ON THE FUSE BLOCK. NONE OF THE FUSES WERE FOUND TO BE BLOWN BY BROWN AND BROWN, INCLUDING THE ONES POWERING THE THIRD-PARTY EQUIPMENT. THE FUSE BLOCK?S INTENT IS TO DISTRIBUTE POWER TO SUCH DEVICES AND PROTECT THE WIRING WITH ITS INSTALLED FUSES. PROPERLY CONNECTED EQUIPMENT MAY BLOW A FUSE BUT CANNOT STRESS THE FUSE BLOCK TO FAILURE. I REQUESTED THE ?BAD? FUSE BLOCK IN BOTH CASES AND HAVE DISASSEMBLED THE SECOND ONE. I FOUND LOOSE POWER PINS AND NO EVIDENCE OF BURNING OR ARCING. THE DESIGN PERMITS THE POWER PINS TO LOOSEN OVER TIME, CAUSING INTERMITTENT CONNECTIONS. THIS INTERMITTENT CONNECTION WAS VERIFIED BY BROWN AND BROWN; THEY SAID THAT SIMPLY LEANING ON THE FUSE BLOCK WOULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP. THIS IS NOT AN EFFECT OF THIRD PARTY EQUIPMENT BUT IS A DESIGN DEFECT OF THE FUSE BLOCK. *TR