NHTSA Complaint #10579180 — 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

WENT TO CHANGE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND GASKET WHEN NUMBER ONE CYLINDER MANIFOLD BOLT BROKE OFF UNDER MINIMAL PRESSURE. BOLT BROKE OFF FLUSH/RECESSED TO GASKET SURFACE OF CYLINDER HEAD. INSPECTED BOLT AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE BOLT WAS FRACTURED WHEN IT WAS INSTALLED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. SPOKE WITH DEALERSHIP AND REPRESENTATIVE PULLED UP VIN HISTORY IN COMPUTER. HISTORY SHOWED AN ERROR WITH NUMBER ONE CYLINDER DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY AND DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED "THAT MOTOR SHOULD HAVE NEVER MADE IT OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY PLANT." NO HELP FROM DEALERSHIP TO REMOVE BROKEN BOLT SO EXHAUST LEAK CAN BE REPAIRED. DEALERSHIP ALSO NOTICED THAT THE NUMBER ONE SPARK PLUG ON THE SAME CYLINDER WAS STICKING OUT FURTHER THAN THE OTHER PLUGS. COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE SPARK PLUG HOLE HAD NOT BEEN THREADED ALL THE WAY INTO THE CYLINDER. NO HELP FROM GM ON THAT ONE EITHER. HAD TO BUY A TAP AND FINISH THREADING THE HOLE MYSELF AT HOME. RESEARCHED BROKEN BOLT EXTRACTION FOR SILVERADO EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS AN EPIDEMIC AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *JS