NHTSA Complaint #10585021 — 2009 GMC SIERRA 1500

THERE IS A CRACK IN MY TRUCK'S DASHBOARD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE,RIGHT NEXT TO THE AIRBAG SECTION.THE DASHBOARD CRACKED ON ITS OWN,AS IT WAS NEVER SUBJECTED TO ANY KIND OF AN IMPACT OR FORCE. MY REASONABLE DOUBT IS THAT IT CRACKED DUE TO BEING MADE OF LOW QUALITY MATERIAL. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO MY LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP,SAME PLACE WHERE I ALWAYS TAKE MY TRUCK FOR ANYTHING CONCERNING MY TRUCK. WHEN I BROUGHT MY TRUCK AND SHOWED A SERVICE DEPT. EMPLOYEE, I WAS TOLD THAT NEITHER MY REGULAR,NOR MY EXTENDED VEHICLE WARRANTY COVERED THE DAMAGE,AND IF I WANTED IT REPLACED I WOULD NEED TO PAY ~$250!!! I WAS STUNNED AND APPALLED THAT I WOULD NEED TO PAY TO REPLACE SOMETHING THAT WAS CLEARLY A LOW QUALITY PRODUCT,SOMETHING I ALREADY PAID FOR WHEN I BOUGHT THE TRUCK BRAND NEW. I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THAT DEALERSHIP, OR ANOTHER GMC DEALERSHIP AS A MATTER OF FACT, EVER AGAIN, JUST OUT OF SPITE. I FEEL CHEATED AND CONNED, AS NOT ONLY DID THE GMC NOT WANT TO REPLACE THE DASHBOARD,IT WAS NOT EVEN COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED WHEN I GOT THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW. I SUSPECT GMC KNEW ABOUT THIS ISSUE SO THEY INTENTIONALLY DID NOT COVER IT UNDER THE VEHICLE WARRANTY. MY REAL CONCERN ISN'T IN THE AESTHETICS OF A CRACKED DASHBOARD,IT IS FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PASSENGERS THAT DRIVE IN MY TRUCK. IF,GOD FORBID,I WAS TO GET INTO A CAR ACCIDENT AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYS, THERE IS A VERY REAL CHANCE THAT THE AIRBAG MIGHT GET PUNCTURED ON THE EDGE OF THE CRACKED DASHBOARD AND FAIL TO DO ITS FUNCTION AS IT WOULD IMMEDIATELY DEFLATE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND ONE THAT MIGHT COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE,DO WE REALLY NEED TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING BAD TO HAPPEN (LIKE THE GMC ISSUE WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH WHICH COST PEOPLE THEIR LIVES AFTER THEIR GMC VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY!!) BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE AND GMC DOES THE RIGHT THING AND OWNS UP TO ITS MISTAKE? *TR