NHTSA Complaint #10650030 — 2004 CHEVROLET COLORADO

I RECENTLY TOOK MY CHEVROLET COLORADO IN TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP BECAUSE MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ON. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT A SENSOR ON THE GAS TANK WAS RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SERVICE MANAGER ADMITTED THIS WAS COMMON FOR A COLORADO. PARTS WERE ORDERED AND I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST ABOUT $800 TO FIX. I BROUGHT MY TRUCK IN A FEW DAYS LATER TO HAVE THE WORK DONE. LATER THAT DAY I WAS CALLED AND ASKED TO COME IN BECAUSE THEY FOUND ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH MY TRUCK THAT I NEEDED TO SEE. UPON ARRIVAL, I WAS TAKEN OUT TO SEE MY TRUCK ON A LIFT AND SHOWN A FRAME THAT WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. THE SERVICE MANAGER POKED A SCREWDRIVER INTO THE FRAME CAUSING PIECES OF RUST TO FALL TO THE FLOOR EXPOSING A HOLE IN THE FRAME. I WAS ALSO SHOWN WHERE THE FRAME WAS CRACKED RIGHT UNDER THE GAS TANK. THEY OFFERED NO EXPLANATION WHEN I ASKED WHY THEY HAD NOT FOUND THIS PROBLEM WHEN THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM WITH THE GAS TANK. ALL IN THIS PAST YEAR A THE SAME DEALERSHIP, I HAVE HAD MY TRUCK IN FOR NEW TIRES AND SHOCKS WITH NO MENTION ABOUT MY RUSTED FRAME. THEY BLAMED THE RUSTED FRAME ON THE SALT BRINE USED ON MAINE ROADS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. I WAS TOLD MY TRUCK WAS PRETTY MUCH WORTHLESS. WHEN I ASKED WHY CHEVROLET DIDN'T BUILT FRAMES TO BETTER RESIST THE SALT BRINE THEY OFFERED NO ANSWER. I HAVE TAKEN MY TRUCK TO MULTIPLE CAR SHOPS WHERE THEY REPORTED THEY SEE THIS FREQUENTLY AND THE ONLY THING I CAN DO IS EITHER SELL MY TRUCK FOR PARTS OR REPLACE THE FRAME WHICH WOULD COST IN EXCESS OF $15,000. I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT MY TRUCK IS AN ANOMALY AND WONDER HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT BE DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT LOOKS ALMOST NEW LIKE MY TRUCK DOES BUT HAS A ROTTED FRAME. TOYOTA RECALLED THEIR TOKOMA TRUCKS DUE TO THIS SAME PROBLEM. I AM HOPEFUL SOMETHING CAN BE DONE. OTHER THAN THE ROTTED FRAME ON MY TRUCK THE REST OF THE UNDER CARRIAGE IS PRETTY MUCH PRISTINE. *TR