NHTSA Complaint #11649348 — 2006 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

On [XXX], at or around midnight, I was traveling [XXX] at approximately 60 mph. The traffic was very light, with few vehicles on the road. It was raining, and I was in the number 1 lane. Two additional lanes were to my left, reserved for toll road traffic. I did not see any other vehicles on [XXX], nor did I see any vehicles to my left in the toll lanes. There was a physical separation between [XXX] and the toll road, consisting of 36-inch plastic candlestick dividers with approximately 10-foot separations. As I was traveling, I suddenly felt a lurch, and the right rear of my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado (Vin# [XXX] ) dropped. My pickup truck immediately began to spin to my left, forcing me into the toll lanes and into the concrete center divider. When my vehicle came to rest, I was facing eastbound in the westbound lanes of the toll road. My lights were no longer except a single amber light flashing, which gave limited warning to approaching vehicles. The California Highway Patrol arrived (unknown why no traffic collision report was taken), my vehicle was removed from the roadway, the right rear wheel and tire had separated from the vehicle and rolled to the right shoulder of [XXX] 150 yards from where my pickup came to rest. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard, where a vehicle inspection was conducted on March 19, 2025. The right rear wheel and tire for some reason were not recovered from the collision scene. The inspection revealed the cause of the collision was a broken/severed axle, not related to driver error. Photographs of the broken axle were taken and are available for review. The axle clearly had a manufacturing defect, poor casting or forging. The defect appeared to be an ongoing problem and separated from the vehicle at the time of the collision for no apparent reason. Depending on the time of day, traffic conditions, and the number of passengers, the collision had the potential to be much worse. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)