2018 CHEVROLET 3500 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAILERS WITH BRAKE CONTROLLERS FOR 20 YEARS. THIS INSTANCE HAPPENS AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS OF TRAVEL WHILE DRIVING, WHETHER IT BE 5 MPH OR 65 MPH OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN. ALSO, WHILE SITTING STILL AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE TRUCK PUTS NO BRAKING POWER TO THE TRAILER WHICH IS HORRIBLE WHEN YOU ARE SITTING ON ANY KIND OF SLOPED GRADE. FROM A COMMERCIAL DRIVER STANDPOINT, THIS TRUCK DOES NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM PASS A DOT SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THE TRUCK HAS ROUGHLY 37,000 MILES, IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF, AND IS FLEET MAINTAINED. THE ATTACHED PHOTO IS WHILE SITTING STILL WITH A LOADED GOOSENECK TRAILER HOOKED TO THE TRUCK.

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAILERS WITH BRAKE CONTROLLERS FOR 20 YEARS. THIS INSTANCE HAPPENS AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS OF TRAVEL WHILE DRIVING, WHETHER IT BE 5 MPH OR 65 MPH OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN. ALSO, WHILE SITTING STILL AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE TRUCK PUTS NO BRAKING POWER TO THE TRAILER WHICH IS HORRIBLE WHEN YOU ARE SITTING ON ANY KIND OF SLOPED GRADE. FROM A COMMERCIAL DRIVER STANDPOINT, THIS TRUCK DOES NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM PASS A DOT SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THE TRUCK HAS ROUGHLY 37,000 MILES, IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF, AND IS FLEET MAINTAINED. THE ATTACHED PHOTO IS WHILE SITTING STILL WITH A LOADED GOOSENECK TRAILER HOOKED TO THE TRUCK.

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAILERS WITH BRAKE CONTROLLERS FOR 20 YEARS. THIS INSTANCE HAPPENS AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS OF TRAVEL WHILE DRIVING, WHETHER IT BE 5 MPH OR 65 MPH OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN. ALSO, WHILE SITTING STILL AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE TRUCK PUTS NO BRAKING POWER TO THE TRAILER WHICH IS HORRIBLE WHEN YOU ARE SITTING ON ANY KIND OF SLOPED GRADE. FROM A COMMERCIAL DRIVER STANDPOINT, THIS TRUCK DOES NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM PASS A DOT SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THE TRUCK HAS ROUGHLY 37,000 MILES, IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF, AND IS FLEET MAINTAINED. THE ATTACHED PHOTO IS WHILE SITTING STILL WITH A LOADED GOOSENECK TRAILER HOOKED TO THE TRUCK.

WHILE TRAVELING AT 31 MPH ON A SLIGHT DOWN-GRADE, THE TRANSMISSION 'SHUTTLES' BETWEEN GEARS WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. IT IS MOST PROMINENT WHEN THE ENGINE HAS NOT REACH FULL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING, SUCH AS ENTERING A FREEWAY. A VIDEO IS AVAILABLE.

MY 3500 HD SRW HAS A POWER FOLD BUTTON FOR THE SIDE MIRRORS. WHILE PASSING A SEMI TRUCK AT 70 MPH ON I-20, I WENT TO ADJUST THE RIGHT MIRROR SLIGHTLY. I ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED THE POWER FOLD BUTTON ( IT IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT MIRROR ADJUSTMENT BUTTON ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR ). THE SIDE MIRRORS FOLDED IN. I TRIED TO RETURN THE MIRRORS BACK TO THEIR OPERATING POSITION BUT THEY WOULD ONLY UNFOLD A SLIGHT AMOUNT DUE TO THE WIND RESISTANCE. SINCE I WAS PULLING MY FIFTH WHEEL MY REAR VIEW MIRROR WAS USELESS. I DID NOT HAVE ANYONE WITH ME AT THE TIME TO HELP FORCE THE MIRROR OUT SO I AM NOW COMPLETELY BLIND AND BESIDE A SEMI IN THE LEFT HAND PASSING LANE. THIS WILL EVENTUALLY GET SOMEONE HURT SERIOUSLY. YOU CAN NOT PULL OVER SINCE YOU ARE IN THE LEFT LANE, CAN NOT SLOW DOWN SINCE YOU ARE ON AN INTERSTATE HWY AND HAVE NO SIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR VEHICLE.