2000 CHEVROLET EXPRESS — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

Driving around 45 mph on an open road, driver's rear tire thread separated from tire, damaged rear bumper and frame, the detached thread COULD have damaged other cars behind me (thankfully it did not), there were no warning lamps and tires were in good shape before the drive, replaced with a spare and drove back home, the car is a 2000 GMC Chevy Express Van (purchased in 2000), tires were included with the vehicle when purchased, car was not driven much, present odometer 8,000 miles, tire is Firestone LT 24575R16

GENERAL GRABBER HTS BELT SLIPPED WHILE TRAVELING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON AUG 23, 2020. THIS IS THE 5TH TIRE FAILURE (SLIPPED BELT) OR THIS EXACT TIRE FOR THIS VEHICLE. THIS TIRE HAD 6,721 MILES ON IT. GENERAL HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THEIR 10 PLY TIRES. WERE IT NOT FOR MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO DETECT A SLIPPED BELT, A SEVERE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED! NHSTA SHOULD PERFORM A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION; AS AN ENGINEER WITH EXCELLENT DOCUMENTATION, I COULD CONTRIBUTE VALUABLE DATA.

PURCHASED 4 NEW AUTOGUARD (BCT) LT 225-75R16 TIRES, ON CLEARANCE FROM WM IN JULY 2017. INSTALLED ALL 4 ON REAR OF A 29' 2000 FOREST RIVER SUNSEEKER A WEEK LATER, PRIOR TO OUR FAMILY SUMMER ROAD TRIP IN JULY 2017. AFTER APPROX. ONLY 5000 MILES OF USAGE, THE RIGHT REAR INT. TIRE HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE ON JULY 31 2019 WHILE TRAVELLING AT ABOUT 55MPH, UP AN INCLINE, JUST BEFORE EXIT 145 ON INTERSTATE 81 SOUTH, NEAR HAZELTON PENNSILVANIA 18249. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO OTHER RR TIRE, RV WHEELWELL, RV HOLDING TANKS AND RV ELECTRICAL. REPLACED BOTH RR TIRES AT A LOCAL SHOP, INFLATED ALL 4 TO 75PSI. BELIEVING IT WAS A ONE OFF, COUNTED OUR BLESSINGS CONTINUED SOUTH ON I-81 ON OUR SUMMER ROAD TRIP TO THE OBX. ON OUR RETURN, APPROX 1000 MILES LATER, I NOTICED AN INCREASING ROUGH VIBRATION FROM THE LEFT REAR SIDE THIS TIME. VIBRATIONS INCREASED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE OVER 50MPH. I CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE OF ALL 4 REAR TIRES SEVERAL TIMES. THEY WERE ALL STILL AT 75PSI (MAX 80 PSI DUAL). I MADE 5 STOPS AT SEVERAL RIG REPAIR AND SMALLER TIRE RETAILERS OVER 2 STATES REQUESTING TO CHECK THE LR WHEEL BALANCING OF THE RV, BELIEVING I HAD LOST SOME WHEEL LEADS. NOT ONE WOULD TAKE A 29' CLASS C IN TO CHECK THE CAUSE OF THE VIBRATION. LIMPED BACK SLOWLY FOR 300 MILES, RETURNED TO THE SAME TIRE DEALER ON AUGUST 16 2019 WHO DISCOVERED THAT BOTH LEFT REAR TIRES WERE NOT ROADWORTHY, ONE WAS EXCESSIVELY WORN, DEFORMED, HAD INTERIOUR BULGING AND INTERIOR BLISTERING AND APPARENT TREAD SEPARATION. FROM THE TIRE RADIAL! 4 TECHNICIANS HAD NEVER SEEN SUCH PREMATURES DEFORMATIES. THEY BELIEVED IT WOULD BLOW IF THEY TRIED TO REINFLATE IT. I TOOK PICTURES AND VIDEOS AND KEPT THE TIRES AS EVIDENCE. I PURCHASED 2 MORE TIRES OF THE SAME MAKE AND SIZE. OBSERVATIONS: 2 OUT 4 TIRES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY WORN OUT FROM NORMAL USE. MILES DRIVEN WAS BETWEEN 5-6K MILES. TIREDOT OJ 20XB2 1113 0413 0413

1 OF MANY ISSUES WITH THIS VAN. 62000 MILES. REAR BRAKE LINE BLEW, LUCKILY IN MY DRIVEWAY. UPON INSPECTION ALL THE LINES IN THE REAR NEED REPLACED. FUNNY THING IS THE BOTTOMSIDE OF THE VAN IS AS CLEAN AS CAN BE. I BOUGHT THIS VAN 2 YEARS OLD WITH 24000 MILES, I'M EXTREMELY PICKY ABOUT MY VEHICLES AND AM A MAINTENANCE NUT. ALWAYS GARAGED, WAXED NUMEROUS TIME A YEAR, SYNTHETIC FLUIDS..... HERE IS A LIST OF WHAT I REMEMBER HAS GONE WRONG WITH THIS VAN. INTAKE GASKETS, TWICE. FRONT BUMPER REINFORCEMENT ROTTED OUT 40,000 MILES, REAR CHROME BUMPER ROTTED 40,000 MILES, AC LINE CORRODED THRU, TRANSMISSION GRENADED AT 42,000 MILE(SUN SHIELD FAILURE?), LEFT WINDOW MOTOR HAS DEAD SPOT IN IT FROM DAY 1. REMEMBER THIS IS A VERY WELL MAINTAINED, ALWAYS GARAGED, MAINLY DRIVEN FOR VACATIONS. GM IS WELL AWARE OF ALL THESE ISSUES AND WOULDN'T HELP ON ANY. *TR

I OWN 2000 CHEVY EXPRESS 2500 PASSENGER VAN. I BOUGHT THE VAN NEW FROM THE DEALER AND WITHIN TWO YEARS THE SIDE DOOR HINGES HAD SEIZED UP. THIS RESULTED IN THE INSIDE DOOR TRIM PANELS BREAKING AS THE PASSENGERS IN THE REAR TRIED TO CLOSE THE DOORS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEIR WAY OF CORRECTING THE PROBLEM WAS TO HAMMER OUT THE HINGE PINS AND REPLACE THEM WITH NEW ONES. WITHIN ONE YEAR THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AND HAS PERSISTED. THERE IS NO WAY TO LUBRICATE THE HINGES TO ALLOW FOR THE DOORS TO OPEN AND CLOSE EASILY. I RECENTLY TOOK THE VAN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE NEW WAY TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS TO CUT OFF THE OLD HINGES AND WELD NEW ONES ON. THE PARTS DEPARTMENT EVEN HAS "HINGE REPLACEMENT" PACKAGES SET UP BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS SO COMMON. THE NEW FIX IS ESTIMATED AT OVER $1,700.00. THIS DOES NOT EVEN INCLUDE THE REPLACEMENT COSTS OF THE INSIDE DOOR TRIM PANELS THAT ARE STILL BROKEN. (IF THE DOOR IS CLOSED TOO HARD THE DOOR PANELS OVERLAP AND STICK MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. WE HAVE TO CARRY A STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER IN THE VAN AT ALL TIMES JUST TO GET THE DOOR PANELS UNSTUCK). THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM THAT GM WAS AND IS STILL FULLY AWARE OF AND YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE HINGES TO BE REPLACED AT THEIR COST. THE FAULTY HINGES MAKE THE PASSENGER VAN WORTHLESS AND AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD FOR ANY OWNER. *TR