General Motors Corp.: Structure › Body › Tailgate › Hinge and Attachments
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Mar 17, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 3,662,211. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE GALVANIZED STEEL TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLES THAT RETAIN THE TAILGATE IN THE FULL OPEN (HORIZONTAL) POSITION MAY CORRODE, WEAKEN, AND EVENTUALLY FRACTURE. IF BOTH CABLES FRACTURED, THE TAILGATE WOULD SUDDENLY DROP AND STRIKE THE TOP SURFACE OF THE REAR BUMPER.
The risk
ANYONE SITTING OR STANDING ON THE HORIZONTAL SURFACE OF THE TAILGATE WHEN BOTH CABLES FRACTURED COULD BE INJURED BY FALLING FROM THE TAILGATE. ON VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THE BUMPER REMOVED, THE TAILGATE MAY DROP EVEN LOWER. ADDITIONALLY, IF THERE IS CARGO ON THE TAILGATE THE CARGO MAY FALL OFF IF THE SUPPORT CABLES FRACTURE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CABLES. INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 7, 20004. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2004, WHEN REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE AVAILABLE, AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH OCTOBER 29, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, OR VISIT WWW.MYGMLINK.COM, AND ENTER YOUR VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.
20 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche | 165 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Kodiak | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Silverado | 622 | 15 | 10 | 56 |
| 2004 GMC Sierra | 188 | 10 | 5 | 11 |
| 2004 GMC Topkick | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Cadillac Escalade EXT | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche | 204 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Kodiak | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Silverado | 695 | 13 | 11 | 42 |
| 2003 GMC Sierra | 206 | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| 2003 GMC Topkick | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Cadillac Escalade EXT | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche | 444 | 4 | 0 | 38 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Silverado | 710 | 15 | 5 | 75 |
| 2002 GMC Sierra | 249 | 7 | 2 | 23 |
| 2001 Chevrolet Silverado | 877 | 15 | 5 | 93 |
| 2001 GMC Sierra | 264 | 7 | 2 | 30 |
| 2000 Chevrolet Silverado | 1,305 | 20 | 11 | 140 |
| 2000 GMC Sierra | 443 | 12 | 3 | 44 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 04V129000.
Full record for the 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →