rxlrider

I have a 2003 Suburban with 60k miles. About 2 months ago, the rear window began making a whistling noise while driving. When I inspected it I found that the hinge was separating from the window. I have tried to go through GM with no avail. Their answer is "it shouldn't have happened", but they are not going to do anything about it.

This truck is the 2500 with the 8.1 engine, designed for towing. I regularly tow a 30ft travel trailer, and a 24 ft car hauler. I have been told that when towing a large trailer, there is a vacuum created that could be pulling the window back.

Has anyone else had this type of problem, and was it resolved?

brbothwell@msn.com

Thanks,

Brad

rxlrider

Update -

The Area Service Manager Mr. Talmadge Mason (Phone number 800-823-0055 X 8140) called me finally. He is saying that he denied the claim due to the vehicles mileage (60K miles) and due to the fact that I am the second owner, even though I bought it from a Chevy dealer and it was a GM certified Vehicle.

GM's customer assistance hotline has told me that he denied the claim due to the fact that something had been lodged in between the glass and hatch, or that "wind" had caught the window and broke the hatch.

While I was speaking with him he "said" that he had only seen the hinge separate from the glass 3 previous times, which I found pretty strange since he is the Area Service Manager. He stated that one of the hinges had some material lodged in it, and the other had been caught by the wind. I asked how wind had caught the window and caused the hinge to hyperextend and break since the gas shocks would stop the window from blowing up. Quick as he was, he replied that the customer told him that he removed the gas shocks and then a gust of wind blew the glass up and broke the hinge. I asked if any of these 3 hinges were covered under warranty (he already told me all 3 were within the warranty period), he said that all 3 went through their insurance agencies. When I asked him why he was involved with this problem if it was an insurance claim, he told me that they all "tried" to have their warranty cover it, and he denied all 3. He said that he physically inspected all of them and personally determined that the customer was responsible. When I asked him if he inspected my vehicle, he told me that the service manager at my dealership had inspected it and relayed the information to him. He made the determination that I caused the damage without inspecting the vehicle!

When I asked him about all the other vehicles that have been repaired under warranty or under a "customer satisfaction" initiative, he told me that he was unaware of any other vehicles having this problem. I told him that I spoke with a tech (GM Tech) and he said that his dealership does about 2 of these per month. He again replied that he was unaware of any defect in the hinge/adhesive/glass, and that there were no service bulletins on it.

I had told him that I did not believe him, and that it was a little too convenient that he only has seen this 3 times, and all 3 were the customers fault. When I asked for the name of his immediate supervisor, he refused to give me the information. I asked him if he was concerned about me filing a complaint, and his only response was to refer me to the Customer Service Hotline.

Anyone have any advice on where to take this? Small claims court?

Brad

ZX1100F1

Just curious, what part of 3 year or 36,000 mile warranty do you not understand?
Especially if you aren’t even the original purchaser, I mean man suck it up and have some dignity and pay the damn bill.
Your warranty has expired a long time ago.

rxlrider

Well, fortunately I have been educated beyond the 6th grade, so I have no problem comprehending a 3/36 warranty. What I am talking about is a defect in manufacturing or the manufacturing process. This is not a warranty part claim, this is a defective part inquiry. GM just recalled 900,000 vehicles dating back 12 years due to a faulty tailgate strap. This hinge has separated from the glass or failed on more vehicles than just mine. GM has repaired or replaced the part on some of them, and some of them they have refused to accept that it is an issue. I had a GM tech tell me that his dealership does at least 2 of these per month.

If I can afford to pay in excess of $36,000 in cash for a 1 year old vehicle, than trust me $1,500 for a window is not a problem. I am escalating this based solely on principle. I had the ASM tell me that the "3" vehicles that he has ever seen come in all had the repairs done under insurance claims, not under warranty. That means our insurance companies are footing the bill for a defective part put out by GM. Think of that next time you send in your premium.

Brad

ZX1100F1

"Based on principle"????????
You're joking right?

Call the NTSB and file a complaint against GM and then wait for the recall.........That'll teach GM a lesson and problem solved.

And whether my insurance company pays for the repair or GM pays the end consumer is ultimately the one footing the bill, now if you pay then everyone wins.

mrlong

So when is it ok for the suburban to start breaking down? 70,000 miles 90,000 miles 200,000 miles? They do not last forever, they are mechanicle and do require to be fixed from time to time thru no fault of you own.

rxlrider

I completely agree that wearable parts will need to be repaired or replaced, that is part of owning a vehicle. I do not consider a hinge that is glued to a window with adhesive that fails to be a wearable part. I feel that a undamaged hinge that is properly engineered and installed should last the useful life of the vehicle. I have had over 100 people e-mail me or reply to posts that have had the same exact problem (and that is just from people on the internet who visit these type of foruns).

Oh yea ZX1100F1 - when GM foots the bill it is the stockholders who are investing in the company who ultimately foot the bill. Take a look at their stock history $55 a share in 2003 down as low as $18 earlier this year, and in the mid-30's today.

I'm here to let other people who have had the same issue know that it is not a isolated incident. Obvously this post has turned into a forum for faceless/nameless persons to argue a point rather than educate people who have had this problem.

Anyone can e-mail me if they have anything constructive to discuss, not to argue the points.

Brad

ZX1100F1

Brad,
You're dead wrong! Expenditures are recouped by raising prices of products and services but thanks for the lesson in business economics 101 anyhow.

I also consider ALL parts to be "wearable parts" and can't find one syllable in my warranty booklet were it states the GM will cover hinges longer than the specified 3/36 warranty.
You do not have a cradle to grave warranty on your Suburban.

rxlrider

[/quote]

Brad,
You're dead wrong! Expenditures are recouped by raising prices of products and services but thanks for the lesson in business economics 101 anyhow.

I also consider ALL parts to be "wearable parts" and can't find one syllable in my warranty booklet were it states the GM will cover hinges longer than the specified 3/36 warranty.
You do not have a cradle to grave warranty on your Suburban.

[/quote]

After reading some of your other posts you obvously have a negative angle on GM standing behind any defective part wether under warranty or not. Makes me kind of wonder what your relationship is with GM, as you seem to have a tremendous knowledge base on repair issues...

Oh yeah - ECON 101, GM will have in their budget a certain amount of monies for warranty claims, customer satisfaction initatives, defect recalls, TSB's, ect. When those monies are not used, where exactly does that go on the balance sheet? Profit, or a positive influence on a loss for the year, depending on the kind of year that they are having. So, by your reasoning GM should lower the proce on automobiles when they have a surplus of dollars from that budgeted amount. I think not.

I won't even discuss how ALL parts could be considered wearable parts?

Brad

rxlrider

Here's a response that I thought I would share with you. I left out their personal information, but thanks ZX1100F1 for scaring people away. It is a problem and GM will have to deal with it one way or another.

Hi I read your posts on-line and didn't respond there because the people were very rude. this week i discovered that the hinge on my rear hatch of my 2003 suburban was broken. The plastic part of the hinge is broken, I am a faux painter and I use my hatch a lot loading all of my equipment in and out. I took it to my dealer and he said that they were having problems with this, I was the second person in a week and the windows are on national backorder. Then he gave me the very bad news that it was $900 to replace the window. Apparently they can't just fix the hinge - it is all one piece. Even though my truck is an 03 I have 80,000 miles on it. He said if I didn't have so many miles that maybe I could get GM to do something about it but not with so many miles. I live in south florida where we have torrential downpours on a regular basis so I paid for the part and am waiting for it to arrive so it can be installed.
The situation is not exactly resolved in the way I think you meant but I thought I would relay my experience to you.


Brad