Joined this forum looking for help and hoping to help the war against GM on this gen Tahoe.

I have an 08 Tahoe with a cracked dash and the peeling handles. I'm pretty disgusted that this "caliber" of a vehicle is full of silly defects and no one wants to own up to their own mistakes. I'm sick of my friends, family, children cutting their fingers just to open the door to my vehicle. The dash looks absolutely terrible. I've brought my Tahoe to several dealerships. They all look at me like I'm crazy. I mention this is in fact a common issue, not just to the Tahoe but with the Sierra/Silverado and Avalanche trucks as well. All I hear is "We've never seen it before so we can't help you with any cost. But we'll be glad to repair it." Yea, I'm sure you will. Too bad I'm not into paying for someone else's mistake.

I just recently purchased the vehicle. I could have bought an Explorer, F250, Range Rover, X5, etc, etc, etc but I chose the Tahoe. I love GM products. I use their crate motors in racing, my first 2 vehicles were GM products, and my family has driven Chevys before I was born. The response to this issue is completely unacceptable. If GM isn't willing to help, I'll have my Tahoe up for sale immediately and gladly stop using GM products. I won't stay behind anyone who won't stand behind their products.

I guess the next step is to stop toying with the dealers and go straight to GM. If that doesn't work, it's time to put a Ford or ::gasp:: a new Ram Cummins in the driveway.

 

The 800 number referenced earlier in this thread, GM customer care I think. Parts came in last thursday at the dealer, they wanted to wait until a specific service tech was available to do the job, dropping it off tomorrow evening to have everything done. I was told that it will be done at no charge.

 

well add me to this same issue. 08 chevy sliverado 2500HD with the LTZ and the 6.6 duramax diesel. Filed with GM waiting to see what happens. The dealer looked at it like the thing came from Mars and said never saw this before.

 

update> just got a call from the dealer GM is replacing my dash at no cost to me. Nice job.

 

Thanks to Lous and Liz at GM Customer service my dash has been replaced free of charge in my 2009 Tahoe with 41k miles. once I clean the mess the mechanics made of my interior it will be looking good again.

 

Got an appointment with a dealer next Wednesday. I hope I have some of the same luck y'all do. Keeping my fingers crossed

 

Ogre, How did it go?

 

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Wonderful! I am so happy to hear the great news ozinus! Thank you for your patience in getting your vehicle repaired. If you have any future questions, comments and/or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Louis
GM Customer Service

 

Ostensibly, materials used in the fabrication of automotive hardware are 'rigorously' tested for reliability/durability. Seems something sub-standard found its way through through the maze in these cracking dash skins. The skin is just a thin membrane of PVC, heat and vacuum shrunk to the familiar form that you see everyday when look out past your dash and through the windshield. GM, other large automotive concerns, ultimately defer warranty claims to the vendor for remedy. All automobile manufacturers have cozy/contentious relationships with their suppliers. Often times the vendors are retired engineers and former in-house manufacturing techs. When a major SNAFU erupts, such as with the cracking dashes, a furious round of checking/recriminations/finger-pointing takes place behind the scenes before a joint-solution is reached.

I witnessed warranty/recall campaigns often enough in my decades-long affiliation with the Industry to note that it is an integral part of the business. Still, in-all, I continue to confidently purchase GM vehicles even knowing that something untoward could happen. I have a new '11 Tahoe LTZ for two months now and please believe me when I say that I have been over every inch of this fine vehicle looking for imperfections/manufacturing defects/flaws in workmanship. I've found a few little quirks, which I'll keep to myself, for now, which pertain to design and where molded plastic pieces abut die-stamped metal and glass. Over the years the manufacturers have gotten much better at designing fascias which have a more congruous fit to adjacent metal panels and fitment has improved as well.

In the case of these cracking dashes, I do not expect it to happen to mine as I have been informed that additional UV Ray resistant plasticizers have been added to the compound for the dash sheets. My source, a retired engineer, heard it from a contact in the Industry. That's as good as my 'source' can do right now; for as we age the connections to our former occupations/livelihoods grow more tenuous.

In '88, in my home plant in West Trenton, NJ, a recall campaign for extruded PVC which graced the lower body side molding(s) on The Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais was undertaken. The total assembly was a bi-laminate-extrusion (groundbreaking in its day) consisting of a roll-formed stainless steel and aluminum bi-metal substrate to which an ornamental and functional PVC crown strip was glued while the entire strip was moving at around one-foot per second though the 120-foot-long bi-laminate process line. In the field, on vehicles delivered to customers, the crown (PVC) bead was turning orange after exposure to the sun of only several months. The natural state/color of this bead was an translucent/metallic silver color. The solution then was a UV Ray resistant compound added to the PVC which did not upset the extrusion flow processing characteristics of the molten PVC.

I was privileged to have worked with intelligent, thoughtful, diligent, dedicated and hardworking individuals; management, engineers, tool-makers, journeymen (journeywomen too) technicians in my time with General Motors at their Fisher Body Plant in Ewing Township, West Trenton, New Jersey. I saw and was able, over time, to comprehend (a fair amount, I hope) the complex nature of manufacturing. Raw materials came in at the receiving docks by truck and rail and finished components for every vehicle in GM's lines exited the plant at the other end. It was a vast operation. Now I've stated all of this because I was expounding on someones concern for a cracking dash. How I have gone on. To those having difficulty I would suggest keeping up with personal visits, phone calls and letters to the dealer. It is somewhat puzzling that a comprehensive solution's not been implemented as yet. Best wishes.

 

Nostromo,
Thank you for the post. I will take your advice and keep calling. I am the second owner and now have 141k on my 07 Tahoe and have been turned down for the dash replacement. They did do the door handles which was nice. I am really upset with GM not standing behind their work. It makes an otherwise fine vehicle look bad. Come on GM.