ok on my 96 suburban, i was driving home the other day and i have to take about 5 miles of gravel to get home and as i was driving i hit a bump and all the sudden the exhaust got really loud, so i got home and crawled under it and the passengers side exhaust snapped off of from the manifold...it didnt come undone it just like snapped off...what are some things that could have contributed to this besides the bumps if anything? any comments are appreciated. Im supposed to get if fixed today.

 

In your owners manual under Periodic Maintenance Inspections. It states to inspect the following items at least twice a year: "Inspect the complete exhaust system. Inspect the body near the exhaust system. Look for broken, damaged, missing, or out-of-position parts as well as open seams, holes, loose connections, or other conditions which could cause a heat build-up in the floor pan or could let exhaust fumes into the vehicle.”

Many times when you have an exhaust system failure it could have been prevented by simply having this inspection completed, missing or loose hardware, fasteners and hangars can ultimately lead to a failure; in your case an exhaust flange separation.

Age, stress and corrosion play a major roll as well, your Suburban is 11 actually 12 model years old and you haven't mentioned the mileage on it but you did state the you take "take about 5 miles of gravel to get home" which can be hard on any vehicle if done regularly.

 

thanks and it has 142000 miles on it. I got it fixed for $40