2013 Chevrolet Silverado

I PURCHASED A NEW BLACK 2013 CHEVROLET SILVERADO CREW CAB IN OCTOBER 2012 FROM MARINE CHEVROLET IN JACKSONVILLE, NC WITH A 3 YR/36,000 MILE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. ON 16 MAY, 2015, I CALLED MARINE CHEVROLET'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT A 1 1/2"CRACK ABOVE THE CENTER OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. MY TRUCK HAD 37,017 MILES AND WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER THE ORIGINAL FACTORY WARRANTY. HOWEVER, I WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL. THE DEALERSHIP SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT FOR 8:30 AM ON 18 MAY, 2015. AFTER CONDUCTING RESEARCH OVER THE WEEKEND, I LEARNED THAT OTHER CHEVY AND GMC OWNERS OF TRUCK AND SUV MODELS BETWEEN 2007 AND 2013 REPORTED CRACKED DASHES NEAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAGS. ON 18 MAY, I BROUGHT MY TRUCK TO MARINE CHEVROLET'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO EXAMINE THE CRACK. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE INITIALLY TOLD ME THAT SINCE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, CHEVROLET WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. I EXPLAINED THAT THE CRACK HAPPENED LESS THAN THREE YEARS AFTER I PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND I WAS AWARE OF THE HISTORY OF THESE DASHBOARDS. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TALKED TO HIS SERVICE MANAGER AND LATER TOLD ME THAT GM WOULD PAY THE MAJORITY OF THE MAINTENANCE COST AND THAT I WOULD ONLY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR $100. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ONLINE COMPLAINTS I HAVE SEEN IN FORUMS AND ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES, I FEEL GM MAY HAVE INSTALLED DEFECTIVE DASHBOARDS IN 2007 - 2013 TRUCK AND SUV MODELS AND PASSED THE COST OF DEFECTIVE PARTS ONTO THE CUSTOMER. ADDITIONALLY, IF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYS WITH A CRACK DASHBOARD SURROUNDING IT, THERE COULD AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF DASHBOARD SHRAPNEL FLYING INTO A PASSENGER'S FACE. I THINK NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE THE CRACKING DASHBOARD ISSUE IN GM'S SUVS AND PICK-UP TRUCKS FROM 2007 - 2013 AND INFLUENCE GM TO ISSUE A RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.

HAD VEHICLE APPROX. 2 WEEKS ON 4-10-13 WOULD NOT START FOR SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. IT STARTED I PULLED OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND IT DIED I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IMMEDIATELY. DEALER HAD IT ONE DAY SAID THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE ISSUE SO DID NOTHING. SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED WAS ABOUT 3 WEEKS AFTER THAT THIS TIME I WAS GOING ABOUT 45MPH AND WITH NO WARNING IT JUST DIED IN THE ROAD ALMOST GOT HIT BY 2 PEOPLE BEHIND ME. TOOK OVER 8 MINUTES TO GET RESTARTED DURING WHICH TIME SEVERAL MORE PEOPLE HAD TO SWERVE TO MISS ME. I DROVE ABOUT 1/2 MILE TO WORK PARKED, TRIED TO RESTART IT WOULDN'T START WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. AFTER COUPLE DAYS DEALERSHIP SAID COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. I PRESSED THE ISSUE AND MADE IT CLEAR THIS WAS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND SOMEONE WAS GOING TO GET SERIOUSLY INJURED. AFTER ABOUT ONE WEEK THEY SAID THE PROBLEM DUPLICATED AND THE PART I NEED IS ON BACK ORDER (A MODULE). THIS IS WHERE THE TRUCK IS NOW. AFTER 'GOOGLING' THIS ISSUE THE FIRST TIME I FOUND NOT STARTING IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM MALFUNCTION AND THE FIX IS ONE OF TWO THINGS ONE OF WHICH IS THE MODULE BEING REPLACED NOW. I RELAYED THIS INFORMATION TO THE DEALERSHIP AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST INCIDENT BUT NOTHING WAS DONE. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING IT HAPPENS AT SPEED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL FIX IT BUT GM MUST BE AWARE OF THIS CONSIDERING ALL THE ONLINE FORUMS PERTAINING TO THIS PRECISE ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MORE EAGER TO FIX SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED EVEN IF IT CAN'T BE DUPLICATED WHILE IN THE SHOP. (ADDITIONAL VEHICLE DESCRIPTION--2500 HD DIESEL CREW CAB LTZ) *TR