10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #19

Apr 012002

S-10 Pickup

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Consumer states that the cable that holds the spare tire broke causing the tire to fall from the vehicle. Nlm there was a slight rise in the road(1/2 inch), the cable broke at that spot.

- Lee, FL, USA

problem #18

Oct 302001

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Spare tire hoist cable fatigued near wheel retainer and tire fell from vehicle; theft deterrent cable kept tire from falling completely away and caused tire to lift the rear end of my truck. There is no apparent damage other than a bent rear license plate. I fear that this may happen to someone at highway speeds causing loss of control or if theft deterrent cable is not in place the tire may fall from underneath the vehicle and strike another vehicle or cause a road hazard. I was fortunate to be a few hundred feet from my home when this happened. The cable appeared to be fatigued at the point where the break occured. Please contact me to assure that this information is processed. Thank you.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #17

Apr 272001

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
While driving spare tire cable snapped, and tire flew out on highway where rim was damaged. Manufacturer was contacted.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #16

Sep 062000

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
When entering my driveway at a very slow speed the cable supporting the spare tire broke and the tire dropped and wedged itself between the bottom of the truck, the rear bumper and the road causing the rear ties of my truck to be lifted from the road. The cable was sheared in such fashon as to indicate vibration caused it to break. Has this happened at any normal driving speed the tire and wheel would have become potentially deadly projectiles and the I am sure the truck would have turned over. I want a better mousetrap under my truck and will not put this back without a lock and chain as a second line of security.

- Warner Robins, GA, USA

problem #15

Sep 212000

(reported on)

S-10 Pickup

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The spare tire cable snapped while driving causing the tire to fall from the vehicle.

- Framingham, MA, USA

problem #14

Aug 082000

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Twice while driving my spare tire has fallen off (due to cable breaking).

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #13

Apr 012000

S-10 Pickup

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
Harness which is held with coated cable wire corroded at attachment to harness causing spare tire to fall onto road at 30 mph. Dealer contacted.

- Covington, LA, USA

problem #12

Dec 231998

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
The spare tire on our truck is loaded and unloaded by the use of a wrench which when inserted in a slot by the rear license plate and turned lowers and raises the spare tire. When fully raised, the tire rests against the bottom of the truck bed held there by the pressure of the cable which is used when lowering and raising the tire. The tire on our truck fell out onto the street bouncing off of the bottom of our truck and bending the rear license plate frame and breaking the spare tire cable assembly. Upon inspection I found that the cable had worn through and broke from friction and excessive movement because the tire was not pressed up against the truck bed firmly enough. I myself, a 50 year old male who has worked around automobiles most of my life had raised that tire into the spare well myself about 4 months ago. After inspecting the damage I discovered that the spare tire itself was down to only 10 lbs of pressure which I assume caused the accident. The tire when fully inflated and raised firmly into the spare tire well as it was poses no problems that I can see. In fact I believe that it is a simple and practical way to access the spare tire. The problem arises when the spare tire loses it's air. In our case it was down to 10lbs that the tire loses it's exterior diameter or original thickness there by loosening it's friction hold on the bottom of the truck bed. This I believe is what caused the cable to break and drop the tire onto the street.excessive movement of the spare tire in my opinion caused the cable to break. I couldn't imagine something like this happening on the highway. We were lucky that it happened on a city street. Thankyou for taking the time to read this as I believe it is an important issue.

- San Juan Bautista, CA, USA

problem #11

Sep 291999

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Power brake booster malfunctioned, causing extended stopping distance and may resultin a crash. Also spare tire fell out which may have cause a crash/ problems with grill falling out, and passenger's seatbelt tightens while in use.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #10

Sep 201999

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
While driving heard a noise and looked through rearview mirror and saw spare tire hit the ground and bounced over the guardrail and into the savannah river. This is the original spare tire never been used. Took the vehicle to local tire vendor and was told that the cable had broken.

- Augusta, GA, USA

problem #9

Jul 281999

(reported on)

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Spare tire carrier malfunctioned and tire came off from under truck at 55 mph and nearly caused accident. Windshield wipers do not work sometimes. Antilock brakes lock up, especially when road surface is wet.

- Brandywine, MD, USA

problem #8

May 141999

S-10 Pickup

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
While driving at 35 mph spare tire came off due to the cable breaking. Consumer looked out of the rear mirror and noticed spare tire rolling down the road.

- Carrollton, GA, USA

problem #7

Jan 011997

S-10 Pickup

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
PE99004, the original spare tire wire broke(15,000 miles), causing the spare tire to fall behind the truck this could have caused a crash, but there was a cable lock that broke the fall to the street. Dealer replaced the wire, at 30,000 miles the replaced wire broke, the tire fell but never hit the street because of the lock. Dealer could not determine the cause.

- Worth, IL, USA

problem #6

Sep 021998

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Spare tire fell off the truck on driveway. Contacted dealer and informed them of the problem, I was informed that this had happened to 3 or 4 other truck's. I was told to hang on the phone while they checked for availability of the tire winch, and told that the part would cost me around $48,00 and that it was available. I contacted the area service rep.I informed him of my concern, as I stated to him what would have happen if the tire had fallen of the truck when or if I was on the highway doing 73 miles per hr. ? could it have cought the rear bumper and flip my truck. Or if it had missed me how about some one following at the same speed. I also told him that I was very concerned about being on the highway following bihind a Chevy S-10. I think this is a very legitemate concern due to the poor manufacture / design of of this item. This item supports a full size tire on this truck's.the weight, I would Venture to say is a good 50 lbs.and is only about 1/4 of an inch. Steel cable, that has to be winched tight so that the tire doesn't rattle in the back. It makes me wonder if this design hasn't allready cused some accidents on the highways.... please if any questions feel free to call me @ 504-649-0636 after 4 pm any day during the week. Thank's

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #5

Mar 091999

(reported on)

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Spare tire apparently fell off.

- Fremont, NC, USA

problem #4

Feb 221999

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Spare tire fell from vehicle when mount failed

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #3

Jan 211998

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Spare tire carrier cable snapped and tire fell to ground at speed.tire cable lock kept tire from being left on street. Without cable lock (not std mfg equipment) the tire would have been left on the street for the vehicle following to hit. No warning was noticed that spare tire carrier was failing. First dealer refused to repair under warranty and Chevrolet was contacted. They also refused to repair stating they were following dealer's advice. Went to second dealer (Continental Chevrolet in countryside, Illinois) and spare tire carrier was replaced at no charge. I never received any paperwork concerning repair of this carrier. I have no idea of the cost to repair. I did not press the issue of paperwork as it did get repaired. The damage included replacement of the tailgate as I dragged the spare tire behind the truck for a short distance, it was banging against the tailgate. It felt like the brakes were grabbing. Luckily I only had to travel a short distance to pull off the road. The cable lock, much like a bicycle chain and lock, is the only thing that kept a bad accident from happening. The vehicle behind me would have hit the tire at speed. Examination of the cable holding the tire revealed that it had worn out and snapped. Chevrolet should have a record of my call to them concerning the warranty repair denial by arrow Chevrolet. I should have contacted the NHTSA when it happened but I was more concerned about the repair. The repair consisted of replacing the assembly with a new one of the same type. I will be moving the spare tire to the bed as I can see there is cause for concern about the tire dropping again.

- Worth, IL, USA

problem #2

Jun 011997

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
Wire frayed causing spare tire to fall off of vehicle while traveling. There no warning or indication of tire falling off.

- Saint John, VT, USA

problem #1

Jul 151998

(reported on)

S-10 Pickup

  • miles
While driving the spare tire rod underneath vehicle broke, causing tire to fall out from under the vehicle.

- Henrico, NC, USA