General Motors improperly installed differential cover gaskets that do not have lubricating holes, which could cause the outer axle bearings/axle shaft to be damaged around 70000 miles. The damaged bearings could potentially wear grooves in the axle shafts. If not fixed, the metal bits from damaged outer bearings could also damage the inner bearings/pinion bearings, as well as causing the spider gears ti wear into the differential, causing rear end failure which could result in an accident.

- Port Tobacco, MD, USA

Starting in the 1990 model year, GM has been improperly installing diffrential cover gaskets that do not have the lubricating holes!!! if you do not change this gasket to one that has the proper holes, your outer axle bearings, as well as the axles themselves, will be destroyed ty around 70K miles. The damaged (under lubricated) bearings will wear grooves in the axle shafts, requiring that they also be replaced. If this is left unchecked, the metal bits from the damaged outer bearings and axles will also damage the inner bearings, pinion bearings, as well as cause the spider gears to wear into the differential carrier. GM has been made aware of this problem, but currently has done nothing about it, and even the new vehicles still come with the improper gaskets. Factory replacement gaskets also lack the lubricating holes. GM does not acknowledge that the rear axle gasket has a problem. As a side note, GM full-size light-duty pickups also suffer from this problem. I feel this problem should be corrected at no expense to the owners. I would assume that should you be traveling at a highway speeds and the rear end/axle goes, someone or something is going to get hurt not to mention the high expense of correcting the problem if you have to have the rear end replaced.

- Sierra Vista, AZ, USA