Death Of A 2007 Sierra

[Paradigm49]

With was this past wednesday (12-08-2010) on my way to work, going 45 mph....does anyone else see something wrong with the rear axle besides it being in two pieces?

[rjirvine]

Hmm, evidence of corrosion?

[tanked_darren]

Ill take that front bush bar off ya if its not bent.

 

Oh ya sorry about the truck.

 

How aged was the truck (miles km?)

[Paradigm49]

Corrosion?....probably not, myself along with a few other people have come to the conclusion that it was a weak axle. The metal was not poured correctly...it should be uniform all the way though...not look like a sponge in the middle..

 

 

 

 

Hmm, evidence of corrosion?

[Paradigm49]

push bar is dinged up on both sides...otherwise i'd hand it to you. 77,500 miles on it

 

 

Ill take that front bush bar off ya if its not bent.

 

Oh ya sorry about the truck.

 

How aged was the truck (miles km?)

[nathan60]

save the axle i see a pending law suit with that chinese axle.so it snapped and caused the accident?

[Paradigm49]

Oh i saved the tire/drum/axle, it's under lock and key. Yes...there is going to be a lawsuit coming...mind you i'm already looking for another truck, but i don't care how long the lawsuit is in litigation as long as i get the outcome i want. I was merging into traffic on my way to work, accellerated to about 45mph....and then feel the truck buck backwards and to the right....and then start seeing my right rear tire rolling down the road in front of me...within seconds it catches the reminants of the axle, spins the front end of the truck around, bounces me off the wall, then slingshots me across 2 lanes of traffic into the concrete divider on the other side of the road. So yes to answer your question...it was the axle that caused the accident and the insurance adjuster hasn't looked at the truck yet, but i'm pretty sure it's totaled. Right front shock tower sheared itself off the frame, which only tells me that the front frame is royally screwed up, airbag went off, and god knows what else is wrong with it...

 

 

 

save the axle i see a pending law suit with that chinese axle.so it snapped and caused the accident?

[jdubub]

man im sorry to hear/see this. but yes it will be totalled for sure if all of that happened

[Paradigm49]

Thanks...I wasn't hurt in the least which suprises the hell out of me...but i'm beyond pissed off with this. If i was going any faster...it would have flipped end over end, other cars could have been involved...or i could be dead...what also begs the question is why wasn't this axle inspected correctly?....

 

 

man im sorry to hear/see this. but yes it will be totalled for sure if all of that happened

[mrauls]

fatigue crack... that's ridiculous! Completely unexpected. Glad you're OK! Was probably a machining defect that introduced a sharp corners right at the transition. If you get around to posting a straight on close up of the break, I'd like to see it.

[Paradigm49]

what do you mean by a fatigue crack being ridiculous...or are you saying...actually what are you saying?

 

unfortunately those are the only two shots i have at the moment...the truck is currently under lock and key at the place i had it towed to...there was the picture of whats left of the axle left on the tire, and then the remaining piece connected to the entire rear end assembly. As much as i was thinking about taking out my 150mm macro lens and shooting it, it's a tad bit of a tight fit to get in between the truck and a car that is next to it.

 

 

 

fatigue crack... that's ridiculous! Completely unexpected. Glad you're OK! Was probably a machining defect that introduced a sharp corners right at the transition. If you get around to posting a straight on close up of the break, I'd like to see it.

[revrnd]

I'd have to say a metallurgist (look for testing labs) is probably the most qualified person to pass judgement.

 

It could be a poor/incorrect alloying/machining/heat treating etc.

 

What does your insurance company think?

[Paradigm49]

what do you mean by a fatigue crack being ridiculous...or are you saying...actually what are you saying?

 

unfortunately those are the only two shots i have at the moment...the truck is currently under lock and key at the place i had it towed to...there was the picture of whats left of the axle left on the tire, and then the remaining piece connected to the entire rear end assembly. As much as i was thinking about taking out my 150mm macro lens and shooting it, it's a tad bit of a tight fit to get in between the truck and a car that is next to it.

 

 

 

fatigue crack... that's ridiculous! Completely unexpected. Glad you're OK! Was probably a machining defect that introduced a sharp corners right at the transition. If you get around to posting a straight on close up of the break, I'd like to see it.

 

[Paradigm49]

Insurance company saw a photo of it, but hasn't seen it in person yet. The place that i took it to...and had towed it over there...they have a full body/engine shop too and they have NEVER seen anything like it before...

 

 

 

what do you mean by a fatigue crack being ridiculous...or are you saying...actually what are you saying?

 

unfortunately those are the only two shots i have at the moment...the truck is currently under lock and key at the place i had it towed to...there was the picture of whats left of the axle left on the tire, and then the remaining piece connected to the entire rear end assembly. As much as i was thinking about taking out my 150mm macro lens and shooting it, it's a tad bit of a tight fit to get in between the truck and a car that is next to it.

 

 

 

fatigue crack... that's ridiculous! Completely unexpected. Glad you're OK! Was probably a machining defect that introduced a sharp corners right at the transition. If you get around to posting a straight on close up of the break, I'd like to see it.

 

 

[jrrod2004]

Not his insurance company but I know that the truck is in fact totaled. If the proximate cause was the axle, insurance will probably pay for it and try to subro. I suspect that GM BRC (legal) will definitely try to settle once they have a chance to inspect the damaged components.