Sunvisor Extension Disintegrated

pm26 · September 5, 2011

Today I got in my truck and noticed that the right hand sunvisor extension was drooping and had blisters all over it. The truck is garaged and there is no heat source that could have selectively melted this extension without any damage to the cloth of the sunvisor. The other sunvisor is in perfect shape. I have a garage door opener clipped to the right sunvisor extension partially pulled out. The opener works fine, the battery has not leaked, no damage to the opener plastic case. This is completely unbelievable! That extension looks like you heated it with a torch or something. Soft and blistered all over.

Any explanation here? Has somebody seen this before? This is hard to believe. I broke the other sunvisor extension accidentally when I flipped it up partially extended. It looks like it is made of some cheap recycled plastic or something. Has GM stooped so low that they use this crap to make plastics out of? I have not seen anything like it in 30+ years I have owned vehicles.

I must replace the entire sunvisor now, as you cannot replace just the plastic extension.

dlewis1111 · September 5, 2011

Do you park outside in the sun during the week? Heat radiated from the cab roof and a closed off interior could easily warp plastic.

pm26 · September 5, 2011

No, the truck is never in the sun. The other sunvisor extension looks like new. This one looks like its has literally melted. This is not warped, but blistered, soft and sagging plastic.

joe04 · September 5, 2011

No, the truck is never in the sun. The other sunvisor extension looks like new. This one looks like its has literally melted. This is not warped, but blistered, soft and sagging plastic.

Is there a lamp in that visor? I have a 2011, see you list an 06.....Maybe there's a problem with a light switch? Just a thought.....

txab · September 5, 2011

No, the truck is never in the sun. The other sunvisor extension looks like new. This one looks like its has literally melted. This is not warped, but blistered, soft and sagging plastic.

So you only drive at night? Are you a vampire? Post up some pics of the damage

pm26 · September 5, 2011

No, the truck is never in the sun. The other sunvisor extension looks like new. This one looks like its has literally melted. This is not warped, but blistered, soft and sagging plastic.

Is there a lamp in that visor? I have a 2011, see you list an 06.....Maybe there's a problem with a light switch? Just a thought.....

No, this sunvisor does not have a lighted mirror. No electrical connections anywhere. And that's what is so odd about this whole thing. If there was heat generated inside that sunvisor, then the cloth cover would have some damage also. And if the plastic blistered like this due to some condition inside the vehicle, wouldn't you expect the other visor to look the same?

I thought that I perhaps left one of the map lights on by mistake, but wouldn't the light turn off to save the battery after a while? But the plastic on the map light console isn't warped or damaged in any way. That's the only logical explanation here. The extension was partially pulled out and was touching the overhead map light console. I left the right map light on somehow and the heat generated transferred into the plastic extension, warping, bubbling, and softening it. Either way, this is some real inferior stuff.

I just looked at the visor again and the map light is too far away to do any heat damage to the extension. So this is a mystery. If anybody has a rational explanation for this, chime in. Either way, this stinks. Is this plastic humidity sensitive somehow?

blacksierra01 · September 5, 2011

I doubt this is any help for you, but i have seen the same thing from an air freshener wedged inbetween the cup holders, the plastic got all soft and warped, like it had been heated, but I guess there was a chemical reaction between the oils in the AF and plastic.

pm26 · September 5, 2011

I doubt this is any help for you, but i have seen the same thing from an air freshener wedged inbetween the cup holders, the plastic got all soft and warped, like it had been heated, but I guess there was a chemical reaction between the oils in the AF and plastic.

Thanks. I have no air freshener in that truck, and cannot think of any chemical that could have done this selectively on one piece of plastic.

oldmann · September 5, 2011

Something you clean with?

pm26 · September 6, 2011

Something you clean with?

No, I have never cleaner this sun visor extension with anything. I will take the truck to the dealer tomorrow and ask them if they saw anything like this before.