be aware: cupholder design flaw

Retired Bob · April 17, 2015

When asked about the slots in the cup holders and if they could be fixed with silicone, GM said "We're unable to provide any advice that would modify your vehicle from its original factory specifications. However, we've reached out to our internal resources and have been told the cup holder slots were just the design chosen for the vehicle."

pm26 · April 18, 2015

When asked about the slots in the cup holders and if they could be fixed with silicone, GM said "We're unable to provide any advice that would modify your vehicle from its original factory specifications. However, we've reached out to our internal resources and have been told the cup holder slots were just the design chosen for the vehicle."

Sounds kinda like an answer to a complaint that the new submarine has a screen door for the main hatch.

jagabom (Esquire) · April 18, 2015

All you gotta do is try it man. I will say from my original post that I had to do some modifications. There was a leak when I filled the cup holders with water after siliconing the first time. Silicone doesn't hold the best on the plastic being siliconed to. It can peel right off too easily. My fix was to just put more silicone on it. Not on the bottom but the sides. You can't put more on the bottom as the two prongs need to be able to snap into the base. Put lots on the sides. You can put more on the bottom as long as it is not too thick. This will help the silicone stick overall. That is what you are looking for. So you have to change it every year or so. My old 99 had the removable rubber. This is a pain and should be fixed.

Jim 2015 Silverado 1500

darkfox1 · April 18, 2015

However, we've reached out to our internal resources and have been told the cup holder slots were just the design chosen for the vehicle."

This is a rude slap in the face.

This proves my point though that home builders don't live in homes.. and apparently vehicle designers don't drive.

How is this ok to have a cup holder that vomits all over the seat in an accident? Do they really think everyones gonna be perfect and super careful with their cup holders and never have an accidental spill or a leaky cup or.. use the cup holder to carry raw liquid?

What ever happened to designing things for the impossible and rating it 100 pounds below that?

Stex · April 18, 2015

Must have been the same team design for cup holders and sunglass holder...

My 09 console model does not leak and fairly sure the fold down version is also a sealed unit.

j-ten-ner · April 18, 2015

Lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, collision warning, parking assist. You can even get the text messages read to you.

So why can't you pay f***ing attention to your coffee cup?

Geeez

I know it sounds a little overkill. But that's one reason why I told my family that we can stop at any time and eat or drink somewhere nicer than in the truck.

so long

j-ten-ner

pm26 · April 18, 2015

At this day and age when one of the principal criteria of vehicle appeal is the number of cup holders it has, they should really pay attention to what kind of cup holders they put in.

Does anyone make a thin rubber cup insert that would fit the existing cup holders?

desert · April 18, 2015

?

oldscsc · April 18, 2015

The answer has already been stated. Cost.

Manufacturing the cup holder assembly as they did may have saved $0.025 per unit as compared to sealing it. Multiply $0.025 x all K2 trucks sold over a typical 7 year model cycle, and you've got yourself a sizable sum of money.

Is an unsealed cup holder an inconvenience? Yes. Will it be a deal breaker for prospective buyers? No.

In the long run, GM saved hundreds of thousands of dollars and doesn't have to deal with any downsides, save for having to field a couple customer hotline phone calls.

pm26 · April 19, 2015

Trying to save a few pennies on substandard quality cup holders is just the tip of the iceberg of insatiable greed. GM is doing the same thing on every part on these trucks, including critical assemblies such as differentials and transmissions. I simply do not trust any GM new car or truck made after 2013 and unless I see a quick turnaround and reinstatement of proper quality control, I will not buy any more vehicles from this company. And I owned quite a few GM vehicles in my life.

calgator73 · April 19, 2015

I'm thinking a rubber patch kit might work. Rough up the bonding surface, trim the patch to match (both inside and underside) and use the rubber cement to make the bond. If the patch isn't pliable enough use a trimmed piece of bike tube. just thinking out loud.