Rust inside Avalanche cabin

empty · January 5, 2002

First water leaking in, now rust.

Rust spots, lots of them, have formed on metal surfaces in the cabin area:

* open the glove box, the light illuminates a shiny metal pipe which has a

large population of rust spots. The metal framework between this pipe and

the rest of the dash assembly also has rust spots.

* rust spots on the rear seat frames. This is the shiny metal parts around

the rear latch, readily visible with the seat pans up.

Does anyone else have rust forming inside the cabin?

Does anyone consider rust inside the cabin normal? Or does everything think "It's a truck--it's supposed to rust inside and out--it's a truck!"?

Any sage advice? I already have an appointment with the deal about the torrent of water gushing inside the midgate. (Hyperbole aside, Wednesday I watched as every 5 minutes or so a stream of water would run down the seal and puddle on the inside. Sigh.)

My theory is that all that water evaporates into the cabin air during the day when the sun warms the interior then when everything cools at night the water condenses on surfaces all over the interior.

empty

brmiller · January 5, 2002

(Boy, I keep getting bit by the board flood control!)

No, empty, this should not be considered normal or acceptable. I only had the rust behind the doorseals from the roof rack installation which my dealer promptly cleaned up. Since I don't have water running in the cabing, I have no reason to suspect rust.

I'll check the areas you mentioned tomorrow to be sure, but hopefully you have a dealer who will listen to you and take this seriously. I think GM acknowledges (at least in their press and their service bulletins) where there should be water and where there shouldn't. Inside the cabin is definitely a shouldn't.

If you have a bogus midgate seal, that's the source of your problem of which rust may be the end result. Attack the cause first. If you can keep water out, get them to clean up the rust spots, and your problems should go away.

Unless you have a truly wicked climate, I wouldn't expect condensate to form in the interior of any vehicle unless you left your window rolled down. I've left my Avalanche (regrettably) out in the rain for a week without moving it and I've never gotten wet carpets, water in the cabin, or rust.

Good luck. We all feel for you. Let us know what your dealer says.

Brendan

dex · January 5, 2002

Hey empty,

I agree. This is in no way normal! I posted this link on another thread. It's a detailed TSB on leaks in the Avalanche. I don't have any, but it seems like Chevy is concerned and should fix any problems. Check it out. If I were you, I'd print it out and take it straight to the service manager at your dealer. Seems like every time I talk to a "Service Advisor", they just act like you are an idiot and don't believe anything you tell them. Good luck, and let us know how you come out.

http://www.geocities.com/crackeregg/bullet...-08-57-002.html

ChevyAGoGo · January 5, 2002

Empty, good luck. Mine still leaks. I am hoping to have the dealer come get it and get it fixed. If not, maybe a Tahoe Z71 to replace the Avalanche might work?

Greg · January 6, 2002

Nothing on my rear seat frame, but the unpainted metal brace in the back of the glovebox does have those telltale rust spots. That structure should be common to all light duty trucks. Do you Silverado/Sierra, Tahoe/Yukon, and Suburban/Yukon XL owners see the same inside the glovebox?

brmiller · January 6, 2002

Arrghh!! More rust! I, too, have the rust behind the glovebox. Did they put these trucks together in pouring rain?

Back to the dealer when I get a chance, I guess.

Brendan

MountaineerTom · January 6, 2002

Do you Silverado/Sierra, Tahoe/Yukon, and Suburban/Yukon XL owners see the same inside the glovebox?

Yep I do. Also on the brace under the steering column. It doesn't really bother me though. It's just raw metal with no type of paint or anything on it. I don't think anyone will have any problems in the long run with it. Just a little surface rust.

empty · January 8, 2002

Outch! Took a look under the dash and sure enough rust all over the driver's side as well. It may be surface rust and no threat to structural integrity, but makes a 6mo old truck look like one that's spent years sitting at the Pick-N-Pull.

No verdict from the Dealer on the rust. They'll run it up the chain of command and see what they say.

Some progress on the leak front. The Dealer was trying to download a fix that GM has worked up but ran into "communication difficulties", so that's still pending too.

empty

LarryE · January 8, 2002

same on my silverado, haven't worried about it before, don't really concern me now lol

mnsilverado · January 9, 2002

I too have rust on my Silverado on the metal piece behind the glove box and it is only 4 months old. I don't think it is that big of a problem, just chaulk it up to unprotected metal....all bare metal rusts eventually. In my Stang I tore the whole interior apart and painted all the bare metal. Since the truck is my daily drive I don't see myself doing this with the truck. I am picky about my truck but something just happen! ???