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Bent Frame on My 2500

jcwilson85

Full Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2005
Messages
13
Location
Ames, IA
I bought myself a used '02 2500 for Christmas this year.  It had a little cosmetic damage when I bought it so I took it to the local dealer to get an estimate and he quickly found that the frame was bent at the point where the receiver attaches to the frame.  Instead of what I thought would be a few hundred to repair some scratches in the paint and cladding I received an estimate for $2700.  After fighting for a month with the dealer that I bought the 2500 from they agreed to repair it since they had inspected and listed it as a GM certified used vehicle.  During my conversations with the selling dealership they stated that GM was helping to pay for the repairs because they are seeing more and more of this same damage caused by people towing heavy loads.  If you tend to haul heavier loads with your Avalanche you may want to check the frame occasionally or if you are looking to buy a used AV or also GM truck check it before you buy.

Just wanted to warn ya'll plus see if anyone else has seen similar damage.  I'll try to attach a photo also.
 

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oh wow... that's too bad... we have a 2500 BECAUSE of the towing... are they saying that folks are towing loads >12,000 lbs?  how many head of cattle could these people be towing to do that to an av?  are u sure it wasn't caused by just off roading a little too roughly?  how'd the carfax come out for u or have u even seen it yet?
 
That's crazy.  Glad to hear that they paid for it and made it right.  I wonder if they make some sort of frame support brackets for those that tow heavier loads?  :dunno:

I don't tow much at all so it doesn't pertain to me.  :B:

:welcome: jcwilson85
 
Glad they're fixing it. Years ago, my Brother had a Silverado that he used to tow a 30' travel trailer, and the factory hitch bent the frame due to the weight distributing reciever. It actually pulled the frame up at the end, and he noticed it only because the tailgate would rub the top of the bumper when he opened it.

The factory GM hitch had only about 12" of spread front to rear on the bolts that held it onto the frame. GM ended up paying for an aftermarket hitch with a much longer bolt spread, and they fixed the frame and paint on the tailgate.

Mark
 
Great to hear they fixed it.  And  :welcome:
I would like some advice.  I just bought a camper, loaded should be about 5500lbs.  I do have the factory reciever and my truck is a 1500.  I bought a nice weight distro hitch, blue ox swaypro.  I would like to know if I should upgrade my hitch reciever?  Would this help insure no bending of the frame?  Thanks
 
Since the dealership I bought it from and the dealership that is repairing it are different I have heard different stories as to causes.  The dealership I bought it from says GM claims it is from owners towing to heavy a load.  The dealer doing the repairs says they see similar damage usually from people backing the receiver into something but in my cause there was no noticable receiver damage.  The Carfax and GM equivelant to Carfax both showed clean vehicles plus the dealer that sold it to me supposedly certified it with their 110 point inspection, the frame is #10 on the list.  They are only making good on it because I threatened legal action.  I guess it's true what they say, buyer beware.

I also bought this for the towing capability but after this will probably take it to a shop and have the frame reinforced before I haul my first load.  As for a recommended setup for towing I don't know much yet, I am still researching it myself.  I would talk to a trusted dealer and see what they recommend.  Or maybe some of our fellow AV enthusiasts can help you out.
 
Come to think of it, I believe they put the same hitch on both the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton.  Not smart.  So maybe I will be fine.
 
I recently purchased an aftermarket hitch for my 2500 because I was a little worried about exceeding the capacity of the factory hitch.  After it arrived, I unpacked it and began to look at what was required to remove the factory hitch.  While studying the factory frame/hitch combo, I decided I would probably do more harm with the heavy Putnam hitch I had in my hands.

The reason is that the frame itself is made of relatively thin steel, and the hitch is about the same thickness.  I had an experience (not with an Avalanche) of WAY overloading the aftermarket hitch and pulling the bolts through the frame material.  I decided to hold off on the Putnam for a while, and read a few more threads.  There's a guy on here that pulls a boat/trailer that weighs in about 12K or so, unless I remember it wrong.  My max load is up around there somewhere - empty trailer is 6300 lbs, and fully loaded for a weekend (camping supplies, firewood, hay, grain, horses) it pushes the max load capacity.

It wouldn't surprise me if something "unusual" had happened to your truck before you bought it.

One more thought - based on your pictures, the frame probably passed the inspection... "yes, there's a frame on this truck - check".  :)

I just couldn't resist.

 
Are you referring to where the arrow is pointing in my pic below?  If so, my new 2005 Avalanche has the same bend. If so, that 'bend' is intentional.  The frame is formed that way.  The left and right frame rails in that section are exactly the same.  The frame rail height is tapered down at that point on both sides, just ahead of where the hitch bolts on.  I think you need to look at a couple of 3/4 ton Suburban, Yukon XL or Avalanches and compare them to yours before they start trying to 'fix' something that is not bent! 

Just my observation based on what I see in your photos and what my frame looks like. Maybe there is something in your pics that I don't see?

 

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Here is a pic of my frame in the same general place you have pics of.

 

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Looks more like impact damage than something that would happen from stress or overloading.    ???  IMHO
 
No, at that point, the frame is 'formed' in such a way that the rail is reduced in size.  It is not a bend due to stress, towing  etc.  That's what I'm trying to make a point of.  I think the tech that told jcwilson85 that his frame is bent needs new glasses.    All of the 2500 frames will have this shape. 
 
The pictures I posted didn't turn out as well as I would've liked.  I guess I need a new camera.  The frame is bent and when you look at it with bare eyes it is obvious.  The rust proofing was pulling away at the bend point and the frame was "bubbled" out.  As for the tech that inspected it he actually took me to compare my frame with other new Avalanches that were on the lot just to make sure in both of our minds that my 2500 was damaged goods.  As for the cause each dealer states different probable causes.  The dealer making the repairs says it is most likely impact damage.  The dealer I bought it from says it is from towing too heavy a load.  I tend to think the dealer I bought it from is pushing their theory hard because GM is kicking in for part of the repairs because they are seeing this occurring around the country.  I don't think this is an epidemic, nor occurring often enough to warrant a recall but if the issue is pushed hard enough then I guess GM will do the "right" thing.  I'll try to get better pictures of the damage but it is already at the shop for repair so it may be too late.
 
I think the damaged area is in the red circle, if I'm seeing it right. From a different angle it may be more obvious. At least that's what I see.
 

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jcwilson85,  from your description of the damage being bubbled outwards and the undercoating being cracked (I see that in the pic now) it does sound like the frame is bent.  Sorry to hear that!  Either speculation sounds plausible..either too much weight was put on the hitch, or the truck was hit from behind.  Where the frame is reduced in size will be a weak point, and it appears it bent at such a point.  I hope it is repaired to your satisfaction, without hassle from the dealer.  I agree, it was sold as a 'Certified Used vehicle' and they didn't see the damage or didn't care to do anything about it if they did see it.

Chris
 
My first post here.  I was looking around and found someone else with hitch problem.  Chevrolet told me I was the only one and that they had never heard of any problems.  I have a 29 foot trailer and actually bent my hitch upward as if the equalizer bars were pulled up too far.  It was set up by the book.  I checked bumper height front and rear, hitched up and dropped more links until the front end was lowered almost as much (within a half inch) as the rear.  Tongue wt is just under 1000 pounds.  After a couple short trips, I noticed that the hitch was no longer parallel with the ground.  I compared the angle to new AV's at the dealership and it sure looked bent to me and to the service manager.  After several letters to Chevy they determined (without looking at the hitch or even talking to the service manager) that I screwed up.  I gave up and replaced with a Putnam class 5.  Hopefully the frame can handle the hitch.  Other than that (and the gas mileage) I love the truck.  Didn't get it for the economy and I love the way it tows.
 
:welcome: to the club. Nice to have another Michigan Av owner here. Many of us have changed to the Putnam. The GM hitch doesn't inspire much confidence. I would venture to say that GM didn't design it, they just bought it from whomever.  I tow around 8100 lbs. with the Putnam and have had no frame problems. I agree, the 2500 Av is an awesome tow vehicle. Too bad they pulled the plug on it.

I adjust my WD so that the rear bumper goes down about 2". If I try to level the truck to where it was before I hitched up, the torsion bars seem too tight.  In any case, my trailer pulls level and I am real happy with the way it handles.

AVid
 
You are not the only one with a bent frame JC!  I just had a NEW FRAME put under my 2005 2500!  It only had 7K miles on it and it bent hauling a 7000# trailer with a weight distribution hitch installed!  GM refused to cover it under the warranty because of the Class V Putnam hitch receiver I had installed.  I hope you have better luck with GM than I have had so far.  Keep us in the loop with how your repairs are going!
 
So if the factory hitch is rated for 5k, what did they want you to do  ???.  If they claim it can haul 11k or 12k or whatever, and it doesn't, then that should be false advertising, and when you beef it up to do what they claim, how is that your fault.  I would fight that one hard. 
 
Prime Power said:
So if the factory hitch is rated for 5k, what did they want you to do? ???.? If they claim it can haul 11k or 12k or whatever, and it doesn't, then that should be false advertising, and when you beef it up to do what they claim, how is that your fault.? I would fight that one hard.?

Note changed slightly to reflect the label Avid psoted:

Stock hitch is rated to 12,000 lb/1500 lb tongue WD, 5000 lb/600 weight carrying.? I have towed my 12,000 lb 34' two car hauler a lot, with nor problems.
 
It is as ramv says, here's the label.

AVid
 

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Here is a picture of the bent frame.  The buckling occurred at the area above/left of the top receiver mount hole.  The frame has since been straightened.  OEM or Putnam Class V, I am having a hard time understanding how this could have happened while towing a 7000# trailer with a WD hitch!
 

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8point1 said:
You are not the only one with a bent frame JC!? I just had a NEW FRAME put under my 2005 2500!? It only had 7K miles on it and it bent hauling a 7000# trailer with a weight distribution hitch installed!? GM refused to cover it under the warranty because of the Class V Putnam hitch receiver I had installed.? I hope you have better luck with GM than I have had so far.? Keep us in the loop with how your repairs are going!

    Did you have the suspension lift on it when the frame got bent?
 
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