2003 Suburban DEFECT - rear hatch glass hinge breaking - Page 2

After repairing and looking closely at the mechanics of the whole rear glass combination, I think that I have found the cause of the problem. The struts that lift and hold the glass are quite heavy. I found that you can put alot of stress on the hinge area if you lift the glass after unlatching it from the gate. The best thing that you can do is to unlatch the glass, and let the strut lift the glass until it is fully extended. What happens is that when you try to lift the glass it is pulling on the strut, and pushing on the rear of the hinge, which makes the front of the hinge want to pull away from the glass.

The best fix would be to have a strut that was valved to allow a "overflow" bypass. This would allow a user to lift the glass by hand (which is normal) without the strut limiting how fast the glass is opened. The other option is as I have stated, is to let the glass open by itself.

Again, I am not dissatisfied with my GM, just the way that they have handled this problem.

Brad

Reading this thread and the juvenile, no, make that toddler, responses obscures the real issue here. I have a 2000 Sub, the hinge broke a few months ago, same exact problem described here, clearly due to faulty engineering/assembly/design/materials. These things should not break unless they are underengineered for the stresses (minimal) and loads involved. It is cheap plastic. It is a shoddy design. We don't even use ours that much, so it has not been subjected to a lot of stress. Yes the truck is 6 yr old, and has lots of miles, but still...

I stopped by a glass shop to see about a replacement, they said, "Oh yeah, that happens to these a lot (giggle)." That was a glass shop, not a dealer. Said it would be $700 for a replacement, or I could try to find a used one for maybe half that. They wouldn't even touch a repair.

So, what is a repair procedure that might work? Some kind of super adhesive with some reinforcing strips along the frame where the hinge is? I found some SuperGlue on their web site that is glass/plastic formulated, but I was thinking that the rear-view mirror stuff, a catalyzed adhesive, might be better? Or is there some other kind of super adhesive that would be better than that?

Please, flame away, tell me I'm stupid, etc. -- that is oh so helpful -- but the fact still remains this was a poor design and implementation.

quote:

ORIGINAL: OldBenz

Reading this thread and the juvenile, no, make that toddler, responses obscures the real issue here. I have a 2000 Sub, the hinge broke a few months ago, same exact problem described here, clearly due to faulty engineering/assembly/design/materials. These things should not break unless they are underengineered for the stresses (minimal) and loads involved. It is cheap plastic. It is a shoddy design. We don't even use ours that much, so it has not been subjected to a lot of stress. Yes the truck is 6 yr old, and has lots of miles, but still...

I stopped by a glass shop to see about a replacement, they said, "Oh yeah, that happens to these a lot (giggle)." That was a glass shop, not a dealer. Said it would be $700 for a replacement, or I could try to find a used one for maybe half that. They wouldn't even touch a repair.

So, what is a repair procedure that might work? Some kind of super adhesive with some reinforcing strips along the frame where the hinge is? I found some SuperGlue on their web site that is glass/plastic formulated, but I was thinking that the rear-view mirror stuff, a catalyzed adhesive, might be better? Or is there some other kind of super adhesive that would be better than that?

Please, flame away, tell me I'm stupid, etc. -- that is oh so helpful -- but the fact still remains this was a poor design and implementation.

I actuallly repaired the hinge with JB weld. Basically when the hinge finally seperated completly from the window, I filled the void with JB weld, and then clamped it together with a Irwin 6" clamp. I let the adhesive dry for 24 hours, and put the window back on the truck. I did it almost 6000 miles ago and it is still holding well. If this fails, I may take the whole assembly to a glass shop and have them drill the glass out and fasten the glass directly to the hinge. I figure the worst that could happen is the window would break and I'll have to buy a new one anyways, unless GM issues a TSB by then (wishful thinking).

Brad

I joined the forum just to post this.

I don't care if the asholes here flame me or not.

I've got a 2000 Yukon that had the same hinge break in '02 under warranty and replaced. I've still got it and it's just broken again, through no fault of mine or mis-use. My wife has an '02 Tahoe with the same problem out of warranty I fixed it with JB Weld as well.

Bottom line, it's a very poor hinge design because it's not able to withstand normal loads due to opening and closing the glass. And yes I'm an engineer and I own up to it when I make mistakes.

Does this turn me off GM, no, but it does piss me off that they've done nothing to re-design it in 6+ years!?!?!

Barn doors rule!

WOW this thread is hilarious...
 
Pretty sure you were offerred extended Warranty as that is where the Bus office people make their money, that would be like me letting you go without trying to sell you a car.
 
I can understand your frustration but I work at a chevy dealership and just asked and they have NEVER done one of these or seen this problem. not saying it dont happen just dont think it is that popular of a problem
 
your suburban is off Warranty, if you wnat see if you can purchase extended warranty now sometimes you can with only 60k on it you may be able to. save you from future repairs as well.
 
and Yes going in screamming does not help all that ever did here is give us something to laugh about when eventually you HAVE to fork over the $900 bucks to fix it, which would be less if you would be nicer Im sure.
 
If all else fails trde it for a new 07 nicer looking anyhow, and it will have warranty.

Hello all,
Just wanted to check in as another victim of the defective hinge problem faced by us Suburban/Tahoe owners.  I have a 2003 Tahoe that has 70,000 miles on it and is still under GM's "GMPP" super-top-dog extended warranty (as described by me service writer at the dealership) and GMPP is refusing to pay for the glass because they don't cover glass.  Well, that explaination would be fine and dandy if the GLASS WAS BROKE.  But this is a structural failure, pointing to an engineering short-coming in the design/attachment of the rear glass assembly.  And the more I dig the more I find that it's a wide-spread problem that GM should address.  My Camaros hatchback glass is bolted to the hinges, not glued.  Granted it is much larger and heavier than the 'Hoes rear glass, but a superior engineering job none the less. 
I'd be satisfied if they use the pooky they glued it with originally and reattach the hinge.  Then make the pooky available for me to buy in another 70,000 miles so I can fix it.  I'm not willing to shell out the $950 when it's clearly a design defect.  Nobody should....not even the flamer in this thread. 
~Ron

Add me as another victim of the GM poor design group with a seperated rear glass hinge. Before the "Flaming Idiots" start on about this being a user induced problem, the rear glass hatch on our Sub is not used by either my wife or myself. In fact it has been opened at grand total of 2 times. The release button is so hard to push in that we just don't use it. As I see it the problem is the hinges are under constant strain from the lift cylinders and from added forces from the wind at highway speeds. The hinge bond surface area is just too small.
 
I have three friends with Tahoe/Suburbans of which two have failed to date. That is 3 out of  4 failed glass hinges among myself and friends. I'd say GM has a problem. 
 
CG

I have an 03 Tahoe with 55000 miles and I have had the same problem with the back glass hinge, don't want to pay the $950 to have it replaced!!!

2001 Suburban - Hinge Broke Also!  Tried one repair with Gorilla Glue - Didn't work.  I am sure it was my fault - didn't let it sit long enough - going to try the jb weld route now.  Have they fixed this design flaw in the '07 models?  I have over 200,000 on my Suburban and love it.  I've had my issues with trans, intake leak, evap code, and also the rear gas shocks holding the rear hatch have lost their gas (anyone know where to get these aftermarket?).  But overall I have been very pleased with the vehicle.  My wife drives a '97 and it has had even less issues than mine and also well over 200,000 miles.  I bet they figure out the design prob and fix it - I don't mind having to fix these issues myself or having someone fix it for me and paying to do it - this vehicle has been well worth the money!

I've got the same problem with the broken hinge.  We are original owner of vehicle and done nothing to cause this hinge to break, in fact rarely used the window opening.   I have tried JB Weld, didn't work for us. 
 
This seems similar to the cables on the tailgate of my Avalanche, that rusted in half/broke, within two years of buying it new.  That WAS replaced by Chevy on a recall.

I have a 2003 Yukon with just under 29k miles.... same problem.  Of course it happened just a couple of months after my warrenty expired.  I purchased the extended warranty, and of course, it isn't covered.  Looking around on this site, I see there are plenty of people with this problem.  I was also told by the mechanic at the GMC dealer that he has seen plenty of these, that the current model has changed the design of its hatch window because they kept breaking.  I have a hard time believing this isn't a manufacturer's defect if enough people are having this problem that it resulted in them having to change their design.  Has anyone inquired with consumer reports???  And to the previous comment 'don't be cheap just suck it up" -- why should we shell out $1k for an obvious manufacturer's defect? 

quote:

ORIGINAL: jdearing

I have a 2003 Yukon with just under 29k miles.... same problem.  Of course it happened just a couple of months after my warrenty expired.  I purchased the extended warranty, and of course, it isn't covered.  Looking around on this site, I see there are plenty of people with this problem.  I was also told by the mechanic at the GMC dealer that he has seen plenty of these, that the current model has changed the design of its hatch window because they kept breaking.  I have a hard time believing this isn't a manufacturer's defect if enough people are having this problem that it resulted in them having to change their design.  Has anyone inquired with consumer reports???  And to the previous comment 'don't be cheap just suck it up" -- why should we shell out $1k for an obvious manufacturer's defect? 

 
Agreed!!

Yep!  2000 Yukon with 76K miles and plastic hinge just broke on right side.  Looked at the left side and it is cracked.  Dealer wants $1100 - $1200 to replace window.  Says he sees a lot of them.  Guess I will try the JB weld trick also.  I am curious (being engineer) what you cleaned the area with prior to applying the JB weld.  Evaluating the design it is very poor, inferior quality plastic with struts place a torsional load on the hinge.
 
Capt RonB   

I wiped both the hinge and window with acetone before I JB welded it.

I joined Chevy Forum this morning just b/c of this issue as the previous owner of a 96 Tahoe, 98 Tahoe, 2001 Suburban, 2002 Suburban, 2003 Yukon XL and now and 2004 Z71 Suburaban I am quite dissappointed with GM 's lack of concern on this issue.  Mine just broke yesterday on a 42K vehicle.  Since GM won't step up to help I guess it's up to us to find the fix. I thought of the JB weld as well but I work for a major boat manufacturer and we have something here I am going to try.  I will let everyone know how it works.  Who knows maybe I can be the next Mr. Goodwrench!!!!!!!!!

Count me as another. I was actually on these forums for another problem with my 03 Tahoe (7 times now it has not started over the last 3 years). But I ran across this thread.

I had the hinge on my rear hatch glass break over a year ago with about 30,000 miles on it. I am the original owner and I have never towed anything, so that could not be the problem. Just normal, occassional use of the window. GM obviously has (or had) an issue with manufacturing/design problems despite what ZX and a few others on here seem to think.

Now if the dealership would just fix the problem with it not starting...

I have done a bit more research here on the subject and it is apparent that there is a problem with some of these rear hatches although I’m not sure just how wide spread of an epidemic there is or what the solution would be.
  I honestly don’t see GM going back several years to replace these hatches on out-of-warranty vehicles though.

Thank you ZX1100 for seeing that this problem is not isolated to just me.  Now if only we could get GM to step up and fix their faulty product... 

Wow.  Now I know I am not crazy. I found this forum accidentally while looking for a place to get a rear window w/hinge piece for my 03 Suburban.  I am the original owner and travel ALOT in Florida for business so I have a lot of miles on this vehicle but I have only opened the glass part maybe 4 times!  I use the whole back door a lot loading and loading horse feed, etc.  A few months ago, a friend accidentally hit the button to open the window hatch and we discovered the hinge was broken!  It is now affecting the whole back door and I was mystified how this could have happened.  My hubby accused me of somehow hitting something.  I did not!  While it has high highway miles I baby that vehicle and love it.  There is not a scratch on it and still has the new car smell even.  Today the Chevy fellow told me it would be over $1000 to replace (!) since its one piece and said he had never seen this before.  So, y'all have at least made me feel I am not losing it.  While I love my Suburban and the ride it gives me as I travel, I am so disappointed at the cheap quality of these parts.  I am going to have to look for this window at junk yards or something cuz I can not afford $1000 at the moment.  II called my my mechanic to see if he had any ideas.  Coincidentally, he has a 03 Suburban and had to replace the same thing just 2 months ago!  He said he could not find a part at a junk yard so he paid full price.   Yikes.  If anyone ever finds a fix - please let me know!   Thanks. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: valerie

Wow.  Now I know I am not crazy. I found this forum accidentally while looking for a place to get a rear window w/hinge piece for my 03 Suburban.  I am the original owner and travel ALOT in Florida for business so I have a lot of miles on this vehicle but I have only opened the glass part maybe 4 times!  I use the whole back door a lot loading and loading horse feed, etc.  A few months ago, a friend accidentally hit the button to open the window hatch and we discovered the hinge was broken!  It is now affecting the whole back door and I was mystified how this could have happened.  My hubby accused me of somehow hitting something.  I did not!  While it has high highway miles I baby that vehicle and love it.  There is not a scratch on it and still has the new car smell even.  Today the Chevy fellow told me it would be over $1000 to replace (!) since its one piece and said he had never seen this before.  So, y'all have at least made me feel I am not losing it.  While I love my Suburban and the ride it gives me as I travel, I am so disappointed at the cheap quality of these parts.  I am going to have to look for this window at junk yards or something cuz I can not afford $1000 at the moment.  II called my my mechanic to see if he had any ideas.  Coincidentally, he has a 03 Suburban and had to replace the same thing just 2 months ago!  He said he could not find a part at a junk yard so he paid full price.   Yikes.  If anyone ever finds a fix - please let me know!   Thanks. 

 
Here is a previous post that I had regarding the repair:
 
"I actuallly repaired the hinge with JB weld. Basically when the hinge finally seperated completly from the window, I filled the void with JB weld, and then clamped it together with a Irwin 6" clamp. I let the adhesive dry for 24 hours, and put the window back on the truck. I did it almost 6000 miles ago and it is still holding well. If this fails, I may take the whole assembly to a glass shop and have them drill the glass out and fasten the glass directly to the hinge. I figure the worst that could happen is the window would break and I'll have to buy a new one anyways, unless GM issues a TSB by then (wishful thinking). "
 
The truck has almost 20,000 miles on the fix (I am driving it almost 1,000 miles between Monday and Thursday this week alone) and has not had a problem.  I did not have to drill it, the JB weld has held fine so far.  Be sure to clean both parts with acetone and leave that clamp on for at least 24 hours.
 
Good luck,

Brad

I will add my name to the mix.  I love my Burb, 03 LT.  I even upgraded to the HU Boise Amp and Nav TNR radio (thanks to JP Customs).  My hinge broke at around 40K and like many others I had only used the back window like 3-4 times.  I found it was much easier to open the big door to put groceries in.  Anyway I bought my Burb new and until my 03 I traded in every couple of years.  Because of the great drop in price in 05 my Burb dropped about $10K in value over night (ouch and o yea thanks GM nice job).  In any event I went with a 100K mile exteded bumper to bumper warranty since I was done trading in Burbs every couple of years.  Needles to say the only other thing that went bad with my Burb was the Air Conditioner compressor (around 28K) and that darn hinge on the passenger side of the rear glass. 
 
Bottomline, GM said no dice I must have broke my hinge.  (Yea right)  I didn't have an option to drop the $1400 for new glass, so I took my window out and used Gorilla Glue.  My hinge was not broke per se, just separating from the glass.  That was over a year and 15K miles ago and still holding very well.  I did leave the shocks off, I was thinking that they might have been putting pressure on the hinge, even when closed.  I really appreciate you starting this thread and got a good giggle out of the dude who was bashing everyone.  Poor guy must have had a very bad childhood and still uses that as an excuse for his current lot in life. 
 
Cheers
 
Freewilly
 
 

Same problem with a 2004 GMC Yukon XL.  I baby my vehicles and in no way caused this.  It appears to me to be a very poor design which should be remedied and rectified by GMC.  I'll let you know how it goes.

My 2004 Tahoe, 55k miles, mysteriously broke a rear hatch hinge.  Shortly thereafter, but before I could get it fixed, I was on the highway going 60+ mph and happened to roll my driver's side window down.  The entire hatch exploded off the hinges, popped both struts off their studs, frisbeed off backwards and--fortunately--shattered on the pavement behind me, without striking any other vehicles on the freeway.  For those of you wondering if the hatch was closed, the latch remained locked to its clasp and actually separated from the glass (it's held on with an adhesive-type material).
 
If it had decapitated a driver behind me, as it could easily have, GM may have heard about it under less pleasant circumstances than this forum, which I googled while looking for the new part. 
 
JRM

quote:

ORIGINAL: joetheperson

My 2004 Tahoe, 55k miles, mysteriously broke a rear hatch hinge.  Shortly thereafter, but before I could get it fixed, I was on the highway going 60+ mph and happened to roll my driver's side window down.  The entire hatch exploded off the hinges, popped both struts off their studs, frisbeed off backwards and--fortunately--shattered on the pavement behind me, without striking any other vehicles on the freeway.  For those of you wondering if the hatch was closed, the latch remained locked to its clasp and actually separated from the glass (it's held on with an adhesive-type material).

If it had decapitated a driver behind me, as it could easily have, GM may have heard about it under less pleasant circumstances than this forum, which I googled while looking for the new part. 

JRM

 
 
Wow!  That is exactly what I was afraid of.  I actually used a ratchet strap from the bumper to the luggage rack to hold the window tight (more so to keep the wind noise down) but I was also afraid of the window completely popping out.
 
Have you gone to GM with this one?
 
Brad