Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Chevrolet S10 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The bedliner was installed at the car dealer ship at time of purchase. At that time we were told that you can fill gas containers in the back of the truck because there was a problem with static electricity igniting the gas. There is also a sticker on the bedliner warnining of this problem. There also seem to be another problem problem. After stopping to gat gas at a station on I-95 outside of washington and with no flamible materials in the truck the bed liner ignited in flames about 1 mile down the highway. I belive that because it is an over the rim bed liner and the fill spot for gas is just 8" away from the edge of the liner gas fumes during the filling process get traped under the liner and can be ignighted by static. Because of the type of liner there is a gap between the truck boby of about a 1/4" all the way around the truck. …
While standing on the tailgate of my s-10 pickup, the left supporting cable broke. The cable on the other side held so there was no injury or damage. My inspection of the breakage revealed the multistranded steel cable had become heavily rusted and thereby weakened. The cable is covered by plastic tubing which can be easily abraded by repeated opening and closing of the tailgate. Moreover the cable is obviously made from unprotected metal ie. Zinc-dichromate at best, rather than ganvanized or stainless. (zinc-dichromate sacrifices itself to moisture over a short period of time). I went the area dealer who, after checking to see it was on the recall list, quoted over $100.00 to replace both the left and right cables. I learned some larger truck models already had recalls for this problem. …
When attempting to back the truck up, the backs of the seats are too high and it obstructs my view. One night while trying to back my truck up in my yard, my view was too obstructed and I hit a tree. The tailgate of my truck was down, and was damaged. It is un-repairable. I was backing up at about 5 MPH, so the airbags didn't open. This has been a problem from the beginning. I haven't contacted the manufacturer, but if you advise me to do so, I will. The anti-lock brakes just went made a grinding noise and I had to almost push them to the floor to stop...I was going 35-40 MPH and someone in front of me slammed on their brakes. Since then, the brakes scrub and make a grinding noise if I don't stop gradually. The brake pads were looked at and are okay. I'm not a mechanic, but if it's not the pads, then what is it??? …
In June 2006 I was loading a small table and chair set into the bed of my 2000 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck. I was in the bed of the truck, walked from the cab to the back and stepped onto the tailgate. I reached down to pick up a small, light-weight chair and both tailgate cables snapped letting the tailgate drop down quite unexpectedly. I jumped back to avoid injury to myself. The tailgate was slightly damaged. I'm told by my local dealership, holler Chevrolet in winter park, florida there is no recall or special bulletin issued for my truck concerning the cables. There are recalls for other models in the same and other years. If the cables on all models general motors pickup trucks are the same, I believe all models should be recalled for repair. I have an appointment at holler Chevrolet December 7, 2006 to have this repair done at a cost to me of $75. …
I own a 2000 s-10 pickup I had the tailgate open and I sat on it and the tailgate straps broke and I feel to the ground I already have back problems and when I fell I hurt my back and had to have treatment done on my back by my chiropractor. My husband called the Chevy company and told them that the straps broke and asked if there was a recall on them they said yes but not on the s-10 only on the sierras and silverados. They would do nothing to solve this problem. So I went into the recall site and it said they had 42 complaints on the s-10 and sonomas on the 2000 year I don't understand why nothing is being done to fix these if they have had this many complaints I have talked to 2 other people that have this same problem they said they just never took the time to file a complaint. So how many others are there out there like this ? …
Cable straps that hold the tailgate horizontal to the ground when the tailgate is in the down position have rusted through and will no longer hold the tailgate in the horizontal position. There was a recall on this in approximately June of 2006. I received a card in the mail, took the vehicle in to the Chevrolet dealer, and they advised me that parts were not available. This happened twice. I kind of gave up, until I discovered the part failure earlier this year. Unfortunately I have misplaced my card that they sent in the mail. Upon failure of this part, I took my vehicle in to a Chevrolet dealer in September of 2014. They knew about the recall, so ran my VIN # and said my vehicle VIN# was not part of the recall. Perhaps general motors didn't recall enough of the VIN#s to find all of the part failures.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Chevrolet S10. Upon inspecting the vehicle, it was noticed that the front frame was cracked and deteriorated to the point that it May fracture. The contact stated that cracks developed on the frame and the motor mount was not welded to the frame properly. The cracking progressed to the point that the frame was also deteriorating on the front driver and passenger sides. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who diagnosed that the frame should have been welded all the way around the vehicle and it was only welded at the top. The dealer diagnosed that the front framing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
My family and I were packing to go camping and while loading the bed of my s-10 pickup I placed a 40 pound tent on the tailgate and when I turned around I heard a load clunk and both tailgate cables broke. After I picked up the tent from the ground and lifted the tailgate I noticed that when the tailgate fell it fell on the rear bumper and dented it all the way across. I took the truck to my dealer and they said it was not covered under a recall even though the full-size pickups do have a recall on this item. I replaced the cables at my own cost and it was not cheap or easy. I also paid to have my tailgate repaired for $500.
The right side tailgate cable on my truck broke while loading a wood log. Thankfully the other cable did not break or the log would have fallen on my leg causing injury. I have inspected the left cable and it has signs of corrosion under the plastic covering as well. I have a 1983 S10 p/u that uses steel bars that have a pivot point so they can hinge when you close the tailgate. I have never had this problem with that design, and they still work properly. I have heard about the recalls for the full size trucks for this very same problem. It looks like it needs to be extended to the S10 family as well.
Dt*: the contact stated the ABS warning light illuminated and there was an increased stopping distance while applying brake pressure at various speeds. There is a NHTSA recall, # 00V055000, regarding the antilock brakes. The vehicle was not inspected by the dealer. The VIN was not included in the recall. Additionally, the tailgate support cables corroded and fractured without warning. The contact replaced the tailgate cables. There is NHTSA recall # 06V066000, regarding the tailgate hinge and attachments. The VIN was not included in the recall.
NHTSA investigations
Tailgate support cable(s) break
Odi is upgrading rq04-012 and opening an ea to investigate the tailgate support cables installed in 1998 - 2004 model year sonoma and s10 model vehicles.general motors is conducting recall campaign 04v-129 to replace the tailgate support cables originally installed in certain model year 2000-2004 sierras and silverados and certain model year 2002-2004 avalanches and escalade exts (c/k models).general motors has…
Body complaints in other S10 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2000 Chevrolet S10?
NHTSA has 93 complaints about the body & structure of the 2000 Chevrolet S10, 20% of the model year's 471 complaints. The component named most often is body › tailgate › hinge and attachments (66 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Chevrolet S10 body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2000 Chevrolet S10, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Chevrolet S10 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 15 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.