2001 Rear Axle

My 2001 Silverado's rear axle went out a few days ago. The service guy told me my spider gears and others things were damaged. My rear end was making a loud knocking noise when turning. Cost to fix was $2,500.

I know it's not normal to have to replace your rear axle on any vehicle no matter how old it is. Has there been many rear axle problems with 2000 - 2002 Silerado's?

Also, a mechanic told me this was common problem with trucks made during the same time as mine, he also said the axles were manufactured in China and were a know problem. Can anyone confirm what the mechanic was telling me is truth or fiction?

Dear "Tiger5",

Recently I had my 2000 Silverado in for service. I do a differential flush every 15K as I drive in plenty of snow and do not want any moisture in diff, t-case, tranny, etc. I noticed the fluid level was low and I did have some louder than usual noise from decel/accel activity. Upon further inspection, the driver's side axle seal in the hub was blown. I have a Wynns Warranty and fortunately I only paid a $50 co-pay for brake parts, a new axle seal and $120 worth of Dex III diff fluid (full syn).

My mechanic, Jon, at Brookside Chevrolet in Broofield, WI, said he sees this all the time. Jon is top notch and before meeting Jon I was all but giving up on GM for any service satisfaction.

Just to be on the safe side...I would investigate your axle seals by pulling the wheels and removing the hub cover. If you notice fluid, you probably have an axle leak and will also have e-brake issues from the "gummed" fluid. The Dex II or Dex III full synthetic is pretty good stuff, and if you aren't completely doing crazy stuff, the rear end should last much longer. Since my truck is "Like a Rock", I tend to push it once in a while, but my gears looked pretty good upon inspection and my warrant is still good for 60K miles. (I have 70K on the truck now).

it is a common prob, i did mine at 100k and its about to get warrantied at 130k.....heavy foot, cheesy parts=carnage

although 2500 is a bit steep..... i only paid 1250 for a reman from jasper

although 2500 is a bit steep..... i only paid 1250 for a reman from jasper


I could have gotten a used one for 1,800 plus tax but no warranty. I filed a complaint through Chevrolet's customer service to see if they would reimburse some of the cost but had no luck. I still plan on writing a letter to voice my concern.

more power to ya....dont think theyll care honestly...the only ones ive seen fail have been from spinning tires or driving hard...the harder the driving the further the gears got spit out of the case

(A) You have to change the rear diff oil at 5000KM.
(B) Owners manual has further recomended rear diff oil change intervals.
(C) You must use synthethic 75W90 gear oil and friction additive if limited slip.

The above is critical as these newer gear sets have a very different pitch and run a very tight backlash, in the order of .002 vs .008 to .010 with previous units. Failure to do so will burn them out.

Hope that answers some questions.