A man says he came close to a major accident after the front wheel of his Chevrolet Silverado gave out on the road, just months after he flagged the issue to his dealership. Now he’s trying to get answers, and the dealership says they won’t cover the full cost of the repairs. TikTok creator Bobby (@bobbygmann) shared the entire saga in a three-part series that’s caught the attention of car owners across the platform. Man Tells Chevrolet Dealership Exactly Where to Look “When you take your truck to Don Mealey Chevrolet,” Bobby says in Part 1, “and you say, ‘Hey, I hear this thud noise whenever I’m turning. I think it’s my ball joints. Could you check and see?’” The mechanic reportedly agreed it might be the ball joint, especially since Bobby drives a Trail Boss with a leveling kit, a setup known to add pressure to the suspension. But after keeping the truck for a few hours, he says the dealership sent him home. “Mechanic said it’s great,” Bobby says. “Would you never know.” Then he flips the camera to show what purportedly happened next: the ball joint snapped clean off on the road and the wheel separated from the car. FROM THE TRENDING NEWS DESK Viral bits from across the social media landscape Our team of experts tracks what's trending so you don't have to—from viral videos to online debates that have everyone talking. “Pops the CV axle right out of its socket,” he says. “Go with your gut, people, because your gut is right.” “I am so thankful to God today that I did not finish my existence here on this earth tonight.” What Did the Dealership Say the Second Time? Bobby says he had the truck towed back to the same dealership. He then reports meeting with the new service director, Bob, and going over the same concern he’d raised months earlier. “I told them this,” he says. “In fact, I have the mechanic notes.” He reads them aloud on video: “Customer states there’s a clunking sound when they turn the wheels… mainly coming from the front passenger wheel.” The mechanic reportedly confirmed the sound and wrote that they inspected the tie rod, control arms, and alignment. Everything appeared “within spec,” Bobby says. He adds that they noted that the leveling kit might be causing shifting. “Yet you failed to investigate the ball joint,” Bobby says. “You told me it was safe to drive.” Bob says he later called him back and confirmed the failure: “Yeah, you know, it looks like it was the leveling kit. Just put too much pressure on the ball joint and it snapped.” “This is what I told you when I was in your office yesterday,” Bobby replies in the video. The Dealership Says They Won’t Cover the Cost In Part 3, Bobby says the dealership called him again—this time, it was someone named Jaret or Jared. According to Bobby, the dealership offered to cover 50% of the labor, but none of the parts. Their purported reasoning? They didn’t know how he had driven the truck in the past three months. “I told him, it’s a pavement princess,” Bobby says. “I’m not taking this Trail Boss on the trails. Guilty as charged.” He reminded them he had raised the issue months ago. “I was ready to pay out of pocket then and there,” he says. “The mechanic failed to inspect the ball joint entirely.” Jaret/Jared reportedly pushed back. “If this happened a year from now, would you come back and say it’s on us?” Bobby says he pointed out it had been only three months, plenty recent for the dealership to be liable. “This raises grave concerns about either negligence, misdiagnosis, or a failure to properly inspect the vehicle’s suspension components,” he says in the video. “All of which are unacceptable.” Gallery: 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss “Move a Mountain if You Have To” The call reportedly ended in a screaming match. Bobby says he stayed calm but made one thing clear. “I’m not looking for a big payout. I just want my truck fixed,” he says. He says Jaret/Jared told him to expect a written estimate. Bobby responded that once they had the total, they’d know how much to cover. But the dealership allegedly said they already spoke to the owner, and they weren’t paying any more. “So I told him, get it to someone who can make it happen,” Bobby says. “Move a mountain if you have to.” Jaret/Jared reportedly replied sarcastically: “I’ll get it to someone that can move a mountain.” Then he hung up. Chevrolet’s Corporate Account Reached Out, but Only Through a Bot Bobby says Chevrolet’s Instagram DM’d him after he posted the first video. They opened a case and gave him a case number, but so far, he says, he’s only spoken to a bot. “I’m 27 years old,” Bobby says. “Like most people, I don’t have thousands and thousands of dollars sitting around to fix something that wasn’t my fault in the first place.” “I’m just asking for fairness and accountability,” he adds. This Kind of Failure Doesn’t Just Come Out of Nowhere It’s worth noting that even though Bobby’s truck might have come with a lift, lift kits, especially when paired with leveling kits, can accelerate wear on suspension parts like ball joints. GM’s Trail Boss models include a two‑inch factory lift in some trims, which means the upper control arms and joints already carry extra stress from stock. When you stack a leveling kit on top of that, you shift the suspension geometry and increase the angle on ball joints. That change forces the ball stud to ride farther from its ideal “cup,” increasing friction, load, and the chance of failure. One aftermarket blog explains how lifted trucks often see “increased wear on certain components, such as ball joints, tie rods, and bushings.” Commenters Agree: The Dealership Is Liable In the comments under his video, viewers backed Bobby up. “Sounds like a lawsuit,” one person said. “Or at the very least they should be paying for that after sending you on your way with the very problem your gut said there was.” “This doesn’t sound like a dealership that’s been in business for 50 years,” another added. “Stories like these give me more reason to avoid them.” Some locals chimed in with personal experiences. “Unfortunately, a lot of us already know not to go there,” one person wrote. “I’ve heard horror stories since a few years after they opened.” One commenter who works in the industry shared their guess: “More than likely, the technician did a brief look over, and the service advisor wrote it up to make it look better to the customer.” They added, “It’s crazy to me the store hasn’t folded and won’t just pay the portion. GM is not covering themselves.” Motor1 has reached out to Chevrolet via email and to Bobby via TikTok direct message for more information. We’ve also contacted Don Mealey Chevrolet via online contact form. We’ll update this if any party responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
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