A guy at work had this happen to his new 2002 2500 HD (I think that's what it is).  He had a toolbox installed on his bed and now a few months later the sheetmetal has rippled on the outside of the bed.  He is pissed, to say the least, and its going to cost him several hundred dollars to fix.  Apparently the sheet metal isn't very thick and the beds are crumbling under the weight of toolboxes.  He also has another dent were he stood on the bed rail.  

I found this for him on another forum.  There is a TSB out for it.  There is also some kind of fix for the problem.  I thought it might save someone here from a headache.  

[URL]http://forums.pickuptruck.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=008047[/URL]

When I began evaluating trucks and vans for magazines in the mid/late-'80s, I noticed that pickup truck beds seemed to be notably weaker than the one in my '76 Datsun King Cab. Where I could load dirt bikes into my truck and tie them down without a thought, doing so in the newer trucks actually warped the beds so much they'd eventually begin rubbing the backs of the cabs! This characteristic continued through the '90s. I think the manufacturers were trying to lighten the vehicles wherever possible in order to enhance fuel economy, and lighter-gauge sheet metal was the result. Though I haven't tested one of the newer trucks, I'd guess the beds are still on the weak side and in need of some sort of structural enhancement if you actually use the thing for work. But that's just me and my $0.02. [:)]

that's pretty sad,you pay $20,000 or more for it and mearly leaning up against it hard, will do about $1000.00 in damage,Kato4moto is right, thinner sheet metal to save weight,But what good is it if you can't even put a tool box on it? In my case, I think I bought my last pickup,I wrecked it last year, since then, the wife and I bought a slightly used 1999 Honda CRV (28,900 mi on it) we love it, seems to go through snow well, is fun to drive,lots of room,easy on gas,and after sending my wife's jeep Cherokee (1996) to the shop and finding out that the  netural saftey switch went out,(sometimes it'd start sometimes it would'nt) and would of cost $280.00 for the switch alone, (had the shop bypass it) I'll never own another POS Jeep, if american car manfacturer's want people to buy their stuff, they'd better start making higher quality products period! I know I'll think twice before I buy from the big three again, a year and half ago I would never admitted it, but after driving this honda around for awhile, I hate to say it, but it's a better built vehicle, it's no wonder the big three is losing sales to the japs, people are tired of buying junk, and it's not the fault of the guy on the shop floor, who assembles these things, it's the fault of the guys in the board room, who only want to take a good product, cheapen it up ,and sell it at a higher price than last year's model, and they don't give a damn how they do it, and this is what you get, pickup beds that crumple easily.    

                                        Fords and Dodges are the same....sorry.....we have them all.....I can push on the middle of the cab door with my hand and dent it.....the metal will continue to get thinner....until it turns to plastic.........[argue]

$20,000?  I bet he didn't get out of dealer for under $30,000.  Am I right?

Also, isn't the Avalanche the biggest pile of shit you've ever seen?  The plastic cladding comes up near the door handle.  Ridiculous.

My just bought a new 2001 GMC Suburban for 30+ and after three months, the chrome strips are rusting and the dome light comes on in the middle of the night, leaving you a dead battery in the morning.

What crap, and the dealer doesn't know what to do.

I have a 96 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 and I've never had a problem with thin metal on the bed. Oh wait, that is exactly the reason i have a flatbed. You can beat the crap out of it, hammer on it, back into things and run over the occasional VW bug and it doesnt phase it.  But then again, if i do end up tearing it up somehow I can weld it or heat it up and bend it back into place. Sometimes it's good to be a hick.

my restored 1980 chevy silverado is an invencible tank. i got rearended a few months ago, crushed the guys rear end (he rearened me with his rearend) not even a scratch on my beast.

One Word: TUNDRA

As a sidenote, the POS jeep we own is in the shop again.... this time it'll stall out when you go to stop for a light , let your foot off the gas and she stalls...this makes 6 times in the last 3 years or about once every 6 months,the list get longer,rotors and pads, 3 sets in 3 years, (Chrysler admits that the brakes have a design flaw of some kind in them, that they can't seem to solve, actually gave us one set of rotors and installtion for free),netural saftey switch,(had to by pass that, wasn't going to pay $280.00 for the switch, plus labor) plugs,ditst cap, hoses, belts,fuel filter, headlights, taillight bulbs, (yeah, I know stuff wears out, but every time I turn around, something else is breaking) so you get about a year out of the pads, rotors,every time I take it to the shop, I lose that much more faith in Chrysler products, this thing is a lemon, period.I'll NEVER buy a Chrysler product again, NEVER buy a jeep again, and I'll think real hard about buying any american made vehicle again! I'm tried of buying junk that breaks, when you need it to work..... F@#k You, Chrysler....Never Again! JEEP... The biggest POS on the road today!

Ralph, check that your jeeps lug nuts are all tightened to the propper torque.  Alot of these monkeys at the tire shop zip those lug nuts on too tight or tighten them unevenly. This is thought to be one of the causes of the warped rotors that jeep has had problems with. I picked this info up on the rec.jeep boards.  I've never had that problem with either of my jeeps, but then again I do the tire installs myself and make sure jthe rims are installed onto the hub.

idaho-ar15

GM is supposed to start offering a plastic bed on their pickups.  It is supposed to be an option to start with and then become a standard feature.  The article was in "Plastics News" a couple of months back.

SS109.  The neighbor's got a 1996 Suburban that has the same problem with the dome light.  I always thought it was them forgetting to shut it off.

'96 toyota tacoma 4x. 96,000 miles.
not a spot or rust.(i live in the snow belt in n.e. ohio) replaced the cooling fan clutch. that's it. look forward to puting 200,000 mi. on it.(knock on wood)

my grandad worked for ford for 35 yrs. i get the A plan. my next truck will be a toyota too.