Chevrolet and GMC have confirmed to dealers that an unknown number of 2024 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups have been damaged by a hail storm while waiting to be shipped out of the Wentzville Manufacturing Property.  The setback continues a string of bad luck for the newly refreshed and popular midsize pickup line.

A Massive Storm Complex Hit The Area March 14, 2024

On March 14th, Wentzville, Missouri, was hit by a massive storm complex, which dropped hail as large as 1.75 inches wide. One of the areas affected by the storm was the Wentzville Manufacturing Facility, the home of Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon production. After a thorough evaluation of the vehicles being stored outside, some awaiting software updates, General Motors has started notifying dealers that an unknown number of pickups have been damaged and will need to be repaired.

Last week a member of the ColoradoFans forum posted this, claiming that there were no signs of hail damage on the property- but that some local businesses and homes did see varying levels of damage.

“Ok, so good news! A drive past the plant and Jack Cooper terminal saw no signs of major hail damage! There are several hundred trucks on JC’s lot, many right along the fence – I saw no dents, broken glass, etc. I can’t rule out the possibility of a small number of trucks having minor damage, but the large majority appear safe.

I did drive past the Troy holding lot, though I confess I could not see any trucks up close. While there are several thousand out there, none were within several hundred feet of public access. That said, no vehicles at nearby residences had any major damage. Based on that and the fact we just did not have the severe weather in and near town, I would say the chances of widespread extensive damage to be rather low. Like at the plant & JC lots, some minor damage may still have occurred.

I was at Fusz Chevrolet this morning. My salesman lives perhaps 4 miles southwest of the dealership. He had exactly 3 pieces of golfball hail at his house, eveything else was pea to dime sized, and not a whole lot overall. Fusz had a couple vehicles on the lot with a couple small dings, and one that had a couple big dings, broken windshield, back window and 2 side windows, but that was it.

Clement Ford and a used car dealer across the service road GMT, had heavy damage. According to a news broadcast, Clement lost 300 new and 150 used vehicles. In video, you could see shattered glass and countless large dents on every vehicle. Even side mirroers were all busted up. GMT is right along I-70 – I could see the broken windshields as I drove past on the highway! Both of these dealers are roughly midway between Wentzville Assembly and Fusz. Just goes to show how hit or miss hail can be!” – purpleRac3r on ColoradoFans

GM Has Notified Dealers That Some Colorado/Canyon Were Damaged By Hail

However, that claim seems to be incorrect. Today, General Motors started sending this notification to dealers whose inventory was stored outside the factory.

“You are in receipt of this message because you have one or more retail stock or sold vehicles being inspected for hail damage due to a storm that recently passed through the area. 

Vehicles under inspection for hail damage were placed on logistics hold. Hail damage repairs are already underway for vehicles found with damage. 

• Vehicles found to be free of hail damage will be released for shipment to final as soon as possible
• Vehicles found with hail damage will be repaired on site by pointless dent repair technology prior to shipment and will have repair disclosures in the glove box or center console”

What Does This Mean For 2024 Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon Deliveries?

It’s important first to acknowledge that we have no information on the number of damaged vehicles. It could be two, or ten, or one-hundred. So far, there is no way to tell. No totals have been released, and only each dealership with affected inventory knows how their individual inventory was affected.

It’s also important to understand that vehicles released to dealerships will be sent in like-new condition using paintless dent removal—which is quite effective and, if done correctly, indiscernible. Vehicles are damaged during manufacturing all the time, and repairs can be made quite effectively—perhaps even better than at a dealership, considering the parts required to make a vehicle like new are physically on-site. The GM-Trucks.com 2019 Chevy Silverado was once on the wrong side of a pressure washer nozzle and had pointless dent removal performed on it. The process was so well done, we couldn’t tell where the dent used to be after the process was completed.

Dealers will also know exactly which Colorado and Canyon have been damaged and repaired. So, if this is important to you, and you want to know if your pending order was damaged or if the vehicle you purchased in a few months’ time was one of the fixed pickups- your dealership can let you know. If you have a pending order- your dealership should be able to give you information as early as today on if your truck is part of this hail storm damage repair process.  However, we’d urge anyone to think twice about calling off an order before seeing their truck in person first.