until you combine the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado Sales considering it's the exact same truck.they were factory options.
you can turn the limited slip off on a Silverado???????
Ford has not been bailed out either. and the Fseries trucks have been the best selling VEHICLE in the U.S. for over 19 years.
the Dakota was a fantastic truck, until recently....they are now hideous and might even move to a unibody in 2012..ugh. they were always the largest in the mid size class.
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It sounds like your truck was never ragged on....engaged sorry, no you cant turn it off, its supposed to come on automatically but mine never did.
GM's gov lock has been around for quite some time and works pretty well for it's intended use. It's a limited slip, not a locker, once you break traction with enough force on one tire over the other it's not going to lock up, and if it tries hard enough and is succesful, it most likely is not going to unlock too well after that.
With that said, my brother did have a truck that also had problems with the rear differential as you explained. He's also used and abused the **** out of that truck plowing snow, pulling landscaping trailers, and driving it like it's a hot rod. He's crossed 100,000 miles recently with no issues otherwise...and the rear diff still has not blown up, despite the quirky limited slip in the back.