As i approached a dangerous intersection between two heavily traveled roads, i applied my foot to the brake as usual. suddenly the brakes failed completely, the pedal went all the way to the floor with no braking action. fortunately the other car approaching the intersection was able to slow down in time to avoid a collision as i applied my emergency brake. but it was a very close call. i had the vehicle towed to the nearest gm dealer where the service department determined the brake linings were corroded and rusted through. when i searched the internet to see if similar incidents had occurred, i found many dozens of examples. (see link below) the use of an inferior alloy instead of stainless steel for the brake lines has resulted in corrosion and total brake failure with no warning signs, especially in states like nj subject to winter conditions. this brake failure problem has been the subject of an investigation by the nhtsa., but no recalls were issued. owners of millions of gm vehicles are at serious risk of injury and death from this potentially fatal design flaw. recall notices should be sent to owners and gm should pay for repairs in the interest of the safety of its customers. http://trucks.about.com/b/2011/09/23/nhtsas-ongoing-investigation-of-gm-truck-brake-line-corrosion.htm. *tr
Brake line rusted out. started the truck and when i pushed on the pedal it went to the floor. i lived in indiana for 8 years of owning the truck. i have lived in florida for the last two years. all lines from the front of the truck to the abs modulator are rusted. the rear line is ok. the problem is exacerbated by running the lines where they are. the fuel lines appear to have a similar problem but have not yet failed. *tr
The brakes went out without warning all brake lines were rusted and had to be replaced. *tr
Coming to a red light at a major intersection and applying the brakes the pedal suddenly went to the floor. the truck went thru a red light. i was able to stop it w/ the emergency brake. i can't believe i didn't hit another vehicle. inspection reveled the brake lines were completely rusted out. *tr
I was towing a new ranger bass boat home from fishing. i was coming down hill toward a stop sign at a intersection and when i hit the brakes. the check brakes came up on info center. the pedal went to the floor. i had to jam it down in to first gear and use parking break to get it slowed enough to turn. it was also a 55mph speed limit road. thank god no one was coming. i got pulled off the road and checked what was going on. the hard break line going to the driver side rear was blown apart. it had rusted completely in half. after further investigation of the lines they are all in extremely bad shape. they are all rusted and now starting to leak in places. along with that my gas line is now rusted in half and now leaking. something needs to be done before someone is killed. *tr
My wife and i were commuting to work the morning of 4/6/2012. a car in front of us put their blinker on to turn left...i applied the brake and to my surprise the brakes failed!! there was absolutely no warning that there was a problem and with the low miles of the truck and being the original owner i knew that proper maintenance of this vehicle has been done. by the grace of god i was able to barely miss hitting this vehicle at a speed of 45mph. if the car had to have come to a complete stop i would have no doubt plowed into the rear of the car with more than likely resulting in very serious injuries. after the incident and taking the truck to the garage i have learned that this is somewhat becoming a common occurrence with certain gm vehicles produced between 1999 and 2003. this must be made public before more incidents happen resulting in injuries and fatalities taking place!! *tr
The brake lines rusted and failed while driving in traffic. all the brake lines had to be replaced due to rust damage from inferior component. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the emergency/parking brake failed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the backing plate for the emergency brake was completely rusted. as a result, the backing plate, brake pads and rotors were replaced but the failure recurred. additionally, the contact stated that the brake pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, who diagnosed that there was a loss of brake fluid and that the brake lines had rusted and fractured causing an extensive leak. as a result, the entire brake lines needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 04v045000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and nhtsa campaign id number: 05v161000 (parking brake). the approximate failure mileage was 32,000.
Applied the brakes to stop at signal light. brake line to right front brake broke with partial loss of braking ability. *js
Slowing at a traffic light i noticed the pedal depressing more than normal. at light the pedal depressed to the floor of the car, brake light came on. unsafe ride home with almost zero braking. left front brake line was rusted out. *tr
Driving along coming to a curve, i applied brakes and pedal went to the floor and abs light came on. i slowed down by downshifting and stopped on side of road using parking brake. i looked under vehicle and saw fluid dripping down the frame by drivers door. i had to pay to have truck towed home. front brake line was compromised from the master cylinder to abs pump. i replaced both lines from master cylinder to abs pump. the rest of brake lines had some rust but looked like surface only. second incident: on 18 november 2013, i was carrying around 800 pounds of stone for my living room wall when the brake pedal went to the floor at around 45 mph, as i was stopping for a red light. i ran the light and turned right and got the truck stopped. looked underneath and saw fluid dripping off frame by the fuel tank. nursed the truck home the last mile with a friend driving his truck in front of me. the rear brake line from the abs pump to the rear end rusted through behind the fuel tank. no way of seeing this failure coming. mileage on truck around 91,500. *tr
The under side of truck is rusting out. all the calipers, brake lines, and fuel lines are rusted badly. i have had to replace two brake lines already. also the frame is rusted. *tr
When brakes are applied at temperatures <32 degrees and pavement is wet or snowcovered, ice build-up stops the brakes from working. i have had too many close calls going through red lights or almost rear-ending other vehicles. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado k1500. the contact was traveling between 5 and 10 mph when the brakes were depressed but the vehicle failed to stop properly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer six times. the dealer stated that the antilock brake system needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the vin was not included in the recall under nhtsa campaign id number 05v379000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 101,000.
When changing oil found very corroded brake lines, started dousing with used, oil hasn't helped. under truck today 2013 everything is coroded 70,000 miles. *js
My chevy truck is a 2003 with 52000 miles on it, one owner,the abs sensors in the front wheels have failed 3 times now, what's scary is unlike other vehicles, the brakes fail when this happens, other vehicles the abs just shut off, still have brakes, also i am about to put on my 3rd set of back brakes in 52000 miles, still on the first set of front brakes, shortly after putting disc brakes like this on the rear they went back to drums, i also noticed that all the brake lines look pretty bad with corrosion, and the fuel lines, they mounted them right up against the frame so there is no where for water and road crud to drain, being an engineer myself, i can't believe what they have done, the truck looks vary nice until you look under it, all looks like 200000mi 20 yr old junker. the attempts they made to protect the back discs are a joke, the inferior material used for something as important as brake lines and fuel lines is criminal, and then mounting them to something they knew was going to rot prematurely like the frame is unconscionable.......and no recalls on none of these issues is a sure sign nobody cares. one more note my friend had a 2002, and he had his brake lines recalled, 2003 are identical, no recall ?? one more thing, in the first 1000mi my brake booster unit had to be replaced.. i will keep this silverado until it turns to dust , which probably won't be long , i will not buy another. i have always been a gm fan, and have three other gm vehicles, my trust in them and the system to protect consumers has failed miserably. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
I bought this truck brand new. i am 77 and a retired former mechanic. the truck has 4 wheel disk brakes and a separate inner drum on the rear brakes for the emergency brake. it is useless! the shoes are very expensive a pain to replace and don't work very well or last very long. a poor engineering design. i am widowed a don't have anyone in my passenger seat very often. the front passenger seat belt tightens on the passenger as i am driving doing normal stop and go traffic. it will not release until the belt is unlatched and rolled all the way back in and then we start over again. when the truck was under warranty i took it to a dealer but they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. i have tried to find a clip i could use to hold slack in it but have not been successful.
Since day 1 with this vehicle the brakes have been noticeably weak. in emergency stop situations or near emergency stop situations requiring a quick stop when i am standing with full pressure on the brake pedal, this vehicle fails to respond as expected. it's as if only half the brakes are working as the vehicle eases to a stop only slightly better than normal braking. *js
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, he depressed the brake pedal and it dropped to the floor board. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the front and rear brakes would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 6,000. *tr
Rear wheel brakes, excessive wear