2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Complaints

PER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05-020, I HAVE EXPERIENCED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCAISION THE FAILURES DESCRIBED IN THE AFOREMENTIONED BULLETIN. FAILURES OCCURRED SUBSEQUENT TO DEALERSHIP'S PERFORMING THE FOLLOWING WORK UNDER WARRANTY: REPLACEMENT OF FAILED FRONT END BEARINGS, SEALS, PINIONS AND RELATED COMPONENTS. DEALERSHIP'S POSITION HAS BEEN ONE OF DENIAL AND DISMISSAL OF THE COMPLAINT. CHEVROLET ONLY OFFERS REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS IF THIS BECOMES A RECALL ISSUE. BECAUSE THIS IS A BRAKING ISSUE AND A SAFETY ISSUE NOT ONLY FOR MY FAMILY AND SELF, BUT OTHER MOTORISTS, IT OBVIATES JUSTIFICATION OF RECALL STATUS.

DEFECTIVE ABS WHEEL SENSOR CAUSING ABS TO ACTIVATE AT WHEN APPLIES BRAKES AT SLOW SPEEDS. THIS HAS OCCURS DAILY WITH THE VEHICLE CAUSING POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS.

DT: 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, THE VEHICLE BRAKES AND ROTORS ARE EXCESSIVELY WORN OUT AND CORRODED TO THE POINT OF FAILURE, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WILL NOT STOP OR HOLD THE VEHICLE IN PLACE, AND THE CONSUMER HAS ONLY PUT 12,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. THEY TOLD CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, THE MANUFACTURER GAVE THE CONSUMER A SERVICE REQUEST ORDER # 1-346253-537. THERE WERE NO OTHER SAFETY ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. *AK

DT: AT LOW SPEEDS THE ABS KICKS IN AND THE VEHICLE IS HARD TO STOP. USUALLY OCCURS ABOUT 5-10 MPH. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS UNDER ALL WEATHER AND DRIVING CONDITIONS. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THE VEHICLE IS TURNING OR GOING STRAIGHT. THE VEHICLE HAS 4 WHEEL ANTILOCK. THE OWNER HAS NOT CALLED THE DEALER YET. VEHICLE IS REGULARLY SERVICED BUT HAS NOT BEEN TESTED YET. NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. A VIBRATION COULD BE FELT AND HEARD IN THE BRAKE PEDAL. *AK

THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE BRAKES WHICH SEEMED TO BE THE ABS. THE PROBLEM WOULD USUALLY OCCUR ABOUT 10 MPH THEN THE BRAKES WOULD START TO SHAKE WHEN SLOWING DOWN. THERE WAS A NOISE THAT WAS HEARD AND WOULD HAVE TO PUMP THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS A 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND DOES IT EVERY TIME WHEN SLOWING DOWN. *AK *SC *JB

SAFETY ISSUE: 2002 CHEVY 3500 1 TON DUALLY (53,000 MILES). TRUCK BRAKES STARTING ACTING FUNNY. TAKE TRUCK DEALERSHIP FOR BRAKE INSPECTION. DEALER CHARGE $$ FOR INSPECTION AND INFORMED US THAT ALL 4 BRAKE ROTORS WERE ROTTEN (BEYOND REPAIR). NOT WORE BUT ROTTEN. SEEMS THEY USE RE-CYCLED MATERIAL IN THEIR BRAKE ROTORS. SEEM THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE ROTORS COULD FAIL COMPLETED DUE TO ROT AND CAUSE VEHICLE TO LOSE BRAKES. COST OF REPLACEMENT IS $2000.

DT: THE PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT A MONTH WHEN COMING TO A STOP SIGN, AND AFTER APPLYING BRAKES EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WAS REQUIRED, AND BRAKES SHUDDERED. VEHICLE WAS REGULARLY SERVICED. THE ABS LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. HAPPENED IN ALL DRIVING CONDITIONS UNDER NORMAL BRAKING CONDITIONS. OWNER BELIEVED THEY WERE 4 WHEEL ANTI LOCK BRAKES. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, HAPPENING ABOUT EVERY OTHER TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED AT SLOW SPEEDS. AT ABOUT 5 MPH. DEALER STATED THAT THE ABS SENSORS WERE DIRTY, AND HAD TO BE CLEANED. OWNER REPLACED THE BRAKES AT 30,000 MILES, AND BRAKES BEGAN TO CAUSE PROBLEMS AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF NEW BRAKES.*AK ABS SENSORS FAILED AND WAS NOT COVERED IN WARRANTY. REAR ROTORS REPLACED AT 30,000 MILES WHEN BEING REPLACED CHUNKS OF METAL FELL OFF DEALER SAID CONSUMER WAS LUCKY TO GET 30,000 MILES OUT OF THEM.*SB *NM

DT:CONSUMER PURCHASED VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM AS A FEATURE AND THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THIS FEATURE. CONSUMER WAS DRIVING IN SKOKIE A SUBURB OF CHICAGO, WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO STEERING NO BRAKES NO CONTROL OF ANY KIND. ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN TO FLASH. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO FORCE ENOUGH STEERING SO THAT SHE COULD MERGE OFF THE ROAD INTO A DRIVEWAY AND BUSHES THAT HELPED CONSUMER BRING VEHICLE TO A STOP. CONSUMER NOTICED A MESSAGE THAT CAME UP ON MESSAGE PANEL OF INSTRUMENT PANEL. MESSAGE READ SECURITY, AND CONSUMER FOUND LATER THAT OWNERS MANUAL SAID THAT THIS MESSAGE WAS INFORMING VEHICLE DRIVER OF A SECURITY LOCK, WHICH MEANS THAT THE VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN TO KEEP FROM BEING STOLEN. WHEN CONSUMER WAS TOWED TO DEALER, DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THAT FUEL PUMP WENT OUT AND THIS ENGAGED THE PASS LOCK FEATURE. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD HAVE HAD SEVERE CONSEQUENCES. DEALER SAID THE PASS LOCK SYSTEM COULD BE ENGAGED BY OTHER SIMPLE WAYS, LIKE PUTTING THE WRONG KEY IN THE IGNITION, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO DISABLE SYSTEM. *JB

ON JUNE 17, 2005, I FELT THE BRAKE PEDAL OF MY 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO TRUCK [XXX] PULSATE WHEN I CAME TO A STOP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EXIT RAMP FROM I-75. THIS LASTED FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS, AND THE TRUCK TOOK A COUPLE OF EXTRA FEET TO STOP. I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM ON MY 1998 CHEVY LUMINA SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THAT PROBLEM COST OVER $ 500 TO REPAIR. THE LUMINA HAD 49K MILES, BUT THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 18.5K MILES. THE ONLY THING IN COMMON WITH THESE TWO VEHICLES IS THAT I SWITCH OFF ON DRIVING THEM, SOMETIMES LETTING ONE OR THE OTHER STAY PARKED FOR A WEEK OR TWO, DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF WORK I AM DOING. THIS TIME, WITH THE SILVERADO, NO ABS OR BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS EVER CAME ON, SO I ASSUMED THAT THE SYSTEM HAD JUST DETECTED SOME MINOR SLIDING OF ONE OF THE WHEELS AS I WAS COMING TO A STOP, POSSIBLY FROM SOME LOOSE GRAVEL OR ROCKS. LATER THAT DAY, I DECIDED TO STOP AT THE LOCAL HOME DEPOT, ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. WHEN I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT, I PUSHED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND COULD HEAR THE ABS PUMP (?) WORKING VERY HARD. THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL, AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM DID NOT SEEM TO BE STOPPING ANY OF THE WHEELS. I ONLY HAD A FRACTION OF A SECOND TO REACT, SO I THREW THE TRANSMISSION INTO REVERSE. THIS STOPPED THE FORWARD MOTION OF THE TRUCK, AND I PUT IT INTO PARK, BEFORE IT COULD MOVE ANY MORE. I ENDED UP STOPPED ABOUT A FOOT FROM THE REAR BUMPER OF THE CAR IN THE SPACE AHEAD OF ME. IF A PEDESTRIAN HAD RUN OUT IN FRONT OF ME EARLIER, AND I HAD BEEN UNABLE TO STOP, THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN KILLED. THROUGH ALL THIS, NONE OF THE ABS, BRAKE, OR CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS EVER CAME ON. I DO NOT THINK THAT A VEHICLE WITH THIS LOW MILEAGE SHOULD HAVE SUCH A POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM, AND THE ABS COMPONENTS SHOULD NOT CORRODE, AS THEY DID IN THE LUMINA, AND POSSIBLY IN THE SILVERADO, IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVEN REGULARLY. I AM EXTREMELY FORTUNATE THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED OR KILLED. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5

THE EXACT PROBLEM YOU DESCRIBE IN INVESTIGATION #PE05-020. I CAME WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING A PARKED CAR. I SPENT $266.30 TO HAVE THE ABS SENSORS CLEANED. THIS SHOULD REQUIRE A RECALL: THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM.