2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000.

WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND FORTUNATELY AT LOW SPEED THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR BRAKE LINE DEVELOPED A MAJOR LEAK. DESPITE GM'S CLAIM THAT AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS DOES NOT RESULT IN INADEQUATE BRAKING, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STOP THE TRUCK. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES YIELDED CONSIDERABLE CORROSION IN OTHER AREAS. CONTACTING THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE TRUCK REVEALED THE HIGH COST TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE TRUCK. THE DEALER ALSO MADE NOTE THAT I SHOULD CONSIDER REPLACING THE FUEL LINES. CONTACTING GENERAL MOTORS YIELDED THE RESPONSE THAT THIS IS A MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING TO ASSIST ME. I DO CONSIDER OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO BE MAINTENANCE ITEMS, NOT THE BRAKE LINES. BRAKE LINE FAILURE CAN RESULT IN IMMEDIATE CATASTROPHIC RESULTS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. MY EXHAUST SYSTEM IS THE SAME AGE AS MY BRAKE LINES AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION DESPITE THE SAME ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE AS MY BRAKE LINES. GENERAL MOTORS NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

MY CHEVROLET SILVERADO PICKUP (1500 4X4) HAS EXPERIENCED THREE MAJOR BRAKE FAILURES. THE FIRST FAILURE WAS WHILE DRIVING AND APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE, MY FOOT WENT TO THE FLOOR. AFTER PUMPING A FEW TIMES, THE TRUCK SLOWED BUT WITH LITTLE STOPPING POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS IMMEDIATELY TOWED AND BRAKE FLUID WAS ACTIVELY DRIPPING FROM THE LINES. THE SECOND FAILURE WAS ABOUT A YEAR LATER WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS (<5 MPH) WHILE PARKING. AGAIN, MY FOOT WENT TO THE FLOOR BEFORE THE ABS SYSTEM ACTIVATED (COMPLETELY DRY CONDITIONS) WITH ESSENTIALLY NO STOPPING POWER (ABS ACTIVATION BUT NO BRAKING POWER). THIS RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT AS THE TRUCK DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO EFFECTIVELY STOP (THANK GOODNESS THE CAR IN THE PARKING SPACE IN FRONT OF MY WAS UNOCCUPIED). AFTER BEING REPAIRED BY THE DEALER (TWICE), THE PROBLEM JUST OCCURRED AGAIN (APPROX. 2 YEARS LATER). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SPEED SENSOR ERRATIC NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

WENT TO STOP FOR A RED LIGHT. BRAKE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. HAD TO SWERVE NOT TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND SWERVE AGAIN NOT TO KILL THE GUY WALKING ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE I HAVE DRIVEN LOTS OF CAR INTO THE GROUND NEVER HAS THIS EVEN BEEN A THOUGHT. ALL BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED 1100 DOLLARS LATER! *TR

I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AND APPLIED MY BRAKES. I COULD FEEL THE ABS SYSTEM FUNCTIONING AS I WAS ON A SNOW-COVERED ROAD. AFTER ABOUT 1-2 SECONDS OF ABS ACTIVATION, THE BRAKE PEDAL LOST ALL PRESSURE AND CONTINUED TO THE FLOORBOARD. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP AND COULD SEE THE BRAKE LINE LOCATED ON THE DRIVER SIDE UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT, SQUIRTING BRAKE FLUID ONTO THE GROUND EACH TIME I ENGAGED THE BRAKE. *TR

BRAKE LINE UNDER DRIVER SIDE FRAME ARE COMPLETELY CORRODED AND ONE RUPTURED AND MY BRAKES TO FAIL ABOUT 90 % COULD BARELY COME TO A STOP. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL AT O'HARE AIRPORT TERMINAL 5 I WENT TO STOP FOR THE LIGHT AND THERE WAS A BRIEF SECOND WHERE THE BRAKES ACTED NORMALLY AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I HAD MAYBE 10% BRAKING POWER. I HAD TO DRIVE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THROUGH THE RED LIGHT TO AVOID HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO SAID THE BRAKE LINE ABOVE THE GAS TANK RUSTED RIGHT THROUGH. *TR

MY CAR IS OLD BUT IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FINE, AND I KEEP UP WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND OIL CHANGE APPOINTMENTS. I CAME OUT OF WALMART AFTER BUYING GROCERIES AND WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO TURN OVER, BUT IT WOULDN'T ACTUALLY START. AFTER 30 MINUTES OF SITTING IN THE CAR TRYING TO GET IT TO START IT FINALLY STARTED. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THEY CLEANED THE BATTERY CABLES IN HOPES OF RELIEVING THE PROBLEM. NOW A WEEK LATER IT DID IT AGAIN 2 TIMES IN THE SAME DAY. *TR

THE BRAKE LINES ON MY 02 SILVERADO BLEW OUT WHILE MOVING OUR CAMPER TRAILER INTO OUR BACK YARD FOR STORAGE. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND I WAS WATCHING HER BACKING UP. SHE YELLED OUT TO ME THE "BRAKES FEEL FUNNY", WE WERE ALMOST DONE AND UNHOOKED THE TRAILER. I MOVED THE TRUCK TO THE STREET AND NOTICED THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT STOP EASILY. I NOTICED A BIG WET SPOT UNDER THE CAB, CHECKED THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER LEVEL, EMPTY. HAD IT TOWED (AAA) TO MY MECHANIC, PAID $1,600.00 TO HAVE THE STEEL BRAKE LINES AND FLEX HOSES REPLACED. IF DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE CAMPER WHEN THIS OCCURRED, COULD HAVE BEEN A BIG ACCIDENT OR MORE. I HAVE OVER 32 YEARS OF FIRE/ EMS EXPERIENCE - THIS WAS BAD SITUATION ! I LOVE MY 02 SILVERADO, I ALSO HAVE A 1969 CAMARO SS/RS 427 BIG BLOCK I INSTALLED STAINLESS STEEL ONES, SO I AM NOT AGAINST CHEVROLETS, JUST THE CHEAP SUPPLIER ON A VITAL SAFETY PART - BRAKE LINES. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR