2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

WHEN THE TRUCK IS CRANKED AND AT IDLE AND IN MOTION THE HEADLIGHTS AND ALL PANELS BLINK. THE LIGHT ON THE PANELS DO NOT COMPLETELY GO OUT BUT IT DIMS. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE WENT COMPLETELY OUT A FEW TIMES WHILE IN MOTION. WHEN THE INTERIOR LIGHT IS ON IT ALSO BLINKS AND DIMS. AT TIMES THE RADIO GOES HAYWIRE AND STARTS GOING THROUGH ALL OF THE STATIONS. THE HEADLIGHT CONNECTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND WE NOTICED THAT THE WIRING THAT GOES TO THE HEADLIGHTS IS VERY BRITTLE AND WHERE THE CONNECTORS PLUG INTO THE BULB WERE BURNT AND THE PRONGS ON THE BULB WERE ALSO BURNT AND MELTED. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME AND WE CAN'T SEEM TO FIND WHAT IS CAUSING ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW,DOOR, AND MIRROR PANEL ONLY HALFWAY WORK. SOMETIMES THE DRIVERSIDE WINDOW WILL GO DOWN AND SOMETIMES IT WON'T THE DRIVER SIDE PANEL WILL NOT CONTROL THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR, LOCK, OR WINDOW EITHER. THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW AND LOCK PANEL WILL NOT WORK EITHER. *TR

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, I HAD JUST LEFT A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN MY BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY. THE BRAKE PETAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND RATHER THAN RISKING A COLLISION WITH ANY CARS OR PEOPLE, I DROVE INTO A SNOW BANK. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO LOOK FOR THE PROBLEM, THE METAL BRAKE LINE HAD SPLIT AND WAS LEAKING FLUID. WHEN THE BRAKES FAIL ON YOUR CAR, IT ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN YOU NEED THEM LEAVING YOU TO MAKE SPLIT SECOND DECISIONS, AND IN MY CASE THAT CONSISTED ENTIRELY OF NAVIGATION AS THERE WAS NO TIME TO THINK ABOUT USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AN HOUR BEFORE OR AFTER WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY. MY TRUCK IS WELL MAINTAINED, AND IS FREQUENTLY SERVICED BY A CHEVROLET DEALER WHERE I ALWAYS HAVE ANYTHING REPAIRED THAT THEY SUGGEST FIXING. AS THIS TRUCK CARRIES BOTH FAMILY AND EMPLOYEES, SAFETY IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE AND THIS IS A FRIGHTENING PROBLEM THAT SHOULD RESULT IN A RECALL. I AM HAVING ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED TODAY...IT IS GOING TO COST ME ALMOST $2000 AND THAT IS BECAUSE MY CHEVROLET DEALER IS NOT CHARGING ME FOR THE TOW, OR LABOR. *TR

ATTEMPTED TO STOP VEHICLE, BRAKES FAILED (LATER FOUND TO BE DUE TO CORROSION) CRASHED INTO GARAGE. *TR

DRIVING MY '03 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 (108,850 MILES ON THE VEHICLE) ON MY WAY TO GET MY OIL CHANGED, MY BRAKES SEEMED TO ALL OF A SUDDEN LOOSE MOST OF THEIR STOPPING ABILITY. I FIRST NOTICED IT APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT AFTER TRAVELING ON A STRETCH OF HIGHWAY AT 45 MPH. I HAD TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL IN MUCH FURTHER THAN NORMAL. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON INDICATING A PROBLEM. THE NEXT SET OF LIGHTS, MAYBE A 1.5 MILES DOWN THE ROAD, SAME THING, PUTTING THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR TO STOP. THIS TIME A "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM" LIGHT FLASHED FOR A SECOND THEN WENT AWAY. I HAVE NOW TRAVELED ABOUT 6 MILES FROM THE FIRST INDICATION OF PROBLEMS TO WHERE I WAS GETTING MY OIL CHANGED. AS I PULLED INTO THERE PARKING LOT, VERY SLOWLY (LESS THAN 5 MPH), I ONCE AGAIN HAD TO PUT THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR TO COME TO A STOP. I LOOKED UNDER MY TRUCK TO NOTICE FLUID DRIPPING FROM THE BRAKE LINE UNDER THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. THE MECHANICS THERE SAID THE LINE WAS SHOT AND RECOMMENDED NOT DRIVING IT TIL IT WAS FIXED. THEY WERE NOT SETUP TO WORK ON BRAKE LINES AT THIS SHOP, SO I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO ANOTHER MECHANIC. MY BRAKE LINES WERE SEVERALLY RUSTED. THE THING THAT CONCERNED ME THE MOST WAS HOW QUICKLY THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY WARNING, AND BY THE TIME THE WARNING LIGHTS DID COME ON I ALREADY HAD NO STOPPING ABILITY IF I WAS TRAVELING AT NORMAL SPEEDS. GM REALLY NEEDS TO CONSIDER THIS POOR DESIGN IN THE MATERIAL THEY USE FOR THEIR BRAKE LINES, BEFORE SOMETHING LIKE THIS LEADS TO SOME ONES DEATH. VERY DANGEROUS!!! SPEND THE TIME AND MONEY TO PUT A QUALITY BRAKING SYSTEM ON YOUR VEHICLES, IT SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING YOU DO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE IGNITION MODULE NEEDED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AFTER THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

SECOND FAILURE OF BRAKE LINES DUE TO ROAD SALT. FIRST TIME BACK BRAKE LINES. THIS TIME FRONT BRAKE LINE. MECHANIC SAID BRAKE LINES HE USES NICKEL AND WILL NOT ROT. HOW COME THE TRUCK IS NOT MADE WITH NICKEL BRAKE LINES? THIS WILL COST ME CLOSE TO ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! EVERY MECHANIC I TALKED TO REPAIRS SEVERAL OF THESE PROBLEMS A MONTH. SOME JUST A FEW YEARS OLD. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THIS TIME WITH MY KIDS AFTER SLED RIDDING AND COMING DOWN A HILL TO A BUSY INTERSECTION READY TO STOP THEN NO BRAKES. WHEN YOU USES THE BRAKES YOU SHOULD HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT ARE GOING TO WORK. NOT GO TO THE FLOOR AND NOT WORK. WHY CUT CORNERS ON BRAKE LINES. IN CASES GM DOES NOT KNOW YOU NEED BRAKE LINES TO STOP. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR

LUCKILY WE WERE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY WHEN THE BRAKES WENT OUT ON THE TRUCK. WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED A WEEK EARLIER WHILE WE (MY FAMILY OF 4) WERE TRAVELING ON RT 70 HAULING A GOLF CART WE AND/OR ANOTHER FAMILY MAY HAVE SUFFERED SEVERELY OR POSSIBLY DIED BECAUSE OF RUSTY, CORRODED BRAKE LINES. WE LIVE IN MARYLAND, HAVE SERVICE AT LOCAL CHEVY DEALER AND MAINTAIN OUR VEHICLES WHICH INCLUDES WASHING/CLEANING THE VEHICLE, SO THERE IS NO REASON THAT AT 107000 MILES THE BRAKE LINES SHOULD HAVE CORRODED. OUR ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR OF BRAKES/BRAKE LINES IS 1681.00. WE WILL GET THE VEHICLE FIXED BUT AFTER READING OTHER REPORTS ABOUT CHEVY TRUCKS AND BRAKES I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO SEND IN MY COMPLAINT. LUCKILY NO LIVES WERE LOST BUT GM SHOULD CONSIDER A RECALL BEFORE THEY GET SLAPPED WITH LAW SUITS. *TR

AT LESS THAN 18000 ODOMETER MILES, THE DTC CO265-EBCM MOTOR RELAY CIRCUIT HAD A FAULT. THE THREE: ABS, BRAKE AND SERVICE BRAKE NOW LIGHTS CAME ON. ON 1/12/2015 THE RUSTED EBCM GROUND HAD BEEN REMOVED AND CLEANED AS PER THE 2003 CHEVROLET K SILVERADO - 4WD SERVICE MANUAL DOCUMENT ID:2245394. THIS PROCEDURE DIDN'T SOLVE THE BRAKE LIGHT PROBLEM. THE SYSTEM IS APPARENTLY THE SAME IN 1999 TO 2007 SILVERADO YET GM ONLY RECALLED AND REPLACED COMPONENTS THROUGH THE 2002 MODEL. IT APPEARS TO ME TO BE ANOTHER GM MANUFACTURING COVER UP AND NHTSA SHOULD BE PRESSING GM TO COVER THIS SITUATION. BRAKES ARE GOOD TO HAVE IN MINNESOTA ABS BRAKES EVEN BETTER, I PAID FOR THEM, BUT THEY WERE NOT PROVIDED BY GM! *TR

AFTER MY TRUCK RECEIVED A REDUCED ENGINE POWER MESSAGE A DECELERATED THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT LOCKED UP. *TR

I RECEIVED A REDUCED ENGINE POWER MESSAGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY I WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH AND WHEN IT CAME ON I COULDN'T TRAVEL MORE THAN 35 MPH. I WAS AFRAID FOR MY AND MY PASSENGERS LIFE AS WE WAS ON THE VERGE OF BEING HIT. I HAD THE CHECK ENGINE CODES CHECKED AND RECEIVED 7 DIFFERENT CODES. *TR