2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

BRAKE LINE RUPTURE AND LOSS OF BRAKES. SEVERELY RUSTED BRAKE LINES, DRIVER SIDE ALONG FRAME AND LEADING TO ABS MODULE ARE SEVERELY RUSTED TO THE POINT OF DELAMINATION CAUSING ABRUPT LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND ANY ABILITY TO STOP. FORTUNATELY THIS RUPTURE HAPPENED WHILE MANEUVERING THE TRUCK IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT WHILE ON THE ROAD AS THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 PULLING A 27 FOOT CAMPER TO A WEEKEND CAMPING DESTINATION ALONG WITH MY FAMILY INCLUDING TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. UPON OUR ARRIVAL AT THE CAMPGROUND, I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, AND MY FOOT AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT ENTIRELY TO THE FLOOR! I HAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WITH NO WARNING! I BELIEVE THE BRAKES ON MY TRAVEL TRAILER SOMEWHAT AIDED IN SLOWLY BRINGING MY TRUCK TO A STOP AS I PULLED INTO OUR WEEKEND CAMPING DESTINATION. UPON A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES, THE STEEL BRAKE LINES ARE ENTIRELY COATED WITH RUST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TRUCK. THE STEEL BRAKE LINE HAD RUPTURED DUE TO RUST WHICH CAUSED IMMEDIATE TOTAL LOSS OF MY TRUCKS BRAKING SYSTEM. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT DRIVING IN THE HILLS AT HIGHER SPEEDS WHILE PULLING MY 6000 LB CAMPER DURING OUR ROUTE TO OUR FAMILY CAMPING DESTINATION. I HAD YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR, AND ONE STRAPPED IN A CAR SEAT. THANK GOD THE TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE GOING DOWNHILL WITH PULLING THE CAMPER THROUGH SOME OF THE VERY STEEP HILLS OF SOUTHERN INDIANA! WHEN WILL G.M. ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE DANGEROUS STEEL BRAKE LINES THAT ARE ENTIRELY RUSTING THROUGH? CHILDREN AND MY FAMILY COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY BEEN INJURED OR DIED DURING A WEEKEND CAMPING TRIP DUE TO THIS TOTAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE! AT CURRENT TIME, I HAVE CONTACTED CHEVY DEALERSHIPS, THEY ESTIMATE A COST OF $1500 - $2000 TO REPLACE ALL THE RUSTY BRAKE LINES AND TO MAKE THIS TRUCK SAFE AGAIN! I CAN NOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THIS TRUCK AND PUT IT BACK INTO A WORKING SAFE DRIVING CONDITION AT THIS TIME. I CAN ONLY EXPRESS MY CONCERNS AND HOPE PEOPLE DO NOT GET INJURED OR DIE FROM A TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED BY G.M.S RUSTY BRAKE LINES ON AUTOMOBILES SIMILAR TO MINE. WHY CAN WE NOT GET G.M. TO RECALL THESE FAULTY BRAKE LINES OR PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE TO AID WITH REPLACEMENT COST TO MAKE THESE AUTOMOBILES SAFE AGAIN? *TR

APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN IT TURNED YELLOW, PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. TRUCK SLOWED A LITTLE, AND I ENDED UP COASTING THROUGH THE RED LIGHT. LUCKILY THE CROSS TRAFFIC HAD NOT MOVED YET WHEN I WENT THROUGH. GOT THE TRUCK STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WALKED AROUND TO INSPECT, FOUND BRAKE FLUID ON LEFT REAR TIRE AND INSIDE WHEEL WELL. FLUID WAS DRIPPING FROM FRAME AND I COULD FEEL THE HOLE IN BRAKE LINE. MADE IT HOME BY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO SLOW AND STOP. *TR

3 OF THE 6 EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS HAVE BROKEN OFF ON LEFT SIDE ,2 ON THE RIGHT SIDE . I NOW HAVE THE EXHAUST TICKING SOUND AND ON OCCASION GET EXHAUST SMELL INSIDE CAB.I NOTICED THE FIRST BROKEN BOLT AT APPROX 55000 MILES. I NOW HAVE 112000 MILES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING INTO WORK THIS MORNING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME HIT THERE BRAKES SUDDENLY AND I HIT MY BRAKES AND THE TRUCK BRAKES ACTED LIKE THERE WAS AN ABS EVENT AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY I HAD ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN US AND SWERVED TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND BARELY GOT STOPPED. TRIED THE BRAKES AGAIN AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THEN A POP-UP IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER READ "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM". COMPLETELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND BEGAN LOOKING UNDER THE TRUCK AND YOU CAN SEE BRAKE FLUID IS DRIPPING UNDER THE DRIVERS FLOOR PANEL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE GAUGES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO SEPARATE PRIVATE MECHANICS WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

UPON TRYING TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNING RED A RIGID BRAKE LINE UNDER DRIVER SEAT BURST OPEN AND BRAKE PEDAL IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE FLOOR PAN AND TRUCK WOULD NOT STOP, IT WAS RUSH HOUR AND OTHERS TRYING TO AVOID ME RUNNING THE RED LIGHT GOT IN AN ACCIDENT. MY TRUCK CONTINUED TO ROLL AS I STEERED TO THE SHOULDER ENGINE RUNNING THE ENTIRE TIME. ONCE I WAS SAFELY IN SHOULDER OF 4 LANE ROAD I USED E-BRAKE TO BRING TRUCK TO A HALT, AS MY BRAKE PEDAL WAS IN EFFECTIVE AT STOPPING MY TRUCK, GM SAYS MY BRAKE SYSTEM IS INDEPENDENT AND IF (A) LINE IS LOST THE OTHER WILL OFFER HALF THE BRAKING OF THE AUTO, THIS IS NOT TRUE, I LOST A BRAKE LINE, NOT MORE THAN 1 AND MY TRUCK HAS NO BRAKES AT ALL. EITHER I HAVE A UNIQUE TRUCK, I'M 2ND OWNER N BOUGHT IN 05 WITH 30K ON IT , OR GM IS MISTAKEN IN THE BRAKE DESIGN CAUSE 1 LINE FAILURE YEILDS NO BRAKES AT ALL. I THINK IF OUR CORPORATIONS CAN'T OR WON'T FOR THE SAKE OF ALMIGHTY DOLLAR DO THE RIGHT THING AND PUT OR USE BETTER MATERIALS, THEN YOU FOLKS NEED TO REQUIRE IT OR THAT THEY THE COMPANY RESPONSIBLE PAYS FOR REPAIRS AND LOSSES. SINCE WHEN IS IT EXCEPT ABLE TO BUILD SUCH A CRITICAL COMPONENT TO ONLY LAST 5-10 YRS. AND YOU FOLKS ALLOW THEM GET AWAY WITH IT. SO THE CONSUMER IS SCREWED, SO NOW WHEN FORD, DODGE, NISSAN, TOYOTA, MAZDA, N OTHERS DO THE SAME WE KNOW WE CAN'T LOOK TO NHTSA TO SAFEGUARD OUR KIDS OR OUR INVESTMENT OR OUR SAFETY. *TR

APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN AND VEHICLE WOULDN'T STOP, IT LEAKED ALL THE BRAKE FLUID, BRAKE LINES RUSTED. *TR

DRIVING ALONG AND CAME TO RED LIGHT,APPLIED BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT TO FLOOR, I APPLIED EMERGENCY BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP TRUCK, NO WARNING OF A BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM, MY ASE CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THAT A METAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION CAUSED THE LINE TO RUPTURE, HE ALSO STATED THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND ALSO THAT GM AND THE NHTSA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR ANY TYPE OF NOTICE TO THE CONSUMER WARNING THEM OF A POTENTIALLY FATAL BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE THAT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. *TR

A BRAKE LINE RUPTURED, SERIOUSLY IMPAIRING THE BRAKING. THIS HAPPENED ON A DAY THAT ICE WAS ON THE ROAD, INCREASING THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ACCIDENT. THE BRAKE LINE WAS REPLACED, AND OTHERS INSPECTED AND DEEMED SAFE. ON OCTOBER 3, 2014, ANOTHER BRAKE LINE RUPTURED. THIS HAPPENED WHILE AT LOW SPEED. NO ACCIDENT OR DAMAGE OCCURRED. I WILL HAVE THIS RUPTURED LINE REPLACED ALONG WITH ALL OTHER ORIGINAL BRAKE LINES. LAST GM PRODUCT I WILL BUY IN MY LIFETIME. *TR