2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

ALL THE STEEL BRAKE LINES ARE RUSTED TO THE POINT OF FAILURE. EVERYTHING ELSE ON THE TRUCK IS RELATIVELY RUST FREE, BUT THE STEEL BRAKES LINES ARE ROTTED OUT AND I DON'T HAVE SAFE BRAKES TO STOP ANYMORE. BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO FLOOR WHEN A LINE IS RUPTURED AND CAN'T STOP. NONE OF MY OTHER VEHICLES THAT ARE DRIVEN IN SIMILAR CONDITIONS SHOW THIS MUCH CORROSION ON THE BRAKE LINES AS THIS TRUCK DOES. THERE IS NO CORROSION PROTECTION ON THESE BRAKE LINES AT ALL.. I HAVE A BAD BACK AND IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE THE LINES MYSELF, AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY A SHOP TO DO IT RIGHT NOW, SO I'M PRETTY MUCH PARKING IT FOR NOW.. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWED AN ERRONEOUS READING OF EMPTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL SENSING UNIT HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,496. UPDATED 11/14/12*LJ UPDATED 11/19/2012 *JS

WITH NO WARNING THE BRAKE LINES FAILED - AND THE TRUCK HIT A TREE, GOOD NEWS WAS THAT I WAS IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE ENTIRE FRAME IS ROTTED AND MY MECHANIC HAS ADVISED ME NOT TO DRIVE THE TRUCK ANY MORE. IT CURRENTLY HAS 80,000 MILES AND THE BODY AND INTERIOR ARE PERFECT - I EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN THIS TRUCK AND KEEP IT FORE MANY MORE YEARS, BOUGHT IT IN 03 WITH APROX 35,000 ON IT. IT IS UNSAFE IN MY OPINION - THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN WITH 80K MILEAGE - I HAVE REPLACED FUEL LINE, GAS FILL HOSE, BRAKE LINES, REAR BUMPER AND MUCH MUCH MORE. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE WITH CHEVROLET FOR US POOR OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES? *TR

FUEL GAUGE GOES TO FULL,BACK TO EMPTY. LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON. THIS GOES ON ALL THE TIME YOU DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *TR

WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES TO GO FROM PARK TO REVERSE, THE BRAKE PEDAL SUDDENLY SANK TO THE FLOOR. AFTER TOWING THE VEHICLE TO A GM DEALERSHIP, I LEARNED THAT IT WAS A BRAKE LINE FAILURE WHICH WAS DUE TO A RUPTURE IN THE CORRODED STEEL BRAKE LINES. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL YEAR TRUCK. THE RUPTURED LINE WAS REPLACED WITH A NON-CORROSIVE COPPER/NICKEL LINE. FORTUNATELY I WAS PARKED AT THE TIME OF THIS FAILURE OR THIS COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT. I QUESTION WHY GM WOULD USE CORROSIVE STEEL FOR A LIFE-SAFETY COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE AND HAS NOT ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE EITHER THROUGH RECALL OR SAFETY BULLETIN. *TR

I WAS STOPPED AT THE MAILBOX REACHING OUT FOR THE MAIL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE TRUCK ROLLED FORWARD ABOUT A FOOT. I WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY GET UP THE DRIVEWAY AND FOUND THE BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED THROUGH. HAD TO REPLACE ALL THE LINES. *TR

METAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION WITH MASSIVE LOSS OF FLUID. EXPERIENCED LOSS OF BRAKES AT LOW SPEED, AND USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. HAD LINE REPLACED. IN AUGUST 2012 I EXPERIENCE A SECOND FAILURE, AGAIN DUE TO METAL BRAKE LINE CORROSION BUT ON DIFFERENT LINE, AGAIN WITH MASSIVE LOSS OF FLUID AND LOSS OF BRAKES, LUCKILY AT LOW SPEED AGAIN. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT HIGH SPEED OR WITH A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER, IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS PROPERTY DAMAGE AND INJURY OR FATALITY. THIS TRUCK IS LOCATED IN VA AND OTHER THAN THE BRAKE LINES HAS LITTLE UNDERSIDE CORROSION. I AM HAVING TO REPLACE ALL THE BRAKE LINES AT HIGH COST TO ENSURE SAFETY. THESE BRAKE LINE FAILURES ARE NOTED ALL OVER THE INTERNET ON LATE 90'S TO EARLY 2000'S CHEVY TRUCKS- THEY SEEM TO BE VERY COMMON. I HAVE VEHICLES THAT ARE DECADES OLD AND HAVE THEIR ORIGINAL BRAKE LINES. I SUSPECT DEFECTIVE BRAKE LINE MATERIALS ON THE TRUCK. *TR

I TOOK MY TRUCK FROM HOME IN CT INTO NYC FOR A FOLLOW UP DOCTOR APPT. AND THE LINES BLEW OUT ON THE WAY IN AND WE STILL HAD TO GET BACK TO CT WITH BRAKE FAILURE; HAD TO STOP 3X FOR BRAKE FLUID, NOT FUN LUCKY I MADE IT HOME ALIVE. I CANNOT BELIEVE GM HAS NOT RECALLED THIS PROBLEM. GM SHOULD MAKE THIS A PRIORITY AND PUT LIVES AHEAD OF PROFITS. I HAD BRAKE REPLACEMENT EXPENSES OF OVER $1300.00. I HAVE OWNED MORE THAN 8 TRUCKS (ABOUT 5 GM TRUCKS AND 3 CHEVY SUVS FROM 1980 TO NOW WITH MY CURRENT 2001 SILVERADO. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THIS VEHICLE (SILVERADO), NEVER HAD A PROBLEM THE LINES RUSTING OUT. *TR

COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO RUPTURED LINE CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE CORROSION. AFTER APPLYING BRAKES AND RECEIVING SOME RESISTANCE, BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO FLOOR. VERY MINIMAL BRAKING WAS AVAILABLE BY RAPIDLY PUMPING THE BRAKES AND LIBERAL USE OF THE PARKING BRAKE...I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY GET THE VEHICLE STOPPED AFTER TRAVELING ABOUT 2 BLOCKS. I WAS THANKFUL NO TRAFFIC OR PEDESTRIANS AS THE POSSIBILITY OF SERIOUS INJURY/DEATH AND PROPERTY DAMAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY HIGH. AFTER SAFELY STOPPING THE VEHICLE I DISCOVERED ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES WHICH RUN ALONG THE LEFT FRAME RAIL IN A GROUP OF 4 LINES, HAD RUPTURED. ALL FOUR BRAKE LINES HAD SIGNIFICANT CORROSION...I THOUGHT BRAKE LINES WERE STAINLESS STEEL... I ALSO NOTICED MILD CORROSION ON THE ADJACENT FUEL LINE, WHICH APPEARED TO BE ALUMINUM. IT'S A GOOD THING I RECENTLY GOT MY PARKING BRAKE REBUILT...THE MIDDLE CABLE BROKE (ALSO FROM CORROSION AND IN ABOUT THE SAME AREA AS THE BRAKE LINE FAILURE) AND DURING REPAIRS THEY ENDED UP HAVING TO REPLACE THE BACKING PLATE AND ENTIRE EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSY, ALSO DUE TO CORROSION. I DO NOT HAVE A BOAT, NOR WOULD I CONSIDER MY VEHICLE TO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE SALT FROM ROADWAYS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO K1500 HD. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 45 MPH WHEN HE ABRUPTLY DEPRESSED THE BRAKES TO AVOID A CRASH. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED INTO THE FLOORBOARD ABNORMALLY AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE ONTO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID A CRASH. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE BRAKE LINE AS A RESULT OF RUST AND CORROSION. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE BRAKE LINE WAS RUSTED AND CORRODED. THE CONTACT SECURED AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 173,000.