2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN IN A PARKING LOT. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I WENT THROUGH THE STOP SIGN. ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD TO SLAM ON ITS BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS USELESS FOR STOPPING THE VEHICLE IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION BECAUSE ITS FOOT PEDAL IS POSITIONED SO HIGH YOU CANNOT STEP ON IT IN TIME. THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY FAILURE OF A RUSTED THROUGH STEEL BRAKE LINE THAT RAN FROM THE ABS MODULE TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. IT PROVIDED THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE FOR BOTH REAR BRAKES.THE POINT WHERE IT RUSTED THROUGH IS ABOVE THE GAS TANK COVER AND NOT VISIBLE FOR INSPECTION. I REALIZE THAT THE TRUCK IS 11 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN USED IN THE NORTHEAST BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY SERIOUS BODY RUST AND HAS RECEIVED REASONABLE CARE. IT ALSO HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE. THE "DUAL DIAGONAL BRAKE SYSTEM" DID NOT FUNCTION TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE BRAKING ACTION. IT PROVIDED NO NOTICEABLE BRAKING ACTION. THIS IS ABOUT AS SERIOUS A SAFETY DEFECT AS I CAN IMAGINE. I AM LUCKY IT HAPPENED AT LOW SPEED AND I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING EAST ON A ROADWAY IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE I LIVE, AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. WHEN I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 PICK-UP TRUCK AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND " I HAD NO BRAKES!" I NEARLY CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS TRAVELING THRU THE INTERSECTION. I WAS NEAR MY HOME AND WAS ABLE TO TRAVEL SLOWLY HOME AND DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LINE, NEAR THE REAR (BED AREA) OF THE TRUCK HAD EXPLODED DUE TO A HIGH VOLUME OF RUST IN WHICH I DISCOVERED THAT ENTIRE BRAKE LINE WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. BRAKE FLUID HAD SPEWED EVERYWHERE. I FEEL THAT THIS DEFINITELY IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT PEOPLE COULD BE INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO THE ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH AND HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS BECOMING A HUGE ISSUE WITH GM TRUCKS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A "NORMAL WEAR ISSUE" FOR A 2003 MODEL. *TR

I WAS APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION AND THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND MY BRAKES WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR NOT ABLE TO A STOP, I SPEED UP LITTLE TO MAKE IT THRU THE LIGHT AND PULLED OVER IN TO A VACANT LOT TO I CAME TO A STOP. THEN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND SERVICE BRAKES SYSTEM POPPED UP. I GOT OUT MY TRUCK WAS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID FROM DRIVER SIDE UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT. BRAKE LINES BUSTED. *TR

I WAS APPROACHING MD HIGHWAY 97 ON NICODEMUS ROAD WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING EFFECT. FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLE WAS COMING AS I COULD NOT STOP. THE PARKING BRAKE WAS INSUFFICENT FOR STOPPING THE TRUCK. I FINALLY HAD TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE TO STOP. ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES NEAR THE ABS UNIT HAD BURST DUE TO RUST. ALL OF THE LINES AT THAT LOCATION WERE RUSTY. I REPLACED ALL LINES WITH STAINLESS STEEL LINES FROM AN AFTER-MARKET SUPPLIER. I SEE THAT THE FUEL LINES NEAR THAT LOCATION ARE ALSO RUSTY AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED.

TRAVELING AT ABOUT 20 MPH INTO A CONGESTED INTERSECTION APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL GAVE NORMAL RESISTANCE, THE ABOUT A SECOND LATER WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THINKING MY BRAKE FLUID WAS LOW, I ADDED 12 OZ OF DOT 3 FLUID, PUMPED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES AND DISCOVERED THAT ALL THE FLUID WAS POURING OUT OF THE REAR BRAKE LINES. HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO GET IT HOME. UPON DAYLIGHT INSPECTION FOUND THAT ALL OF THE REAR LINES ON THE TRUCK WERE IN A RUSTED CONDITION. *TR

I WAS GETTING READY TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT WHEN THE BRAKES ON THE TRUCK FAILED. THE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR WHEN PRESSED. AFTER PARKING THE TRUCK AND LOOKING AT THE BRAKE LINE (METAL LINE) ABOVE THE REAR-END HAD RUSTED CAUSING THE TUBE TO WEAKEN AND CRACK. *TR

THE BRAKES WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING ALL BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME AND I WAS TOWING MY BROTHER IN LAWS SMALL TRACTOR ON MY DAD'S TANDEM AXLE TRAILER. WE HAD ALREADY DROVE ABOUT 20 MILES AND COMING UP TO THEIR HOUSE TURN OFF. I TURNED INTO THERE DRIVEWAY AND STARTED TO TURN SO WE COULD THEN BACK UP THE TRAILER TO HIS BARN TO UNLOAD HIS TRACTOR. THE TRUCK STOPPED PERFECTLY BUT THE BRAKES FELT WEIRD AT THAT POINT SO WHEN COMPLETELY STOPPED I PUT INTO PARK THEN WE GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK AND UNLOADED THE TRACTOR AND WHEN WE WAS UNLOADING THE TRACTOR I WENT UP TO THE CAB OF THE TRUCK AND OPENED THE DOOR BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL SO THE FRONT BRAKES WOULD HELP HOLD MY TRUCK IN PLACE WHEN THE WEIGHT OF THE TRACTOR HIT THE BACK OF THE TRAILER WHICH IN TURN WOULD MAKE THE REAR OF MY TRUCK REALLY LIGHT. WHEN I HIT THE PEDAL IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR ABSOLUTELY NO PEDAL AT ALL. THEN I NOTICED THE SMELL OF BRAKE FLUID THEN LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK AND SURE ENOUGH BRAKE FLUID EVERYWHERE RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. I CRAWLED UNDER THE EDGE OF THE TRUCK JUST A BIT AND NOTICE ALL THE BRAKE LINES RIGHT THERE IN ONE AREA BUT THE ONE HAD BUSTED/SPLIT. SO I KIND OF NOTICE ALL THE OTHER ONES ALL IN THAT AREA WERE REALLY RUSTED UP SOME AS WELL. IT ALMOST IN THAT AREA ONLY LOOKED AS IF THE TRUCK HAD 200,000 MILES ON IT BUT JUST ON THE BRAKE LINES NOTHING ELSE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I ONLY HAVE TWO VEHICLES AND I WORKED IN TWO DAYS SO I WENT TO MY LOCAL AUTOPARTS STORE AND BOUGHT WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO FIX THE TRUCK. GOT HOME AND STARTED IN ON IT. AND REALIZED I DIDN'T HAVE ONE FITTING I NEEDED SO LUCKILY FOR ME MY DAD WAS ALREADY OUT AND HE PICKED UP WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE PART. NEEDLESS TO SAY WHEN HE GOT TO MY PLACE THE PARTS THEY GAVE HIM WASN'T THE CORRECT PARTS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE REAR BRAKE LINES FRACTURED. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED EXTENSIVE RUST ON ALL SIX BRAKE LINES, CALIPERS, AND THE UNDERCARRIAGE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPAIRED ALL SIX BRAKE LINES AND REPLACED THE CALIPERS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

THE TRUCK WAS PARKED ON THE DRIVEWAY AT HOME AND ON JULY 29, 2014 I WANTED TO DRIVE IT TO A STORE AND COULD NOT TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE IGNITION SWITCH DID NOT WORK ANYMORE. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 93000 MILES AND IN THE PAST 8 YEARS AND WE DID NOT DRIVE IT EVERY DAY. MANY DAYS AND WEEKS WAS JUST PARKED. THEREFORE, THE IGNITION SWITCH DOES NOT HAVE SO MUCH USAGE. *TR