2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR. UPON INSPECTION FROM A MECHANIC, IT WAS NOTED THAT BOTH BRAKE LINES WERE ROTTED (ONE WAS ROTTED ALL THE WAY THROUGH CAUSING THE FLUID TO LEAK FROM THE LINE). WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT THE GAS LINE AND CALIPER HAD SEVERE ROTTING. UPON MY RESEARCH, THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH CHEVROLET TRUCKS. I HOPE THIS WILL BE RESOLVED SO ADDITIONAL CHEVROLET OWNERS DO NOT HAVE SEVERE ACCIDENTS DUE TO THESE ISSUES. MY HUSBAND AND 4 YEAR OLD SON HAD TO WALK QUITE A FEW MILES IN 95 DEGREE WEATHER! THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I HOPE MY COMPLAINT WILL HELP FURTHER THE INVESTIGATION. *JS *TR

WHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT WITH MY WIFE AND NEWBORN, I NOTICED THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT "SPONGY" AND HAD NO MORE RESISTANCE TO THE PRESSURE MY FOOT APPLIED TO IT. I PULLED INTO THE GAS STATION AT THE SAME SET OF STOP LIGHTS WITH MY TRANSMISSION BEING MY ONLY FORM OF VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR KEEPING MY FAMILY AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD SAFE THAT DAY FROM THE POTENTIAL DEVASTATION THAT COULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE WITH SUCH A CRITICAL FAILURE IN THE MECHANICS OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO K1500. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING BETWEEN 5 AND 10 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 05V379000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

AN ODOR OF GASOLINE WAS EMANATING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICING DEALER DIAGNOSED RUSTED THROUGH FUEL LINES, ALL OF WHICH HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON MY WAY HOME MY BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR. I WAS ALMOST HOME AND WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE DRIVEWAY. UNDER THE TRUCK THERE WAS BRAKE FLUID SPRAYING OUT AND THE LINES ARE RUSTED OUT. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE ALL MY BRAKE LINES BECAUSE THEY ARE RUSTED EVERY WHERE. THE FRAME ALSO HAS RUST EVERY WHERE. I AM TAKING PICTURES OF UNDER THE TRUCK. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I IMMEDIATELY USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. I WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM MY RESIDENCE SO I DROVE THE TRUCK BACK HOME USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. WHEN I GOT HOME I CHECKED THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE FLUID WAS LOW. I REFILLED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND HAD MY SON PUMP THE BRAKES AS I WAS UNDER THE TRUCK LOOKING FOR ANY VISIBLE FLUID LEAKS. ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES WERE SEVERELY CORRODED AND THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR BRAKE LINE HAD RUPTURED NEAR THE FRAME RAIL. AFTER REPAIRING THE BRAKE LINE AT THE POINT OF RUPTURE WE RE-FILLED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND BEGAN TO BLEED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKE LINE RUPTURED AGAIN AT A POINT UNDER THE DRIVERS FRONT SEAT.

SINCE DAY 1 WITH THIS VEHICLE THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN NOTICEABLY WEAK. IN EMERGENCY STOP SITUATIONS OR NEAR EMERGENCY STOP SITUATIONS REQUIRING A QUICK STOP WHEN I AM STANDING WITH FULL PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THIS VEHICLE FAILS TO RESPOND AS EXPECTED. IT'S AS IF ONLY HALF THE BRAKES ARE WORKING AS THE VEHICLE EASES TO A STOP ONLY SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN NORMAL BRAKING. *JS

MY WIFE AND I WERE COMMUTING TO WORK THE MORNING OF 4/6/2012. A CAR IN FRONT OF US PUT THEIR BLINKER ON TO TURN LEFT...I APPLIED THE BRAKE AND TO MY SURPRISE THE BRAKES FAILED!! THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND WITH THE LOW MILES OF THE TRUCK AND BEING THE ORIGINAL OWNER I KNEW THAT PROPER MAINTENANCE OF THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN DONE. BY THE GRACE OF GOD I WAS ABLE TO BARELY MISS HITTING THIS VEHICLE AT A SPEED OF 45MPH. IF THE CAR HAD TO HAVE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP I WOULD HAVE NO DOUBT PLOWED INTO THE REAR OF THE CAR WITH MORE THAN LIKELY RESULTING IN VERY SERIOUS INJURIES. AFTER THE INCIDENT AND TAKING THE TRUCK TO THE GARAGE I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS SOMEWHAT BECOMING A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH CERTAIN GM VEHICLES PRODUCED BETWEEN 1999 AND 2003. THIS MUST BE MADE PUBLIC BEFORE MORE INCIDENTS HAPPEN RESULTING IN INJURIES AND FATALITIES TAKING PLACE!! *TR

AS I APPROACHED A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION BETWEEN TWO HEAVILY TRAVELED ROADS, I APPLIED MY FOOT TO THE BRAKE AS USUAL. SUDDENLY THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY, THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING ACTION. FORTUNATELY THE OTHER CAR APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN IN TIME TO AVOID A COLLISION AS I APPLIED MY EMERGENCY BRAKE. BUT IT WAS A VERY CLOSE CALL. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST GM DEALER WHERE THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THE BRAKE LININGS WERE CORRODED AND RUSTED THROUGH. WHEN I SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF SIMILAR INCIDENTS HAD OCCURRED, I FOUND MANY DOZENS OF EXAMPLES. (SEE LINK BELOW) THE USE OF AN INFERIOR ALLOY INSTEAD OF STAINLESS STEEL FOR THE BRAKE LINES HAS RESULTED IN CORROSION AND TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WITH NO WARNING SIGNS, ESPECIALLY IN STATES LIKE NJ SUBJECT TO WINTER CONDITIONS. THIS BRAKE FAILURE PROBLEM HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF AN INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA., BUT NO RECALLS WERE ISSUED. OWNERS OF MILLIONS OF GM VEHICLES ARE AT SERIOUS RISK OF INJURY AND DEATH FROM THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL DESIGN FLAW. RECALL NOTICES SHOULD BE SENT TO OWNERS AND GM SHOULD PAY FOR REPAIRS IN THE INTEREST OF THE SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS. HTTP://TRUCKS.ABOUT.COM/B/2011/09/23/NHTSAS-ONGOING-INVESTIGATION-OF-GM-TRUCK-BRAKE-LINE-CORROSION.HTM. *TR

BRAKE LINE RUSTED OUT. STARTED THE TRUCK AND WHEN I PUSHED ON THE PEDAL IT WENT TO THE FLOOR. I LIVED IN INDIANA FOR 8 YEARS OF OWNING THE TRUCK. I HAVE LIVED IN FLORIDA FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. ALL LINES FROM THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK TO THE ABS MODULATOR ARE RUSTED. THE REAR LINE IS OK. THE PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED BY RUNNING THE LINES WHERE THEY ARE. THE FUEL LINES APPEAR TO HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOT YET FAILED. *TR