2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 Complaints

COMMING TO A STOP LIGHT I WAS SLOWING DOWN AND WHEN I WENT TO COME TO A FINAL STOP THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR AND I ROLLED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. I HAVE OWNED A LOT OF CARS AND NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I HAD THIS HAPPEN EVEN IN THE OLDEST OF CARS OR TRUCKS, BEFORE THIS WITH ONLY 20000.00 MILES ON THE TRUCK I HAD TO REPLACE ALL FOUR ROTORS DUE TO SUCH BAD CORROSION THAT THEY COULD NOT BE CUT. AND NOW WITH ONLY 75000.00 MILES I HAVE TO REPLACE ALL THE BRAKE LINES FOR THE SAME REASON. *JS

BRAKE LINING HAS PREMATURE RUST, IN WHICH, CAUSED IT TO LEAK AND FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE. I WAS THE FOURTH VEHICLE TO PULL UP TO A RED LIGHT, WHEN I NOTICED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY BRAKES. THE SPEED LIMIT IS 45 MPH AT THIS ROAD LOCATION AND I WAS TRYING TO SLOW MY ACCELERATION TO COME TO A STOP. THE BRAKE WENT TO THE FLOOR ON MY FIRST ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN AND COME TO A STOP. I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO STOP MY TRUCK BEFORE HITTING THE SMALLER CAR IN FRONT OF ME! I SWUNG MY TRUCK TO THE BURM OF THE ROAD AND PASSED ALL THE VEHICLES STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT, EVENTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE LIGHT BY WAY OF THE BURM OF THE ROAD. MY DRIVER SIDE MIRROR WAS BROKEN IN THIS INCIDENT. THE BRAKES DID SLOW ME DOWN AND ALLOW ME TO COME TO A STOP WITH THE USE OF MY EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT, IT WAS AFTER MY VEHICLE PASSED ALL THE CARS STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT AND ME STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. LUCKY THERE WAS NO CARS IN THE WAY! THE BRAKES HAD SOME STOPPING POWER BUT, WERE NOT ENOUGH FOR THIS SIZE TRUCK AND THE PEDAL DID NOT ENGAGE TILL IT WAS JUST ABOUT TO THE FLOOR. *JS BROKEN LINING HAS BEEN REPLACED BY INSPECTION MECHANIC BUT, STATED HE WILL NOT INSPECT THIS VEHICLE UNTIL ALL THE LINES ARE REPLACED. HE HAS STATED THAT ALL THE LINES HAVE PREMATURE RUST AND COULD BREAK AT ANY TIME AND WILL NOT TAKE THE RESPONSIBLILTY TO SAY THEY ARE OKAY TO PASS INSPECTION. I ALSO, HAD TO REPLACE ALL 4 FACTORY BRAKE ROTORS AT 14,752 MILES. THE BRAKE PADS WORE OUT PREMATURELY AND WHEN I HAD MY MECHANIC REPLACE THEM, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ROTORS WERE RUSTED AND PITTED PREMATURELY. I STILL HAVE THEM, I CAN'T BELEIVE HOW BAD THEY DETERORATED! I WAS SURPRISED WITH SUCH LITTLE MILEAGE THAT THE ROTORS AND BRAKES WENT BAD.

THE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING, I.E., WERE OPERATING PERFECTLY FINE UP UNTIL THE FAILURE AND NO WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. HAD TRUCK TOWED TO OUR DEALERSHIP; ALL BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED AT A COST OF ALMOST $1500. REGULAR MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON TRUCK THROUGHOUT ITS LIFE BY THE SAME DEALERSHIP. GM REFUSES TO COVER COST. HAVE ANOTHER CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD, A 2004, AND WILL NEED TO HAVE DEALERSHIP CHECK THE BRAKE LINES ON THAT TRUCK AND POSSIBLY REPLACE THE LINES, FOR ADDITIONAL COST. COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED; COULD HAVE KILLED OTHERS. NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMMUNICATION FROM GM, CHEVROLET OR THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT I HAVE THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED OR INSPECTED. I AM IN A "SALT BELT" STATE. *TR

I FILED A COMPLAINT IN 2009 WITH THE NHTSA AND HAVE YET TO HEAR ANYTHING FROM THE AGENCY REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IN THE SAME YEAR AS THE COMPLAINT, I HAD MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACE A SECTION OF BRAKE LINE BY THE ABS MODULE THAT HAD FAILED DUE TO EXTREME CORROSION. THIS PAST WEEK I RETURNED TO THE SAME DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPAIR ANOTHER SECTION THAT HAD ALSO FAILED. I WAS TOLD THAT, DUE TO POSSIBLE LITIGATION THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE LINE AS THEY HAD IN THE PAST, BUT WOULD REPLACE THE ENTIRETY OF THE LINE FOR AN ESTIMATE OF $1200.00. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO STATED THAT FIGURE COULD GO HIGHER AS MORE WAS DISCOVERED. I CAN'T SEE PUTTING THIS KIND OF MONEY INTO THIS VEHICLE KNOWING THAT MORE FAILURES ARE SURE TO FOLLOW EVEN THOUGH THE TRUCK HAS ONLY 95,000 MILES ON IT NOW. GM KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM. THEY COULD CARE LESS AND THE CUSTOMER IS GOING TO FOOT THE BILL FOR THEIR MALFEASANCE AS USUAL. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES, FUEL LINES, FUEL STRAPS AND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WERE RUSTED AND CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND WHEN THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE MOST VEHICLES WITHIN THE EASTERN REGION EXPERIENCED THE SAME RUST FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

BRAKE LINE TO REAR END BURST CAUSING MY TRUCK TO BE UNABLE TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT. FORTUNATELY, NO CARS WERE COMING THE OTHER WAY. *TR *JS

MY 2003 SILVERADO PICKUP TRUCK HAS BEEN FOUND TO HAVE A COMMON AND RECURRENT PROBLEM. EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS BREAK, AND ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR, THEY CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. A FEW MINUTES OF WEB SEARCHING ON THIS TOPIC PRODUCED A NUMBER OF RESULTS AND MY CONCLUSION IS THE ISSUE IS COMMON. THE ONLINE COMPLAINTS ALSO INDICATE THAT THE SUCCESS RATE FOR THE REPAIR IS NOT GOOD, WITH MANY REPAIRED VEHICLES HAVING SUBSEQUENT BOLT FAILURES. MY VEHICLE IS IN AN AUTHORIZED CHEVY SERVICE GARAGE HAVING THE BOLTS REPLACED. THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE WAS FOR $486, IF CYLINDER HEAD DID NOT NEED TO BE REMOVED. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN BROKE A TAP OFF IN THE REAR MOST BOLT LOCATION. I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAPPENED BEFORE HEAD REMOVAL OR AFTER. IT BECAME NECESSARY TO REMOVE THE CYLINDER HEAD AND WAS REQUOTED AT $1600. A CALL WAS MADE TO GM 3-6-12. THE RESPONSE WAS THAT MY TRUCK WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE FORE THEY COULD BE OF NO ASSISTANCE IN THE MATTER. I AM CERTAINLY AWARE OF THE WARRANTY TERMS. MY ISSUE IS WITH THE SCALE OF THIS ENGINEERING/MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THE COST TO THE OWNERS. THE ISSUE CAN CAUSE EMISSIONS PROBLEMS DUE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE AND FURTHER EXPENSE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER SILENT ARMOR TIRES, LINE SIZE: LT265/75/R16. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION IN THE STEERING. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE TREAD ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE HAD SEPARATED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE AND TOOK THE FAILED TIRE TO THE TIRE SHOP. THE TIRE SHOP REPLACED THE TIRE UNDER WARRANTY. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12T003000 (TIRES:TREAD/BELT) THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE TIRE SIZE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000. UPDATED 03/28/12*LJ UPDATED 03/29/12

MY SPEEDOMETER NEVER GOES BELOW 20MPH EVEN SETTING STILL AND WHEN I'M MOVING IT READS 90 PLUS EVEN IF I'M GOING 40 MPH. WHEN THE TRUCK IS TURNED OFF IT STILL READS 20 MPH. *TR

THIS VEHICLE FAILED STATE SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO CORRODED BRAKE LINES AND LEAKING EXHAUST AROUND HEAD GASKET. *TR