2002 GMC SIERRA 1500 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WHEELS WERE JAMMED IN A POSITION THAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO DRIVE ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

THE PAINT JOB IS PEELING AND THE CLEARCOAT IS BUBBLING CAUSING THE TRUCK TO LOOK HORRIBLE. IT IS A GREAT TRUCK WITH EXCEPTION TO THIS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE HOSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.

SLOWED DOWN AND TURNED INTO A PARKING SPOT AND THE ABS SYSTEM KICKED IN. DID GET THE PICKUP STOPPED AND NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING BY THE DRIVER REAL WHEEL. HAD ALMOST NO BRAKES GETTING THE PICKUP HOME. UPON INSPECTION FOUND THE REAR BRAKE LINE HAD RUPTURED DUE TO CORROSION. THE ABS SYSTEM HAS BEEN KICKING FOR NO REASON BEFORE THIS. TALKED TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAID THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CORROSION PROBLEMS WITH THE 1999 TO 2003 GM PICKUPS.

ON THE MORNING OF FRIDAY AUGUST 21, 2015, MY WIFE WENT TO MOVE MY 2002 GMC SIERRA. SHE PULLED OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY AND PROCEEDED UP-HILL ABOUT 300-400 FEET, AND THEN TURNED AROUND IN A NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY, WHEN COMING BACK DOWN THE HILL SHE TRIED TO BRAKE TO STOP IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE, BUT THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. SHE THEN WENT UP A SLIGHT HILL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR HOUSE, BUT STILL COULDN'T STOP, AND DIDN'T THINK TO PUT THE TRUCK IN PARK AS SHE SLOWED. SHE ROLLED BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL AND WAS ABLE TO STEER INTO A NEIGHBOR'S YARD WHERE THE TRUCK CAME TO REST ON A BERM. AT THE TIME SHE SAID THERE WERE CARS PARKED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET AND HAD A CAR BEEN COMING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION SHE WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO IT. HAD THERE BEEN PEDESTRIANS THEY COULD HAVE BEEN HIT AS WELL. WHEN I CAME HOME THAT AFTERNOON, I ADDED BRAKE FLUID TO THE RESERVOIR, AND THEN PUSHED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I SAW A HUGE STREAM OF FLUID POUR FROM BELOW THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. I LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK AND FOUND THE BRAKE LINES SURPRISINGLY CORRODED. IF SUDDEN, IMMEDIATE LOSS OF BRAKES WITHOUT ANY WARNING IS NOT CAUSE FOR A RECALL I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS.

PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY TRUCK STARTED TO SLOW THEN THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. TRIED PUMPING THE BRAKES BUT DID NOT STOP UNTILL I HIT TWO GARBAGE CANS AND PUSHED THEM INTO MY GARAGE DOOR. I NOW HAVE A TRUCK I CANT DRIVE AND A GARAGE DOOR THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS NO WARNING I AM JUST FORTINATE THAT NO ONE WAS INFRONT OF THIS TRUCK. ONE OF THE LINES TO THE REAR OF THE TRUCK BLEW OUT AND LOST ITS FLUID ALL OVER MY DRIVEWAY. I THOUGHT IF YOU LOST 1 LINE THE TRUCK COULD STILL STOP WITH THE FRONT BRAKES BUT I HAD NOTHING. PLEASE WARN PEOPLE BEFORE THIS PROBLEM KILLS PEOPLE.

I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO PARK TO UNLOAD SOME RECYCLING AND I PRESSED ON MY BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO AVOID HITTING THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME (OUTSIDE OF THEIR VEHICLE) AND THEIR VEHICLE. I PUMPED THE BRAKES BUT THE PEDAL DID NOT RESIST AT ALL. MY BRAKES WERE TOTALLY INOPERABLE WITHOUT USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I GOT OUT AND HAD BRAKE FLUID STREAMING OUT OF THE LINES RIGHT BELOW THE DRIVERS SEAT.

GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF AN ISSUE WITH THE PARKING BRAKES IN SOME MODEL YEARS OF THEIR VEHICLES AND HAVE EVEN ISSUED A RECALL FOR THEM TO BE FIXED. THEY ONLY RECALLED VEHICLES WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS EVEN THOUGH VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS HAVE THE SAME BRAKE PARTS AND SUFFER FROM THE SAME ISSUE. THE PARKING BRAKES ENGAGE ON THEIR OWN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION WHICH CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE PADS AND DRUMS TO THE POINT WHERE THEY CEASE TO WORK. THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION ESPECIALLY WHEN TOWING A VEHICLE AND HAVING TO PARK ON AN INCLINE. I HAVE CONTACTED THEM AND THEY JUST KEEP TELLING ME THAT MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE WAS NOT RECALLED. MY VEHICLE HAS THE SAME BRAKES AS THOSE THAT WERE RECALLED AND HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. 2002 GMC SIERRA 1500. IF YOU LOOK ON THE RECALL WEBSITE YOU WILL SEE THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL YEAR RECALLED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. AGAIN THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT THE ISSUE, ITS THE BRAKES.

DRIVING TO WORK ONE MORNING, I NOTICED AS I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN THAT I HAD TO PUSH MY BRAKE PEDAL FURTHER THAN I HAD EARLIER IN MY TRIP. INSTEAD OF CONTINUING ONTO THE FREEWAY I PULLED INTO A STATION AND TESTED THE BRAKES ONLY TO FIND THAT I COULD PUSH THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND COME TO A GRADUAL, ROLLING STOP. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO A SHOP WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT ONE OF THE METAL BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED THROUGH. ALL 6 LINES SHOWED SIGNS OF SEVERE RUSTING. ONCE THE LINES WERE REPLACED THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT A SECOND LINE HAD RUSTED TO THE POINT THAT HE DID NOT THINK IT WOULD HAVE HELD PRESSURE IF I HAD ONLY REPLACED THE FIRST FAILED LINE. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE BRAKE LINES IN THIS MODEL AND YEAR OF TRUCK WERE KNOWN TO RUST AND FAIL EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY IN NORTHERN STATES.

ON MONDAY AFTERNOON 5/11/15 I HAD JUST HOOKED UP A SMALL TRAILER IN PREPARATION TO GO PICK UP MY GRANDDAUGHTER FROM CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY THE FOLLOWING DAY. THIS WAS GOING TO REQUIRE A ROUND TRIP DISTANCE OF ROUGHLY 400 MILES. WHILE TURNING MY TRUCK AROUND TO PARK IT FOR THE NIGHT I DISCOVERED TO MY HORROR THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL ON MY TRUCK WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO STOPPING POWER AT ALL. THIS HAPPENED SUDDENLY AND WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING AT ALL. I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS OCCURRED DURING THE ROAD TRIP TO PICK UP MY GRANDDAUGHTER. I CALLED MY SON IN LAW WHO HELPED ME REPLACE A MAIN TRUNK LINE FOR THE BRAKES GOING TO THE REAR AXLE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER AND BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, DID NOT OCCUR DURING THE TRIP THE NEXT DAY.