In bumper to bumper traffic for aprox 4 mins and stopping and starting hit the brakes , peddle goes to floor hitting car in front of me because no brakes. After accident police officers noticed fluid coming from under truck, called for a tow truck because no brakes at all, when on tow truck{ flat bed} they saw that brakes lines that run along frame were totally rotted out and popped causing this accident. Truck at the shop as we speak getting all new lines installed at the cost of 1000.00. Always bought a american vehicle all my life 55yrs but when I get this back it will be for sale....never again will I buy a chevy or any other american made vehicle.....I been a union pipefitter 40 yrs 3rd generation,,,,,and will be spreading the word.....................
2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 brakes complaints
Page 9 of 15: complaints 221 to 250 of 429, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Total brake failure all brake lines rusted 2,000.00 repair.
Backed into my driveway and pressed brake to stop and pedal was suddenly extremely soft and went very far down. I had no brakes at all at this point. I had to use my emergency brake to stop while only going a few miles an hour. I was running errands earlier and had absolutely no warning brakes were about to completely fail, no audible or visual warning from instrumentation at all, and no prior soft pedal or poor stopping capability. I want gm to pay for all new brake lines for this truck now! Upon inspection, all the brake lines are in an advanced state of corrosion.
Stopped to get gas. As I was pulling out the lot, brakes went to the floor. Tried to pump brakes to pressurize. I decided to pull over. As I was turning off road to investigate I heard a loud pop. Check brake light and audible came on. Pulled over immediately only to discover brake line had ruptured. Further investigation revealed all brake line tubings were severely corroded. Chevy had finally made wise decision to go stainless steel for exhaust system. Puzzling why they did not make same decision for the brake lines. Brake system is critical safety item that should mandate highest safety measures. Not the exhaust system! I was fortunate failure did not occur on the highway. I was able to tow the vehicle to dealer for repair. While pulling into parking stall at the dealer, I heard another loud pop. And even though my foot was on brakes, the truck began to accelerate. I had to put the truck in park to stop. It appear there was just enough stopping power to get off the road. Must advise anyone who experience this not to attempt to drive home! No matter how close. I was considering this option. Good thing my good sense prevailed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, he depressed the brake pedal and it dropped to the floor board. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the front and rear brakes would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.
Slowing at a traffic light I noticed the pedal depressing more than normal. At light the pedal depressed to the floor of the car, brake light came on. Unsafe ride home with almost zero braking. Left front brake line was rusted out.
Driving down 2 lane road at approximately 40 in a 45 MPH zone. Traffic light turned yellow at the worst possible moment. Decided to panic stop, pressed the pedal hard, immediately the pedal went to the floor and the brake warning came on. Truck did not have sufficient braking to stop and I had to plow through the intersection, thank god I made it through safely. From this point until I reached home, very little braking was possible, very unsafe. Upon inspection, the rear line had burst, requiring $200 in repairs. A few months earlier the gas line rusted through also, costing another $200.
Truck experienced catastrophic brake failure when a corroded right front brake line ruptured during an attempted hard stop at a traffic light. The brake pedal went straight to the floor and the truck continued through the intersection. Pumping the brake pedal had no effect. Shifting the transmission down and applying the emergency brake eventually stopped the truck. Fluid leaking from the rupture drained the master cylinder reservoir within five minutes. Subsequent inspection of all the brake lines revealed severe corrosion and pitting at many locations along the length of the truck. Despite having the front and rear brakes on separate hydraulic circuits, there was not enough braking capability remaining to safely drive the truck, even at low speeds. This was a very close call and it is evident that the corrosion resistance of the brake lines is substandard, posing a huge safety concern.
Approaching a 3 way stop intersection, upon depressing the brake pedal in order to stop at the intersection, the brake pedal went to the floor. No warning lamps of any sort were illuminated prior to the brake pedal going to the floor. Pumping of the pedal did not produce any resistance. After couple minutes the "service brakes" warning came on. I was able to bring the truck to a stop by slowing down. Had to have the truck towed to a firestone service center the technician, the service consultant, and I all observed the rusted brake lines, they were all badly corroded, one of the lines had developed a pin hole lead resulting in the brake failure. I have owned many vehicles far older and with far more mileage and have never had to replace the steel brake lines. I believe the design is flawed (the routing and placement of lines and module) or the brake line material (steel, instead of stainless steel) is insufficient.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado c1500. The contact stated that he tried to stop the vehicle and the brake went all the way to floor. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who inspected the failure and stated that the entire brake line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 69,974. Updated 05/10/13*lj the consumer stated the brake lines rusted causing brake fluids to leak out. Updated 05/28/2013
Had just driven 30 miles on backroads to my parents house to pickup an enclosed race trailer (fully loaded) and was backing up to hookup, had gotten out to check lineup and when I got back in to backup further the brake pedal went to the floor and got a "service brake system" warning on the gauges. Upon investigation I found one of the front brake lines that run on top of the frame rail in the engine bay that runs on the drivers side next to the engine had burst and the lines were rusted. I would hate to wonder what would of happened if this happened while I was pulling trailer on country backroads as I was getting ready to do......gm really needs to address this problem.
Brake lines completely rotted beyond repair, so bad that they cannot be removed from the ABS unit, which should not be underneath the truck, so vulnerable to corrosion from salt. They should have been stainless lines, or routed differently. Same with the fuel lines. I was a die hard chevy guy, but this is ridiculous. Sooo many people have issues with this, gm needs to step up. I can't wait to sell this truck and buy an antique.
Coasting to a stop sign. Pressed brakes and pedal went to floor. Engaged emergency brake just before rear end collision with vehicle at stop. A puddle of brake fluid remained after a tow home.
I was driving around 45mph and when coming to a stop the brake pedal went to the floor. I did not have total loss of brakes, however, if this was an emergency braking condition, I would not have been able to stop safely. The front right brake line rusted and fluid came out. This is an obvious engineering failure. Brake lines should not be made out of material that can rust.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 1500. The contact stated that while decelerating and descending a hill at an unknown speed, the brake pedal went to the floor and stopping distance was increased. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for diagnostics. The mechanic stated all of the brake lines had excessive rust and needed to be replaced. The contact did not call the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000.
2003 chevy silverado, purchased new with 92k miles on the clock now. While starting out from my driveway, I stopped for oncoming traffic and the brake pedal went to the floor with no pressure resistance. I returned to the garage and saw brake fluid dripping from the left front. A quick examination showed that a steel brake line burst obviously due to massive rust. This is a serious, unexpected and a critical design failure. This truck has never seen snow/salt and the steel brake lines along the underbody are like-new (even though this would be the area that corrosion would be expected!). I am no longer young and have driven many vehicles with over a hundred thousand miles on most of them. I have never had a steel brake line burst. To see hundreds of similar complaints just on this database is clear evidence of a safety issue that has --- to date --- been ignored. If not a recall, at least provide notice to owners that there exists a potentially fatal flaw in the materials used in the brake systems of these vehicles. Since I'm still on the original front brake pads, I think it's safe to say I am a gentle driver and have not abused the brakes. Thanks.
Vehicle resides in "salt belt" state but rarely driven in the winter months; mainly to leave for a 2-month trip south. Thanks to god that my wife, others and I escaped serious injury. Just prior to this incident, vehicle was at dealer for regular service/check. Previous brake work at 47k miles in 02/2010 pads on one wheel completely gone and pads on other were worn to 1/16? Thick. Front pads at 85% at that time. Technician blamed ?road salt?. Filed a complaint with gm but only got a reminder that vehicle was no longer under warranty. Current incident occurred 01/11/13 approx. 11 mi from nashville, tn. While on the freeway, traffic ahead began slowing down fast. I began applying the brakes and when I pushed down harder to stop as traffic stopped, I heard a "sound" like a low thump and the brake pedal went straight to the floor. I managed to whip the truck around the back of the car in front of me onto the shoulder and avoid collision, and finally came to a stop. I was able to determine that I had some braking power remaining, and we slowly continued in to nashville. Located a dealer who inspected the brakes and said front brakes were completely gone/brake line was shot. It was friday afternoon, so in addition to the $2100 in repairs, we incurred meal and lodging expenses for 3 days/nights (approx. $600), before the repair could be completed on monday. Again was told that brake deterioration was due to road salt. I disagree with this first, vehicle is rarely driven in the winter and second, I've never had a similar problem with any other vehicle in all the years I've lived in "salt belt" states. I believe there is an inherent design deficiency with the brakes in this vehicle. I have the parts if needed for inspection. I can be reached by phone at # listed in complaint thru 03/15/13. After that at permanent home address (listed).
My son was driving my truck to college and pulled into the parking garage and when looking for a space to park the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. He was able to keep going long enough for the vehicle to coast into a parking spot but the brakes were completely out. G.m. States that the salt that they treat the roads with along with the weather caused the lines to rust out. If that was the case that would be happening to alot more vehicles. I think there is definitely a problem with the brake lines that were installed on these vehicles.
I was towing a new ranger bass boat home from fishing. I was coming down hill toward a stop sign at a intersection and when I hit the brakes. The check brakes came up on info center. The pedal went to the floor. I had to jam it down in to first gear and use parking break to get it slowed enough to turn. It was also a 55mph speed limit road. Thank god no one was coming. I got pulled off the road and checked what was going on. The hard break line going to the driver side rear was blown apart. It had rusted completely in half. After further investigation of the lines they are all in extremely bad shape. They are all rusted and now starting to leak in places. Along with that my gas line is now rusted in half and now leaking. Something needs to be done before someone is killed.
Had hooked truck to a car trailer and stepped on brakes to put truck in drive and brake pedal went to floor, there was no brakes at all. Upon examining I found that three brake lines had failed. The truck was towed to a local garage and they found that all brake lines and also the fuel lines were badly rusted and had to be replaced.
2003 chevrolet silverado 4x4 pickup. Service brake system warning appeared on dash display. Brakes almost went to the floor. Checked the undercarriage and found a major brake fluid leak from the rear driver side brake line. Also discovered that all of the brake lines were rusted and corroded. An online web search revealed too many incidents regarding the same topic. Any malfunction of a vehicles braking system is a major defect and there should be a recall.
This is a 2003 chevrolet silverado, regular cab, 5.3l v-8. It has about 164500 highway miles. The vehicle has been well cared for. The brake lines rotted out, and almost caused me to hit other vehicles...without warning. Gm will not offer any help, although this is a huge problem based on research and just hearing others tell of the exact same problem. They should recall all of the vehicles that have this problem; and reimburse those who have suffered financial hardship repairing an obvious flaw that is a huge safety hazard.
I was driving my 2003 chevy silverado on a rural but residential road with a steep decline at about 35 MPH. I attempted to slow down but when I stepped on the brake pedal it went to the floor and the service brakes light came on. It felt like there was air in the brake lines so I attempted pumping the brakes hoping to prevent any more acceleration down the hill and that is about all I got. I could not stop and had no choice but to ride it out until I crossed the bridge at the bottom of the hill and started up the other side.when my truck finaly came to a stop I quikly put it in park to prevent it from rolling backwards down the hill. I popped the hood and got out. I checked the brake fluid and it was almost full so I didn't know how air could get in the brake lines.unfortunately it was snowing out so I couldn't tell if I had a leak. I was only a mile from my house so I decided I would drive it home on a different "flat" road at very low speed, about 10mph. Once home I was able to have my wife press on the brakes while lying under the truck and I found that the brake line supplying the rear brakes was rusted out and had a severe leak. If this had happened a few minutes later I would have been on a state highway doing 45 to 50 MPH with other vehicles. Why isn't chevy/gm being made to fix these problems ?
Application of brakes upon slow down of getting off of exit ramp was soft and farther then normal. 3 or 4 applications for turns seemed ok. Final application to turn into property had brake fail appear and brake go to floor and vehicle not slow quickly enough and truck running into my fence scrapping the side of my truck down fence. Upon inspection found reservoir empty and fluid leaking from ruptured rusted line on left side of vehicle at drivers door. Inspection found many areas of the lines badly rusted.
Came to a stop but the pedal felt soft, went two more miles to my destination and brakes felt even softer. When I went to leave I noticed a puddle under the drivers door, I put some on my finger to smell it and knew it was brake fluid. I took it to my mechanic who said it was a blown brake line caused by rust, he said he has seen this on alot of silverados. I called my chevy dealer and they didn't offer any recalls or discounts so I had my mechanic replaces all the brake lines because they were rusted as bad as the blown line , also had to replace two calipers because the bleeders were so rusted they couldn't be removed. Total cost 850.00 I've had alot of trucks with alot more miles and never had problems with the brake lines. I think g.m. Should reimburse at least 50 % of the cost.
Brake lines on truck are extremely corroded, areas affected are crossing the rear end along the chassis and under the hood where no moisture is present. All lines on truck will need to be replaced as this is an extreme safety hazard.
I was attempting to stop at a traffic light and ruptured a brake line,when I inspected the brake lines they were completely rusted. I've owned several chevrolets and have had brake line problems with the last three I've owned ,all rusted prematurely in my opinion. I think with a safety issue such as this gm should recall and replace with stainless brake lines all vehicles of less than ten years old.
Aug. 1,2012 right front lines burst. Nov.15,2012 left front brake lines burst. Shop recommended that all brake lines corroded and needed replaced. Estimated $1600 to 1800 per racetrack auto berlin maryland. I have already paid $200 for the right brake line and expect approx the same bill for the left corroded line. Please help, this is a safety issue!
Brake performance was poor, but brakes did work before servicing the system. Replaced rotors, pads, calipers on all four wheels. Brakes bled successfully. Was beginning a test drive of the vehicle and when putting in reverse brake pedal went to the floor with dash warning of brake system failure. Brake fluid was leaking from under the vehicle. Inspected and found ABS unit to rear brake line failed due to corrosion and line from ABS unit to right front failed due to corrosion. Inspected lines more carefully and found multiple areas of corrosion on all lines that appeared to be in imminent danger of failing. Corrosion seemed to be primarily where lines were placed in plastic clips to hold them in place. The complete system failure was not preceded by any warning and resulted in total loss of front and rear brakes simultaneously. Fortunately vehicle was in the repair bay and not moving at the time of failure.
I was driving my 2003 silverado on the local highway pulling my 7 x 14 trailer in traffic and went to apply the foot brake pedal and it went to the floor with no signs of anything wrong, tried to pump the pedal and nothing went straight to the floor with no help of stopping, the only thing that kept me from a crash was the trailer brakes and the e-brake of the truck. I got off the highway and checked the brake fluid and both front and rear were empty, I started to look under the truck and saw were the fluid was dripping from the rusted thru brake lines and down the frame rails, now with no brakes and pulling a trailer I had to call a wrecker and have the truck and trailer towed 35 mile to my mechanic and replace 4 rusted brake lines that run under the truck, mine rusted thru almost right under the drivers door..
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