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2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: brake failure

28 of the 755 complaints about the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 describe brake failure.

owner complaints
28
of this car's complaints
4%
typical mileage
1,813
recalls
1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 36 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Brake failure by model year

What owners say

Filed Nov 2, 2026 · Brakes · OH

Was driving for about an hour pulling our 7,000 lb camper when all of sudden my daah lit up with all kind of lights and warnings. The messages were Service Trailer Btake System, Service ESC, Service Parking Brake, Brake System Failure 62mph top speed, check engine light, Traction Control Off, ABS Off. Pretty much had no brakes and had to use the manual gear selection to slow down from 65 mph. Not a good feeling wh no brakes pulling a camper. The brake pedal was hard and used everything I had to get it to go in to try to stop. Now my rear brakes on the truck currently making all kind of noise and the truck went to the mechanic today.

Filed Oct 23, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · TX

It said on the dash, "Brake System Failure 43MPH Top Speed," "Service ESC," and lights on were the ABS light, BRAKE light, Engine Light, and Wheel Traction light. My wife and my [XXX] son's safety were at risk while driving on a busy 75mph highway and trying to turn around and make it home as the brakes did not work and having to cross busy streets. It was not able to reproduce but my local mechanic found the bulletin from way back that had not been addressed by GM after numerous times to a dealer for other repairs. I then took it to a local GM dealer that confirmed software update was not applied and they did the repair and I was charged to pay even though this was a known GM issue that never contacted me about this potential fatal random occurrence that could happen after I have taken great care of this truck. There not any warnings before randomly losing power on the highway once she hit 60mph on the on ramp and just started failing slowly. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · IL

Intermittent issue where info says brake failure/steering assist not working/limited speed to 43 mph. Very dangerous if you’re on the interstate. Becomes hard to steer, brakes don’t work, brakes start burning up. Have to carry tools with me to reset ecm. Very common problem with Silverado with 5.3 gas engine. Chevy needs to fix this issue before someone gets killed. I would give them my truck back if I could.

Filed Jan 22, 2026 · Brakes · 101,593 miles · MS

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. The message "Service Brake Assist" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact researched and became aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the message "Service Brake Assist" was displayed on the instrument panel again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,593.

Filed Jan 20, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · PA

While driving home from work the truck displayed numerous trouble codes including ebc failure, braking failure, traction control failure and trailer brake failure as well as vehicle governed to 42 mph. I took it to the dealership and they checked all of the braking system and could not find any issues. They reset the codes, and changed all 4 pads and rotors as all 4 wheels were 1/32 out of true as a precaution. I drove it home about 5 miles with no issues. The next morning I was on my way to work and the codes reappeared with me being governed to 62 mph. At the stop sign I had no braking at all. Pumping the brakes resulted in no braking or pressure in the pedal. Luckily there was no traffic and I was able to use a hill to stop. I turned around and went the mile back to my house and was unable to stop again ending up with the front end in my neighbors yard. I had the vehicle towed back to the dealership where they still have not found a cause or a solution to the issue

Filed Nov 13, 2025 · Brakes, Electrical · TX

There was a brake system failure and the brakes stopped working while going 50 mph

Filed Oct 27, 2025 · Brakes, Steering · 104,000 miles · KS

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 71 MPH with cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced braking and power steering failure. The Traction Control, Brake, Parking, Antilock Braking System, Electronic Fuel Control, and Check Engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the Brake Assist failure, Steering failure, and Trailer Brake failure messages were displayed. The contact shifted into neutral and coasted over to the side of the road. After turning off the vehicle for approximately an hour, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove 40 MPH back to the residence. The contact stated that after the failure, the vehicle had to be shifted into neutral, and then the parking brake was activated to come to a stop. The contact stated that a diagnostic test confirmed the steering and brake failures. The contact used a diagnostic tool to retrieve DTC: C0580. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer, but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact discovered information related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V116000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

Filed Feb 10, 2025 · Brakes · CO

After driving and doing errands I tried to pull truck into garage and noticed it was hard to move. It seemed like brakes were stuck on despite not applying brakes. I pulled out of driveway to drive around block. Lost all brakes while driving down county road at 50 mph. Check engine light on, brake failure warning on, warning light that speed limited to 43 mph, ABS light on. Eventually able to stop. Turned off engine for a few minutes. Restarted and brakes all worked again although check engine light still on. This could have been deadly on a steep road or on ice or in traffic. I see online that this is a common problem with Chevy trucks although no recall has been issued for this one. I am very concerned that this truck is not safe - for me or anyone else on the road with me. I have not taken it in. I live in the country, some distance from a dealership so nothing has been confirmed. Nothing like this has happened to this truck before and there was no other warning. It is available for inspection but is my only transportation.

Filed Jan 28, 2025 · Brakes · IA

This morning it was 16 degrees F I drove about 6 city miles at about 35 mph. I was 1.5 miles from home when leaving a stop light the truck bogged down and was only going up to about 25 mph with the tach at 2000 rpm. It seemed at first that I was driving with the parking brake on but most V8's have enough power to override the parking brake. This acted as if I was pressing hard on the foot brake while driving and giving it a lot of gas. I probably would have had to floor it to go any faster. But was afraid of damaging something. Put on the flashers and drove about 15 mph with the tach at 1500-2000rpm. The dash displayed "Brake system failure 62 mph top speed", "Service ESC", "Parking brake failure" and "Service trailer brake system", The brake pedal was changing its height by itself. Pulled to side of road and pumped the brakes several times, shifted the transmission through park, neutral, reverse and drive and it seemed to operate normally. Pulled onto road and it was bogging down the same. Pulled to side of road again. Then started driving again with flashers on and the tranny shifted as normal, but the brake pedal went to the floor. Pumped the brake pedal and it still went to the floor. Drove slowly while checking the brake occasionally but still went to the floor during the 5 blocks to my driveway. The brake had no effect. My driveway slopes slightly upward so I stopped safely. All four wheel centers and brake rotors were too hot to touch after slowly driving the 1.5 miles this occurred over. About 15 minutes later I turned on the key and the dash displayed "Brake system failure 43 mph top speed", "Service ESC", and "Service trailer brake system". Fortunately there were no vehicles close in front of me when this started and many were behind me when driving with my flashers on due to quite a bit of traffic. This could have been a disaster had it occurred somewhere else. The local Chevrolet dealer that services it has not seen it yet.

Filed Dec 24, 2024 · Transmission · NY

First incident was when the vehicle had under 7,000 miles. Transmission module went. Vehicle wouldn't move. A few months prior, when we pulled our camping trailer, the integrated brake didn't work and the truck brakes overheated. Took vehicle to dealer, couldn't find a problem. A few months later the truck would not move, and found to be the transmission module. After a month and they finally got the part and repaired, no problems with pulling the camper. Than last week, we pulled out on the road, and we couldn't accelerate. A little over 45,000 miles on it. Had towed to dealer, they have diagnosed Transmission Valve Body. No warning lights. Maybe the transmission was hesitating some before it went. Waiting for the part, which no clue how long it will take.

Filed Dec 1, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · KS

Brake failure. I took the Truck to the dealer and was told not to drive it. The dealer ran two checks and then said brake failure. The rep had to leave, so another rep put my car in the shop overnight. The next day, I was told in writing that they could not find any problem. The code clearly showed brake failure. Date: [XXX]. Cost: $125.69. Mileage was 53,531. On [XXX], another brake failure. I went to an auto parts dealer (O Riley) in Topeka, KS, and they found a brake failure code(I have a copy). They told me to go to the dealer. I went to the dealer with a stiff pedal, which means driving is very unsafe. The dealer said too busy with oil changes and told me to return another day. I said no breaks INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 29, 2024 · Suspension · AZ

vehicle has approximately 45k miles, We were 2.5 hours away from home on a paved highway driving 55mph and the front passenger side ball joint failed and upper control arm separated also Instantly no brakes causing an accident . This is very dangerous and is going to kill people , we are lucky we didn't roll . I'm now afraid this will happen to the other side? chevy will not take the responsibility to fix it , our extended warranty only covered the upper control arm and not any of the other parts that had damage due to the ball joint . it was a 2.5 hour tow as well . Also the tow truck driver said within a week this was the 4th Chevy truck with the same issue 2 of them Rolled . Side note , As I looked into this I haver found other of this same model vehicle to have the same problem , one that it happened at around 40k miles he fixed it then it happened again on the other side at around 50k miles on the same vehicle . There needs to be a recall , Chevy has other models that have had this recall but no recall for my vehicle? links to related proof there is a big problem [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliperReported February 27, 2020 · 20,352 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The bolts used to attach the front and/or rear brake calipers may have not been heat treated and may break under load.
Risk
Broken caliper bolts can reduce brake performance or interfere with wheel rotation and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or GMC customer service at 1‑866‑522‑9559. GM's number for this recall is N202294420.

Recall number 20V116000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 brake failure

Is brake failure a common problem on the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

28 of 755 owner complaints about the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (4%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2003.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

There is 1 recall and 36 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Check engine light 142Engine failure 75Loss of power 70Shudder 45Knocking 41Jerking 38Transmission failure 30Harsh shifting 29Misfire 28Power steering loss 27Stalling 27Hesitation 23Won't shift 21ABS 18Backup camera 18Warning lights 16Won't start 15Ball joint 14Fire or smoke 14Slipping 14Fuel pump 12Overheating 12Water leak 11Adaptive cruise 8No deployment 6Fuel leak 5Oil consumption 5Whining noise 5

All model years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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