The brake lines break / fail fortunately at low speed while towing boat on trailer. The second failure - also of brake lines - occurred just six weeks after the first.
2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 brakes complaints
Page 3 of 7: complaints 41 to 70 of 181, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Brake line corrosion caused total brake system failure. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed.
While my brother and I were towing a loaded trailer, the brakes failed. Upon further investigation, we found all the brake lines were severely rusted and the line to the front brakes had completely rusted through causing a leak.
Blew a brake line at 35 MPH due to rust and having to do a panic stop because someone pulled out in front of me. Lines are completely rusted out! I have heard of this being a major gm problem!! Thank god I did not have my boat or back hoe behind me!!!
Traffic stopped quickly ahead right after light had changed to green. Slammed on my brakes, ABS went on and my pedal went to the floor, pulled over and found brake fluid flowing under drivers side door. Truck is at the dealers.......... Rusted brake lines.
Both of the brake lines on my truck have failed due to rust. *tr ## VIN failed ##
While helping my son move to remove furniture from flooded illinois river home the truck I have owned since new lost brakes . Upon inspection I found the brake line going from the proportionate valve to the rear drivers side brakes had rusted through and had failed. Myself and my son replaced the line and tried to bleed brakes with partial success , could not get one bleeder loose but got vehicle functioning to get it to my home to continue working on it further. Had to replace front caliper , and upon trying to further bleed brakes another line going from the front master cylinder to the rear proportionate valve was also leaking, upon further inspection I decided both lines were rusted and needed to be replaced. This vehicle only has 67000 miles and the brake lines should not fail that quickly. All brake lines on truck are rusted and general motors has a very serious safety problem. This is going to be an expensive fix if I have to replace all lines , it has already cost me a lot and I did all the work so far.
Rusty brake lines, they shouldn't rust out and fail thus causing a dangerous situation. I pulled up to my destination and applied the brakes, the brake pedal went completely to the floor and the vehicle only slowed down. I then applied the pedal quickly several times and the vehicle eventually stopped but way past it's mark. By luck there wasn't anything in the way or I would have hit anything in it's path. At the low speed I was traveling it was possible to come to a stop . A landscaping timber chocked the front wheels at the front to help make the stop possible. My biggest concerns are , what if I was going faster as I was just minutes before. When the brake fluid sprayed out of the broken rusty brake line , the resulting smoke cloud was my only warning. ,no warning and total loss of brakes and stopping ability. I was fortunate I was going slow when this happened and I didn't hit anyone or anything.
The brakes failed in an emergency stop situation. A car ran a stop sign in front of me. I applied the brakes hard. The ABS kicked in and I avoided a collision. I applied the brakes again and the pedal went to the floor. Brake fluid was leaking on the ground from a ruptured brake line. I took to the dealer and they stated that all the brake lines are corroded and require replacement.
While in my own driveway, trying to place truck into drive, placed foot on brake pedal and it went to floor. On inspection of exterior of truck found rear brake line, to drivers rear wheel, corroded and leaking. Found majority of brake lines flaking rust.
Pulling trailer needed to make a quick stop and the truck would not slow down. If it were not for the trailer brakes I would have rear ended a car trying to make a left turn. Stopped at neatest gm dealer and found out one brake line had bursted due to rust and corrosion. Ended up have to replace all four brake lines to make my truck safe to drive. Cost $800.00.
Brake line failure. Abs system failure. Light for ABS and brake have been on and off since original purchase. Dealers could not eliminate the problem. Noticed rust on brake lines throughout. Currently all brake lines are covered in rust and leaking just prior to the ABS components on driver side middle frame rail. Brake lines are brittle to the touch. Currently the breaking system has no pressure. All fluid has leaked from the system. Service requested by dealer for noisy and leaking transfer case. Dealer applied grease to the drive shaft. Problem not resolved. While driving in 4 wheel drive, the transfer case experienced a catastrophic failure. Unit was extremely hot and the gears were ground out. To my knowledge gm is and was aware that the transfer case fluid pumps were wearing a hole in the case from the inside. Now know as "pump rub". Dealers had opportunities to repair and or replace and failed to act to resolve the known damage.
Loaded truck with lumber at local lumber store, went to move truck to leave. As soon as I started to move the red brake light came on. Got out opened the hood saw almost of my brake fluid gone-thought it was just needing fluid-drove few blocks to lube service dealer wand together inspected the brake lines under the driver seat where you could see brake fluid all over the line-that has rotted through-had vehicle towed to repair/replace all brake lines. See invoice 166644. Had brake lines replaced cost was $1163.59 and truck was out of my use for 3 days.
One of the brake lines has rusted clear through and ruptured when I pressed on the brake pedal. Looking at the other lines, it appears that they are about to rust through as well. I have other vehicles that are much older and more miles that the brake lines are like new. There is a flaw in the lines installed on my truck.
Severe corrosion of the brake lines leading from the ABS unit to all four wheels resulted complete failure of the brakes. The left rear brake line developed a rupture roughly 2 inches long above the fuel tank that made it impossible to develop any brake system pressure. The failed line was replaced by a local chevrolet dealership and the rest of the brake lines were "inspected." the right front brake line ruptured where it passes around the left front wheel well, roughly 2 months later again due to severe corrosion, and again resulting in complete brake system pressure loss. This line was completely deteriorated as well and should have been replaced at the time of the first failure. The size of the ruptures in both cases made it impossible to develop and supply any brake system pressure to the 3 remaining wheels. In both cases, the failure occured when the truck was moving at under 10 MPH and approaching a stop sign. The first time I stopped the vehicle by running into the ditch, and the second time I stopped it by stomping on the e-brake and skidding to a stop. Had the failure occured on the highway, it would have resulted in an accident involving a heavy truck. This is a truck with a +9,000 lb gross vehicle weight and +10,000 lb max trailer weight rating. It sounds like this is a frequent problem with gm trucks and suvs from this time period. It is also important to note that the truck was located in south carolina from 2002 until 2007 and was only in the northeast for five winter seasons or approx. 65,000 miles. The truck has no cosmetic body rust and no significant rust on the frame or undercarriage. This was a premature failure resulting in a very dangerous condition. I have already replaced my remaining lines, but this is way more worthy of a recall then a rusted tailgate support cable.
Brake line corroded and blew under driver side leaking all fluid out and no brakes. Wasnt driving fast luckily and no accident.
Brake lines from engine to ABS corroded and burst causing loss of brakes.
Brakes completely failed.
The ABS system engages at low speeds causing a pulsation in the brake pedal. I had the wheel speed sensors replaced at dealership and it solved the problem. I did find a recall for this item but they said it doesn't affect my VIN #. A few months later I had a brake line break while coming home. Took it to chevy dealership and they said all the lines needed replaced, because they were severely rusted.
While backing up the truck to hook up to a trailer, I pressed the brake pedal and it went to the floor. The brakes failed. I pressed the pedal a few more times and heard brake fluid leaking from outside the cab somewhere, somewhere under the driver seat. After looking around the master cylinder and firewall I traced the lines along the frame and found that all four lines along the frame rail were severely rusted/corroded. At least one line had rusted through and was leaking fluid. The brake system lost pressure and the truck can only be slowed by using the parking brake.
All of the steel brake lines on my chevy silverado 2500 hd have severely corroded and are in need of replacement. The truck has not been used off road or in harsh environments and has been regularly maintained.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH the brake lines became fractured. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that all of the brakes lines were corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 86,000. Updated 11/28/12*lj the consumer stated a vehicle stopped suddenly in front of him. When he applied the brake, the pedal went to the floor and it took a very long time to stop. The consumer stated he replaced all of the brake lines. Updated 11/29/12
1. Brake line (rear) corroded at plastic retaining clip located approx halfway toward the rear axle, lost braking effectiveness no accident 2. Transmission cooling line corroded at plastic retaining clip, leaked fluid, was repaired without causing any other damage within 3 weeks of incident (1) above. 3. Brake line (front left) corroded at plastic retaining clip causing loss of braking effectiveness at 30 MPH, no accident, date of occurrence 9/18/2012 mileage 110k.
I was towing my boat home with my 2001 chevy silverado 2500hd and as I approached an intersection I applied the brakes and the brake pedal went right to the floorboard!! There was no warning of a loss in hydraulic pressure and no other indications of an imminent brake system failure. Immediately upon noticing the brake system failure I downshifted the automatic transmission to help slow the truck down. Luckily there was no other traffic as I rolled through the intersection with a 3,000 pound boat/trailer load I was towing. I managed to make it home by altering my route to avoid downsloping intersections and also downshifting the transmission to slow down as I approached those intersections I could not avoid. Since I did not have a vehicle lift or the proper tools/equipment to make the repairs, I had the truck towed to an automotive repair facility. Their diagnosis: brake line failure due to significant corrosion. Repair bill was $260 to repair/replace the corroded brake line that supplied the brakes to the left front wheel! This same circumstance occurred again on 9/3/12 (I.e., same loss of hydraulic pressure (without warning) & total brake system failure)! The truck is again in the repair shop and the mechanic stated the brake line to the right front wheel failed due to corrosion & he also said all the other brake lines, except for the one replaced on 6/22/2012, are corroded "pretty bad." he also stated that the design & location of the brake systems on these chevrolet & gmc silverado pickup trucks is such that corrosion and brake system failure is a very common occurrence, especially in our region (upper michigan) with long winters and road salt. What's worse is that key components of the system (in particular the ABS valve) are not easily accessible for service, maintenance or repair, which only adds to the cost of repair. Please issue a recall!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the brakes failed. The contact stated that the driver of the vehicle depressed the brake pedal into the floorboard however, the vehicle would not decelerate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection where they stated that the brake lines were rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Brake line failure due to corrosion (rust). Brake line to rear wheels sprung leak and stopping was difficult. Had this been at higher speed, could have fatality. The material the brake lines are made of should not be used to make brake lines. Checked brake lines and they are all heavily corroded. All will have to be replaced. Similarly the fuel line is heavily corroded between tank and engine. It is apparent that saving a few pennies on cost of brake lines alloy, is more important to gm than the lives of the occupants of the vehicles.
I was backing out of my driveway when the brake pedal went to the floor. Upon inspection found brake lines rusted and brake fluid leaking.
Approached stop sign, applied brakes, pedal went to the floor...while towing an enclosed 26' trailer with full load. Trailer brakes enabled a controlled stop of vehicles without an accident. Brake fluid was dripping from area beneath driver's side door along frame. One (1) line is leaking, with all of the other lines severely rusted (visually).
Was leaving for a trip and had my trailer on the back. Pressed the brake pedal and it went to the floor. Looked under the truck to find my brake lines were leaking.
Head on collision hit the brakes and truck jumped. When vehicles hit seatbelt didn't lock right away which threw me forward and into the drivers side door. It was a head on accident and airbags never went off which make the emt's and police concerned do to the damage to the truck..
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