I use this truck to pull a 2-horse gooseneck trailer and had literally just unloaded two horses and unhooked the trailer. When I got back into the truck to leave the barn, there were no brakes and fluid was leaking all over the driveway and truck. Very scary and extremely dangerous. Had this occurred moments before while pulling the loaded trailer on the highway, I am almost certain that my self and/or someone would have gotten seriously injured or killed, not to mention the safety of the horses. There were suddenly no brakes. I pulled the truck onto the grass and came to a stop. It is still sitting there but has been examined by two people. Completely rusted out brake lines. I am now informed that this is a known issue with this make and model. Please issue an immediate recall. Thank you. Respectfully, julie miller
2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 brakes complaints
Page 8 of 9: complaints 191 to 220 of 247, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Rear brake line rupture behind fuel tank on 2003 chevy silverado while normally driven. Inspected the lines for repair and found severe corrosion of all lines aft of the a.b.s. Unit. Have replaced lines with aftermarket bendable ones as performed are not available I am told. Large sections of old line are in my possession. 60,000 miles on unit undercarriage corrosion is terrible.
2003 chevy 2500hd brake line failure,the line running from the master cylinder to the ABS control rubbed thru and failed in my driveway. There is excessive rust and corrosion on the brake lines in this area. Mine failed 35 inches from the ABS control module.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet k2500hd silverado. The contact was reversing 5 MPH from a residential driveway. As the contact applied the brakes, there was no response from the vehicle yet he was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic discovered that the rear and front brake lines were corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and the current mileage was 50,000.
Catastrophic brake line rupture in both circuits of the redundant hydraulic brake system. The failure occurred in a shopping center parking lot. If it had occurred 5 miles earlier, their would have been a 7000 pound machine rolling on i83 with no brakes, placing unwary motorists and the driver at significant risk of injury or death. As you continue your preliminary investigation, you should ponder the possible criminal negligence associated with the failure to report this latent defect in the manufacture of these behemoth machines. At the very least, each registered owner should be notified immediately of the possible fatal malfunction. If it saves one life!!! If it causes one death??? My 1990 jeep cherokee still has the original brake lines at 297000 miles! This is what happens when managers, accountants and lawyers tell engineers to shut up. Remember the challenger (space shuttle)? Faster! Cheaper! Better???? Corporate USA has already failed, size is irrelevant. Being a part owner of gm, can you spell conflict of interest?
Have 38,597 on my 2003 chevy sil hd 4x4, had to replaced all brake rotors,brakes,calipers. Rusted so bad they were not working? Drive shaft and all upper and lower control arms and frame rusted? Like its 50 years old. Live in va? Worst I've ever seen! Something should be done, did my metal come from china?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The contact was driving at a relatively low speed when the brake was depressed and the pedal abnormally went down to the floorboard. The contact discovered that brake fluid was leaking from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who discovered that the brake lines were severely rusted and corroded. There was one brake line that was rusted completely through and was replaced. The other three rusted brake lines were not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was approximately 90,000.
2003 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. Brake lines beneath driver seat along frame rail burst while in my driveway. Thank goodness I was not on the road. Within a minute or two, master cylinder completely emptied, and no brakes at all. Currently at pallone chevrolet in springfield va. Awaiting repair.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The contact was driving in reverse approximately 5 MPH and applied the brakes. The brake pedal depressed into the floorboard abnormally and the contact discovered that brake fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken for diagnosis or repairs. The failure and current mileage was 120,000. The brake lines failed due to rust. 08/19/11
2003 silverado 2500hd ext cab 4x4, 42,000 miles. Complete brake failure due to a ruptured brake line while pulling out of my driveway. All brake lines are severely rusted. Live in indianapolis, in. Estimated cost to replace all rusted brake lines is over 41,200.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The contact stated that the brake lines on the vehicle were corroded. The dealer was not familiar with any brake lines corroding for this year, make and model vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had never been driven in snow or ice. The dealer stated that they would not be able to replace the brake lines. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 66000.
Rusty brake lines, all system brake lines and brake parts are rusting to the point of failure. Two lines failed. All system parts are being replaced.
Steel brake line running from left front brake to ABS pump corroded where the line is exposed in the wheel well. Brake pedal suddenly went to floor and pool of fluid was noticed under front of vehicle. Happened while parked in driveway so no accident.
I had to have the steel brake lines on my truck replaced due to corrosion. Since I caught the problem in time there was no recordable incident but this should not change the fact that this should be a safety issue.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The contact stated that the brake pad on the rear passenger side worse out prematurely. The contact called the dealership and was told that the rotors needed to be turned and the brake pads needed to be changed. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 27,000. Updated 7/16/10 *cn the consumer stated turning the rotors and replacing the pads will not solve the problem. Worn out pads and rotors are symptoms of another problem. The calipers were not working properly. The metal brake lines and other similar metal lines such as the transmission cooler lines all showed extreme rust on the outside. Updated 07/22/10
I had a brake line fail on my 2003 chevy silverado 2500hd crew cab 4x4. The line failed above the gas tank. There was no accident as I noticed the pedal softening and fluid leaking. The line corroded and leaked.
2003 silverado 2500hd rusted brake line failure caused accident. I had dealer replace all brake lines.
While stopping at a stoplight a mile from my home, I noticed the brakes seemed soft on my 2003 chevy silverado 2500hd diesel with 95,000 miles. After coming to a stop I pumped the brakes and felt and heard the brake line burst as the pedal went to the floor. The brakes were completely gone. Using the emergency brake I was able to turn around and make it back to my home where I parked the truck and it hasn't moved since. I crawled under the truck and discovered that the rusty brake line going from the master cylinder to the ABS unit just below the divers side door, had bust open and failed. The other brake lines also appear very heavily rusted, and after this experience I would not drive the truck again until they are all replaced. In all my years of living in new england and owning several gm vehicles, I have never had to replace brake lines due to rust or corrosion. I feel very lucky not to have been moving when that particular line burst. I would have been unable to stop as it caused a immediate and complete failure to the braking system. It seems clear to me that a higher quality brake line should be used to prevent this from happening.
My 2003 silverado has a great deal of rust on the under carriage of the truck. Most would consider it surface rust, but the brake lines disturbed me. I was worried about them rusting through. Sure enough, while towing my trailer I had to stop for a quick changing traffic light, and my foot went to the floor. Pumping did not help much since both main lines going to ABS unit (located under the truck) blew out. I used my trailer brakes to help stop the truck. I had my truck towed to my mechanic and we felt it was unsafe to drive the truck with the other brake lines in the same condition. We replaced all the lines with stainless steel ($350). But since the rust effected all of the calipers, they had to be replaced as well as the rotors. I have the old lines for inspection updated 05/11/10.
Rusted out brake lines with subsequent loss of brakes. This is the second time the brake lines failed. Lines were replaced. Damaged lines were saved and are available for inspection. Dimmitt chevrolet and general motors customer assistant center refused to investigate this problem!
I bought my 2003 silverado new. No complaints until 2008 when the brake rotors and calipers started rusting.toward the end of the year I replaced the front rotors with new and exercised the calipers. I drove it a month and the rear brakes were acting up. I parked it until 2009 and tried driving it again. The rear brakes were acting as if they were not even there. I removed the wheels and found nothing but rust. Not just surface rust but deep pitted rust on the rotors and calipers. I replaced the rear rotors and calipers, installed new pads and bled the system, front and rear. Also noticed the brake lines are severely rusted but did not change them yet. I drove the truck for a week and was pleased with the way the brakes were working. Then the anti-lock brake light came on followed by the regular brake light. Everything looked normal, fluid level, no leaks, brakes seemed to work ok but wasn't going to chance it. I parked the truck and called the dealer and they said the only recall was for front ABS sensors. How can a vehicle with less than 35,000 miles have its brakes turn into a ball of rust ! I owned a 88 silverado with 210,000 miles with no problems with the brakes. They must be using cheap chinese rotors and calipers. I'm luckier than most, I haven't had any close calls. I'm just disappointed in gm accountability. Hope you enjoyed your bonus I gave you.
Brake lines corroded causing lack of braking ability. Vehicle is a 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500hd with 51848 miles. Brake lines were replaced, as all were corroded (material problem).
2003 chevrolet 2500 hd pick-up. I pulled into my driveway slowly and when I applied my brakes to stop, the brakes failed. Grabbed emergency brake to stop truck. Upon inspection, rear driver side metal brake line had split in the bend it makes to reach the rear axle from the frame. All connections were tight and leak free. Metal line had corroded and failed for no reason.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500. The front and rear brake rotors dissenigrated and fell apart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on two occasions. The dealer replaced the rotors on the rear and front brakes. The brakes failed and the brake shoes fell off of the truck 5,000 miles after the rotors were replaced. There were no recalls and the dealer stated that the contact is responsible for the repair cost. The failure mileage was 32,754.
My wife bought a used 2003 chevy silverado 2500hd from a dealership about a month ago. We have two problems which seem to be common with this vehicle. The first problem is that the ABS system seems to engage at low speed, causing the truck to continue moving forward. I also would smell burning hydraulic fluid. I thought that the brakes needed bled or it had a leak somewhere. I took it to the dealer and they could not find the source of the leak. They were able to tell me that the cause of the problem with the truck not stopping was the ABS sensor needed to have the rust removed from underneath it. This would cost around $300 dollars, depending on what else needed done. They told me this yesterday. This leads me to the second problem. I was at my friend's house and when I went to leave the brake pedal went to the floor. I looked underneath and saw a large puddle of hydraulic fluid on the ground. A closer inspection revealed that the brake lines were rusted out. Luckily, the vehicle wasn't moving and nobody was hurt.
The ABS system activates at low speed on dry pavement during a normal stop which causes the vehicle to travel farther than expected and requires extra pedal pressure to complete the stop. This has resulted in numerous near-misses to vehicles in front of me at intersections, parking lots, etc.
The ABS system on my 2003 chevy c2500hd pick up truck were malfunctioning constantly for several weeks. Each and every time I came to a stop the ABS system would engage, the pedal would almost bottom out and the truck was hard to stop. And several times I was almost in the middle of an intersection before stopping.the right and left ABS sensors were replaced with new sensors at a cost of almost $500.00. I was not given the old parts. This 03 truck has only 41,000 miles and I fill that the original sensors were defective. These sensors are not a normal maintenance part and are not like filter,oil changes ,brakes jobs wiper blades which are normal wear and tear items. These sensors are an very important part of the entire brake system . I believe chevrolet has a problem with this part but will not acknowledge their responsibility in this matter. I have complained to chevrolet motor division and told them that chevrolet should pay for the premature failure of these parts.. These faulty sensors can cause an accident..
Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado k2500hd. The contact stated that corrosion in the break line of his vehicle caused break fluid leakage. Break failure increases the risk of vehicle crash. He is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. He filed a complaint with the manufacturer.the current and failure mileages were 80,000.
The anti-lock brakes activate at low speeds when the brakes are applied, which increases the stopping distance. This happens about half the time that I brake and at other times the brakes operate normally. You have to assume that the anti-lock brakes are going to kick in each time that you apply the brakes to avoid hitting another car in the rear or going into an intersection.
2003 chevrolet silverado 2500hd, 6.0 4wd ls. Current mileage: 94,000 miles. Vehicle is well out of warranty. In iowa. 1st owner. Brake failure or really spongy brakes. Requires multiple pedal pumps to slow vehicle down or applying brake pedal to the floor to stop at stop sign in city driving. I removed the front tires and inspected the pads and rotors. Front pads had 75%+ material on them. The inside of each rotor had 50% contact surface on them. I took them into o'reillys in council bluffs, iowa where they turned them down enough to clean up both sides of rotors. Rotor were rusting and flaking. I have not inspected rear rotors or pads as of yet. Was told by technician that chevrolet had problems with rotor. After replacing turned rotor and installing new pads brakes go unchanged. Inspection of rear rotors and pads will occur 22 june 2009. With numerous complaints concerning a major safety issue, gm/chevrolet should invest in dealing with correcting this issue to avoid losing their loyal customers. I understand that a few here and there, but when multiple chevy site say the exact same thing....how many of us silverado owners haven't posted on here??? I love my silverado and will try to keep it until the wheels fall off...ok wrong choice of words....but if there is a means to correct this, whether if it is on the 1500 to the 3500hd, especially brake system, gm/chevrolet needs to roger up and fix this! Having brakes are important, unless your a crash test dummy!!!!
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