Brake lines had excessive amount of corrosion/rusted causing a leak(s). Lines going from the ABS module to the front brakes were found to be leaking. Lines going from the ABS system to the reservoir were also rusted and required replacement. Lines from the ABS system to the rear brakes began leaking a week later.
2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500: ABS light or ABS activating
5 of the 42 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 describe ABS light or ABS activating.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 40,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 7 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
ABS light or ABS activating by model year
What owners say
Full brake system failure. During a panic stop to avoid a multi-car accident all the metal brake lines between the ABS module and the wheel ends burst due to rust and corrosion build up. All the metal lines must be replaced with new.
I have a 2003 chevy k3500 silverado truck, with about 60,000 miles. As of december 2010, I have suffered two brake line failures due to corrosion, wherein a steel rigid brake line rusted completely through, resulting in brake loss. I live in ohio, and salt is used on roads, however, in my 30 years of driving, I have never had another vehicle, regardless of age or miles, which suffered a catastrophic failure of the steel brake lines. In both cases of failure, I was lucky in that I was not in a heavy pressure situation, and luckily avoided accidents. I have now largely replaced the entire brake line infrastructure of the truck, at considerable personal time and expense, however, problems still include the fact that corrosion continuously affects the performance of the front wheel speed sensors as they input to the ABS system. They constantly fail to sense wheel speed at lower speeds which results in erroneous activation of the ABS action. The sensors were replaced once at 30,000 miles, and they lasted about 15,000 miles before going bad again. This compares to a 2004 toyota sienna minivan which was sold a few months ago at 215,000 miles with zero problems, both with respect to steel brake line integrity as well as ABS sensor integrity. I consider the brake system on the 2003 silverado truck to be of very questionable integrity.
Abs at low speed activates, braking pedal low.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 3500. The contact stated that the ABS warning light and service brake light illuminated after starting the vehicle. As of december 7, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact felt that the electronic control module caused the failure. The current and failure mileages were 6,500. Updated 03-04-08 *bf updated 03/04/08
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 abs
Is ABS light or ABS activating a common problem on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
5 of 42 owner complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 (12%) mention ABS light or ABS activating. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
There are 0 recalls and 7 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history