Driving along road, brake pedal went to the floor when I attempted to stop. Upon inspection, discovered that the hydraulic line going from the ABS module to the rear brakes had ruptured due to corrosion. Upon further inspection it has been determined that all of the hydraulic brake lines are swollen and corroded to the point of failure and must be replaced at a cost of over $1200. My truck has not moved since, as I cannot afford to repair this issue.
1999 Chevrolet Silverado: brake failure
124 of the 1,659 complaints about the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 124
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 78,500
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 26 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
While approaching intersection put on brakes and they failed, pedal went to the floor. If I had not been a test driver for chrysler corp. And doing lots of brake and suspension work I could have easily been seriously hurt. The brake lines were shot, rusted through. This vehicle has spent it's life in fl. No salt on the road. I know you have ruled on this being a recall, but I think you made a huge mistake, someone will be killed by this. Thanks
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 chevrolet silverado. While driving 20 MPH and attempting to engage the brakes, the accelerator pedal went to the floor and the brakes failed without warning. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the brake line was corroded. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence where he discovered large amounts of brake fluid leaking from various spots on the brake line. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,000.
I was driving home on memorial day 2014 pulling my boat and trailer. Traffic was stopped outside crivitz, wi and I had to hit my brake pedal. It went right to the floor - no brakes at all - contrary to the gm info in an article I read on yahoo. I quickly hit the shoulder, fortunately wide and hard, and coasted into a mini mall in crivitz. Down shifted as I went and hit the emergency in the mall lot. Feel very fortunate that my wife and I are alive as well as those in front of us. Both back brake lines were blown as well as a front. Truck is maintained every 3-4 months. Gm is full of beans. I have driven numerous chevrolet cars in excess 0f 180,00 miles without any brake line issues. This to me is faulty engineering. $1100+ to repair.
One morning out of the blue when I went to drive my truck, pressed the brake pedal to put it in gear my pedal went to the floor with very little give. Looking under the truck I notice a metal brake line has a hole. The worst part, all the medal brake lines are so rusted it looks as if they could all fail at any time.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 chevrolet silverado. While driving 35 MPH and approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal sank to the floorboard when depressed. The contact had to quickly shift the transmission in order to stop the vehicle safely. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The contact determined that the ABS hydraulic unit would need to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was not informed if the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 00v345000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and the federal safety agency campaign number: 00x001000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The approximate failure mileage was 185,000.
I was moving the 1999 chevrolet silverado 1500 in my driveway to make room to move another car. I backed the truck into my turn around, then put the truck into drive to move it forward a little. When I pushed on the brakes to stop the pedal went halfway to the floor stopped them went clear to the floor. I had no brakes, other than the emergency brake on the truck, which I used to stop the truck. After getting the truck stopped and to a spot I could inspect it. I discovered that two brake lines had burst and were leaking fluid onto the ground. The breaks were not in a bend in the line where they seems to typically happen. They were in a straight section just underneath the drivers side door where the lines run along the frame. Upon further inspection I noticed that all the brake lines were as heavily corroded as the section that had burst. Luckily this happened in the driveway as I was preparing to leave in the truck.
While bringing vehicle to a stop, brake pedal was depressed as normal but the pedal went all the way to the floor. Steel brake line burst and fluid was dispersed on the ground. All steel brake lines were extremely rusted. I replaced entire original steel line system with new stainless steel lines at a cost of $596.
Brake failure, upon leaving my home I approached hwy62 to make my stop at the end of my street, when I applied the brakes it began to slow then the pedal went to the floor and I was forced to go onto state highway 62 without stopping. I was lucky that no traffic was coming at that moment. As the speed limit on that part of hwy62 is 40mph. I made a slow loop back home. I inspected my vehicle to see burst brake line that was rusted badly near the frame at rear of truck. I had a wrecker tow it to a local shop. Then to find out the brake lines were rotted out. $306.93 in repairs.
Brakes failed on my 1999 chevrolet silverado in september of 2012 as I approached a four way intersection. I was unable to stop the truck and went right through the intersection. Fortunately, the intersection was in a rural area and there were no other cars around or there would have been no way to have avoided an awful accident. Chevrolet dealer said the rear brakes line had failed and fabricated a stainless steel brake line to replace the original. The incident cost me $1500 to replace the brake lines. The silverado had approximately 90,000 miles on it at the time. In another report to the federal safety agency, I reported that the front brake lines had failed about five years earlier and resulted in another horrifying inability to stop the silverado.
Brake line ruptured and instant loss of brakes no warning when it happened. Brake lines are completely rusted.
Driving home last night when I approached the driveway, the brake pedal went to the floor. Brake fluid was running down the gas tank. Further inspection this morning indicated the line had burst just above the tank from corrosion. All steel lines are rusted and need to be replaced. Also the frame is rusting so bad it looks like the pictures of the titanic.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- Chevrolet/gmc/cadillac: anytime hydraulic brake pipes assembly need replacing, pre-formed and pre-flared...
- Antilock brake (ABS) activation at low speeds (clean wheel speed sensor mounting surface)
- ABS light on, dtc's C0265, C0201, U1041 set and/or loss of communication with brake module
- Antilock brake (ABS) activation at low speeds
- Anti-lock brake system (ABS) light on, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS) C0265, C0201, U1041 set and/or loss...
- Supplement to 04094 front wheel speed sensor corrosion
- Product safety recall regarding front wheel speed sensor corrosion
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles may experience unwanted antilock brake system (ABS) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas. This recall will be launched in the "salt belt" states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maryland, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia only.
- Risk
- This can cause increased stopping distances during low-speed brake applications, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel speed sensor, and check the peak-to-peak output voltage to ensure the wheel speed signal is within specifications. The recall began september 22, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 05V379000 · Recall details
Parking brake
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions and built with either pbr parking brake systems or trw parking brake systems, the parking brake friction linings may wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.
- Risk
- If the parking brake does not hold, unintended vehicle movement could occur, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with a pbr parking brake system. On vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system, dealers will install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly. The recall began on july 29, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 05V161000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a clearance condition between the front right-hand brake pipe and the body cross sill that could decrease to the point of allowing contact during the life of the vehicle. If contact occurs and the brake pipe becomes damaged, in half of the brake system there can be a loss of brake fluid and pressure. The brake warning lamp will be activated when the brake fluid level reaches the indicator limit.
- Risk
- During braking, the pedal will be lower than normal and stopping distances will be longer. If this occurs when stopping distance is limited, a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the front right-hand brake pipe for wear. If there are signs of wear, this section of the brake pipe will be replaced with a new designed brake pipe section. If there are not signs of wear on the brake pipe, the dealer will install a spacer clip to ensure sufficient clearance between the brake pipe and the body cross sill.
Recall number 00V345000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado?
124 of 1,659 owner complaints about the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado (7%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 1999.
How much does it cost to fix brake failure on the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 18 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado?
There are 3 recalls and 26 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado
ABS 582Tire blowout 31Grinding brakes 26Seat belt 21No deployment 20Knocking 19Harsh shifting 18Fuel gauge 17Stalling 16Jerking 15Pulling 11Headlights 10Steering noise 10Sudden acceleration 10Power steering loss 9Battery drain 8Loss of power 8Spongy pedal 8Fuel pump 7Water leak 7Ball joint 6Fire or smoke 6Power windows 6Slipping 6Won't shift 6Whining noise 6Premature wear 5
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