1999 Chevrolet Silverado: battery drain or dead battery

Filed Dec 9, 2005 · Brakes, Electrical · 108,000 miles · IL

I woke up to a dead battery yesterday on my 1999 z71 silverado. I jumped the vehicle and drove to the local auto parts store to replace the battery since it was the original and I did not want to get stranded in 0 degree weather. In route, my ABS light came on and a loud motor sound came from under the vehicle. This noise did not cease once I turned the vehicle off. I replaced the battery & drove to my dealer. He opened the hood and pulled the ABS fuse and said "you can fix it this way or the expensive way for $1500." I plan on keeping the vehicle for a couple more years and drive three small children in this vehicle so safety is of my utmost concern. The dealer replaced the ecbm for over $1100. There are many complaints on this site as well as numerous other forums. This is not an isolated problem. Gm needs to do the right thing and issue at least a recall to inspect these units as they are in an area on the vehicle that is subject to road debris & corrosion. And ultimately reimburse any silverado owners for expenses incurred to replace this unit. How many complaints does it take to get an action out of chevrolet? Hopefully they respond before someone gets hurt.

Filed Oct 20, 2005 · Brakes · TN

Dt: 1999 chevrolet silverado half ton pick up truck. The consumer complained about the anti lock brake system. Spoken to the manufacturer on september 28, 2005, and they said it was not under any recall due to the VIN. Recall 05v379000 was issued on the year, make and model of my truck on august, 29, 2005. When approaching a stop it took a longer time to stop the vehicle. In inclement weather vehicle did not grip the road. It would hydroplane more often. This started in november 2003, pulled the fuse on the ABS pump because it shorted out and would drain the battery. It will cost $1,200 - $1,300 to repair the pump. When this first started to happen the consumer lived in north carolina, and it was during a snow storm. Too many failures to count. *ak the consumer's vehicle was not included in the recall because it was not registered in a snow belt state.

Filed Dec 31, 2003 · Brakes · 53,268 miles · MD

I own a 1999 chevrolet silverado extended cab 4wd pickup. The antilock brake system electronic control module (ebcm) locked on and would not turn off even with the ignition turned off. When I contacted a chevrolet dealer, I was told to remove the 60 amp fuse in the electric control center under the hood, and that will turn the ABS module off so as to not drain the battery. I was also told that this is a common problem with this year and model truck and as of now gm will not replace it free of charge. I was told that the cost to replace the module was at least $1,000 and many replaced modules go bad also, but that I could still drive my truck without the ABS system and I would have standard braking, the ABS and brake light would just remain illuminated on the dash panel. I searched the web using google and found more of the same complaint then I could count. After going on the federal safety agency web site I found about 100 complaints of the same problem that I have. I also checked the federal safety agency recall list and found a safety recall (the federal safety agency recall no. 00v055/gm recall no. 00013) on 10,600 2000 chevrolet silverado, s10, and serra trucks for a defective antilock brake system motor that may become non-functional and cause the dynamic rear proprotioning (drp) system, which optimizes front to rear brake balance, to become inoperative, increasing the likelihood of a crash. Now after checking in a repair manual and with an independent mechanic I discovered that the same thing will happen on my truck without the ABS module activated, and gm dealers are telling people with this problem that it is an acceptable practice to drive the truck with the ABS deactivated. Are 1999 chevrolet truck owners more expendable then 2000 gm truck owners? I would think that there are probably as many 1999 gm trucks out on the roads as 2000 trucks, and I wonder how many have the ABS system disabled. I feel the federal safety agency needs to look into this unsafe condition.

Filed May 6, 2003 · Brakes · OH

Abs pump wont shut off, caused a dead battery which in turn caused me to be late for work on a very important day at work which caused me to be transferred. I went to chevy dealer and they said around $1000 to fix or to pull the fuse. I pulled the fuse but I now have to drive around with 2 lights lit on my dashboard at all times. My next vehicle will be a toyota!!!

Filed Apr 8, 2003 · Brakes · OH

Abs brake module went out, had to disconnect to prevent battery drain from the ABS pump constantly running. Abs brakes is represented as a safety feature, I know of multiple instances other than myself of this problem occurring.

Filed Jul 26, 2002 · Brakes · OH

The anti-lock brake pump, a major componet, of the ABS system, continues to run constantly. This causes a drain on the battery. The pump must be disconnected to prevent battery drain. Disconnecting disables the anit-lock system. At only 22,000 miles this is obscene! Dealer refuses to pay for repair.

Filed Apr 23, 2002 · Brakes · FL

Electronic braking control module, which is part of the ABS brake system, malfunctioned, resulting in lack of ABS brakes. Also caused battery to drain within 12 hours with vehicle turned off.*ak consumer disconnected fuse for ABS brakes to prevent battery drain, the motor continues to run after the vehicle is turned off.

Filed Oct 11, 2001 · Brakes · WI

Abs system has been failing since the time I purchased the vehicle. Abs engages when braking on rough surfaces causing vehicle to coast and not come to a stop. When ABS is engaged no control of braking or steering is available. Now on 10/10/01 I was pulling out of my driveway and I heard and felt a loud vibrating. I shut off the vehicle and the vibrations continued. I called the dealer service center at marquart and they said they knew what the problem was and that I needed to pull the fuse for the ABS or it would drain the battery. The service tech said that he has seen this happen quite a bit and replacement is needed. Well now I have no ABS and it is over $1,000 to fix. This is a known safety problem and needs to be taken care of by the manufacturer.