The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated while driving at 45 mph, he would have to increase the braking distance when depressing the brake pedal. The contact also stated that he would have to depress the brake pedal harder when driving at 45 mph as the vehicle failed to stop or slow down in a timely manner. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a power brake assist vacuum needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to the federal safety agency campaign number: 19V645000 (Service brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Chevrolet Silverado spongy pedal problems
60 of the 8,746 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Silverado describe soft or spongy brake pedal, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 60
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 43,000
By model year
Often reported together
Brake failure 19ABS 16Harsh shifting 2Premature wear 1Misfire 1Fuel leak 1Fire or smoke 1Grinding brakes 1
What owners say
My 2017 silverado is experiencing a very hard brake pedal at slow speeds. I took it into the dealership in october 2019 for the recall pertaining to this issue where they reprogram the braking unit. I had taken it in for that recall just as a preventative measure but now 4 months later I have a very hard brake pedal at slow speeds. I had not had a braking issue until now. When it acts up the pedal is so hard it makes it difficult to stop the truck. It seems to have a hard brake pedal when I'm going slow as in bumper to bumper traffic or parking the vehicle in a parking lot while applying the brakes off and on while doing so.
2017 chev. Silverado 1500 ltz .. 21,240k miles .. I pulled into my church parking lot. And at low speed, I pulled forward stopped and started backing in to the space, I then pulled forward to straighten out and when I went to stop this time the pedal was hard. I was barley rolling and had both feet pushing on the pedal and stopped just in time to not hit a parked car. Then I backed into the space and again a hard pedal with virtually no brakes. Manufacturer recall number n192268490 the federal safety agency recall number 19v645
I was in an accident on thursday, august 22 where I slammed into the back of another vehicle on the road. I had at least 40 feet to stop and I literally stood on teh brakes and truck barely slowed down and before colliding with the other vehicle. I received a letter from gm a few months ago saying the brake assist pump may be faulty and that I could get it replaced even though if it were to fail the truck would still brake within "standard". I didnt think anything of it since it wasn't described as an emergency and I thought I would have ti taken care of the next time I took the truck in for service. My wife had commented on my brakes feeling spongy. After the wreck I was so disturbed by how poorly the truck responded to forcibly depressing the brakes pedal that I started researching and I found where the federal safety agency was investigating this very issue in the 2014-16 silverados and I feel strongly that my issue should be included in this investigation. The truck should have stopped and I think a recall should be issued. The brakes do no operate within "standard" when the brake assist pump stops working.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 chevrolet silverado. While driving 35 MPH, the brakes failed without warning. The brake pedal became stiff and unresponsive. The contact had to place excessive pressure on the brake pedal just to get the vehicle to slow down. The contact also stated that the brakes made a grinding noise. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 43,000.
While driving my 2004 chevrolet z71 crewcab silverado the brake pedal went all the way to the floor with no warning sign such as soft pedal or warning light. I avoided rear ending the car in front of me because I was going slow enough in traffic to use my emergency brake. Upon inspection if found the brake reservoir below minimum and no visible leaks in my garage so I filled with dot3 fluid per owners manual. Upon depressing the brake pedal seeking a firm pedal the rear hard brake line burst. Further examination revealed all brake lines were rusted and in need of replacement, not just the burst line. My truck is not a daily driver and seldom driven on salted or chemical treated roads. When it is I always take is to my local car wash that has an undercarriage wash. I have noticed multiple complaints on brake lines for this vehicle with no recall. This is the first time I have ever heard of brake lines rusting to failure on a vehicle that is under 20 years old. Please insist chevrolet do a recall before someone gets hurt and those of us that own this vehicle can be reimbursed, retroactively if necessary. Thank you.
Happened in the driveway, thankfully. Brake pedal spongy, pushed again and went to the floor. Got out of the truck and found a puddle of brake fluid under the driver's side. Further inspection, the brake line has rusted through and was spraying fluid when the pedal was pushed. Complete failure of brakes. Thank goodness for the e brake.
While approaching stop sign/intersection brake pedal went completely to the floor with no resistance, truck failed to stop until well past intersection. Have experienced ABS pulsating and soft pedal several times prior to this incident since approximately 30,000 miles, this truck has been well maintained and has very low miles.
I had a soft brake pedal on my 2005 silverado. I thought I had a bad master cylinder. I work at an audi dealership and I was bringing the vehicle to work to check it out. As I approached the driveway to work, the brake pedal went to the floor. I used the emergency brake to slow down and pull into,the driveway. We inspected the vehicle at work and found that a steel brake line under the drivers side that runs along the frame rail had a hole in it due to rust. I find this completely unacceptable that a steel brake line rust through. Chevrolet used a poor material on their brake lines. I have been in the automotive business for 31 years in connecticut ( yes, salt is used on the roads ) and have worked for ford, volvo, hummer and audi. I have never seen a brake line rust through. Chevrolet needs to fix this issue at their expense and not the consumers. The dealership wants $1500.00 to repair using the same brake lines. I have purchased stainless steel lines and will perform the repairs at my shop .
Brakes are spongy does not stop truck until pumped,power train clunking noise when turning and shifting,electrical at times dash lights dim at any given time, many other complaints very rough ride, trans shifts very hard, when coming to a traffic light runs rough. Has been to dealer once and last thursday got a call from gm the dealership has not responded to my problems.
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
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator may crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
- Risk
- If a separation occurred and the hood of the vehicle were open, fragments from the accumulator could cause injury to people in the immediate area. The presence of this crack or fractured surface could allow the hydraulic fluid to leak from the accumulator circuit of the booster assembly. The loss of fluid would cause increased steering and braking effort and a crash may occur without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge. The recall began on march 23, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc trucks at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493.
Recall number 05V043000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, ?passenger car brake systems.? Some of these vehicles were produced with an out-of-specification brake hydro-boost housing relief valve bore.
- Risk
- Consequently, the valve o-ring seal may fracture. Steering efforts may be slightly increased while braking or parking. Under certain driving conditions, a fractured seal may require a slight increase in the applied brake pedal effort to achieve the same vehicle deceleration rate as prior to the seat fracture.
- Remedy
- Dealers are to replace the hydro-boost relief valve. The recall began on june 18, 2004. Owners should contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463; or hummer at 1‑866‑486‑6376.
Recall number 04V045000 · 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
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.
- Risk
- The base brakes would remain fully functional, but the dynamic rear proportioning (drp) system, which optimizes front to rear brake balance, would become inoperative.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.
Recall number 00V055000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Silverado spongy pedal
Which Chevrolet Silverado years have soft or spongy brake pedal problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (9 complaints), 1999 (8 complaints) and 2000 (6 complaints).
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