Truck has just over 150k miles. Maintained well and garaged when possible. 1) Noticed a fuel smell from the driver side door area and after parking for a long weekend, a small pool of liquid formed in front of the driver side rear wheel. It was fuel dripping from the line leaving the evap canister that had rusted through. Resulted in a $600 repair to replace all rusted fuel lines so as to eliminate the risk of fire. 2) When approaching an intersection to make a left turn and slowing down the brake pedal pushes to the floor with no stopping power at all. Used the engine/trans in manual mode to slow the truck down and avoid an accident. Driver side brake lines are blown out in multiple spots near the ABS module due to corrosion. Potential cost based on research is in the $1000 ballpark. This level of rust on critical vehicle components is irresponsible and potentially deadly. GM needs to take this more seriously and realize that their cost-cutting measures are putting people and their families in grave danger.
2001 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes problems
108 complaints (77% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 96,000. 7 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 108
- of this car's complaints
- 77%
- typical mileage
- 96,000
- crashes
- 7
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip19
- Foundation components: disc: rotor3
- Foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings1
- Foundation components: disc: pads1
- Foundation components: disc: caliper1
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: ABS warning light1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
GMC Sierra 1500 brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Parking brake failure
In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified the federal safety agency that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly on vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system. A total of 58 non-duplicative complaints were received by odi and gm concerning the approximately 59,000 my 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series pickup trucks with the pbr parking brake system.these included 22 alleged rollaway incidents, resulting in a rate of 38.5 rollaway incidents per 100,000 vehicles.odi is aware of 24 complaints regarding the my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series manual transmission trucks recalled by gm, including 5 alleging rollaway incidents.though the conditions described in gm's letter are also present in the c/k trucks with automatic transmissions, the rollaway rate in those vehicles was similar to those observed in peer vehicles studied by odi in this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. For additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA04011
Parking brake failure
Odi opened pe03-057 to assess parking brake ineffectiveness in the subject vehicles.these vehicles are equipped with four wheel disc brakes that incorporate a single-shoe drum-in-hat parking brake independent of the service brakes.complaint and warranty data indicate that the parking brake linings tend to wear out early in the life of the vehicle (at an average of 24 months in service), reducing the parking brake system's torque below that needed to immobilize the vehicle.gm has attributed this accelerated wear to foreign material intrusion and a failure of the brake shoe to properly self-center within its brake drum.effective with the start of my 2003 production, a newer reduced force hold-down clip was introduced to facilitate brake shoe disengagement from the drum surface.this part is also available at the service level for the my 1999-2002 vehicles.gm has indicated that the paking brake is intended to operate in conjunction with the transmission to immobilze parked vehicles, and that in many cases, accelerated parking brake lining wear is caused by rough use, vehicle modifications, and driving with the parking engaged. Odi has upgraded the preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis to gather further information concerning parking brake usage factors and the circumstances surrounding the seventeen reported vehicle crashes.
PE03057
What 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The ABS and break system warning light has been coming on and staying on. I lost my breaks leaving a parking spot at my local walmart as I was pulling out of a parking spot! We then made appointment for the break system to be checked/repaired. The ABS control system light went off for awhile but then comes back on even after the repair of said repair to break lines. My truck also has no fuel gauge that does not work. With these issues on my vehicle makes it very scary to drive and makes driving limited. I am not able to drive my truck long distances due to concerns of safety and possibly of ABS warning light, break issues, and fuel gauge! I was driving my truck to pick one of my daughters up from school to lose power while pushing on gas then some jerking and a foul smell of rubber burning coming from the front right tire area. I then had someone look at the truck and was told that what ever it was happening that everything looked okay and it was possible just a break sticking. It has happened 3 different times. My truck still has approximately 98,000 or so miles on it. This truck also has bad corrosion on bottom baseboards of the truck. I saw below that I am asked for specific date of issues. I can not provide specific dates since there has been so many things wrong which has happened at different times.
Abs message light came on consistently and due to the safety issue explained by my mechanic shop, I had the wheel speed sensor changed and now about 6 months later the ABS message light is now appearing in the message board again intermintently. I read where gmc started a recall on september 22,2005 for this same problem which called( gm recall # 05068) but only for "salt belt states" "service brakes, hydraulic:antilock".interestingly my state was left off of the list. I called gmc and they indicate there was no such recall and suggested I call the federal safety agency. I have now noticed that my brakes lock up and do not have the antilock system operating.
Brake lines rusted out under drivers side cab. Truck stuck in driveway. Lucky it did not happen on highway will cost almost as mush as truck is worth to have all new brake lines installed
Rusted out fuel lines. Had to replace all fuel lines. Rusted out brake lines. Brakes gave out while driving. Luckly no accident. Had to replace all brake lines.
Lost all brakes on my 01' gmc sierra 1500 sle 4x4 while braking on an off ramp, pedal went all the way to the floor. Brake lines appear to be completely rusted out, which doesn't make sense when I have a 5 year older honda civic, with 110k more miles on it, and the brake likes do not look near as bad. Both spent their lives in minnesota / wisconsin. After doing some googling, it appears this is extremely common with 2000-2003 gm trucks. If this wasn't a manufacturing defect, wouldn't all uncoated brake lines rust out at similar rates, in the same conditions? Mind boggling that gm is able to get away with not having to spend the cash to correct this problem. As if that money is worth more then the persons life.
Was on my way home, when I went to turn left onto my road. My brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I had to accelerate across a main road because a vehicle came up over the hill at me and I could not stop the truck. I coasted down a hill until the truck stopped rolling. When it was towed to a service station the mechanic noted a rusted out hole in my brake line. This is the 2nd time this has happened. The last time was in 2013. Yet the manufacturer does nothing to address this!!!!!!!
While driving in downtown city area, vehicle in motion, attempted to apply brakes and pedal went straight to floor almost causing an accident. There was no warning to loss of braking system. Vehicle was brought to residence and reviewed. Brake lines from master cylinder have suffered rust damage and caused a failure of the braking system. Upon further review all brake lines on vehicle are exhibiting extreme corrosion to a system that should not be rusting.
Takata recall ABS & parking brake light coming on. Clean connections, lights went out. Went down the road about 3 miles, lights came back on. Sometimes starting up in the morning, lights will be off. Get down the road about 3 to 5 miles lights come back on. According to internet there is a bad soldering connection in the control module. Has this been a recall at any time. When lights come on, electric brakes to trailer are in optimal.
Brake line failure. I had complete brake line failure while coming to a stop at a busy road. I was lucky I was able to honk my horn and go through the light. I drive this truck almost every day and had this happened on my normal daily commute this could have been a disaster. It is ridiculous that stainless steel lines were not used on such a vital part of the vehicle. Now I am looking at a lot of money to replace all the lines. I do not have a bill to upload at this time as the repair work has not been completed yet.
Questions about the 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes
Does the 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 108 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 GMC Sierra 1500, 77% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 96,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the GMC Sierra 1500 have bad brakes?
The GMC Sierra 1500 model years with the most brakes complaints are 2015 (229 complaints), 2014 (144 complaints) and 2000 (131 complaints).
Other 2001 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
Fuel system 17Electrical 7Body 6Engine 5Wheels 4Airbags 3Transmission 3Steering 2Tires 2Acceleration 1Seat belts 1Suspension 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 GMC Sierra 1500?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history