Brake lines rusted through prematurely and without warning pedal goes to floor with no stopping power
2002 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 127, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Thankfully I was in a parking lot, I was backing up and my brake pedal went right to the floor and I had no brakes at all. The brake line on the driver's side front burst. I have my truck at a local shop and its going to cost around $1500 to replace the brake lines. The cost is mostly labor. If loose the front brakes, I would expect the rear brakes to work but that is not the case. I am thankful I was not on the highway or pulling a trailer. I could of got hurt or hurt someone else. Gm needs to look into the quality of parts used in their vehicle especially something as important as brakes.
While on state highway and driving the legal limit, I was approaching a green traffic signal. An ambulance with emergency lights was approaching from the cross direction. I applied brakes and without warning brakes pressure completely failed. I had absolute minimal brakes and I went completely through the intersection. It appears to be rusted brake lines. When I apply the brakes, brake fluid squirts out of the front passenger side brake line where it crosses over from the driver's side. I have had all my work done at gm dealers and they never have mentioned this issue. I searched the internet and see multiple reports on this issue and that gm states this is a maintenance issue. I am over 60 and have never had a vehicle where the brake lines needed to be replaced. I was fortunate that my lane was clear or this would have resulted in an accident. It is beyond rational thought as to how gm can say this materials defect is not their problem. The federal safety agency should reevaluate this issue and force gm to recall their product before lives are lost.
All brake lines have rotted out
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierra 1500. While driving at a low speed, the brake warning indicator illuminated and the brakes failed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake line failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,988. Updated 02/12/16*lj
I recently took my truck off the road to replace the shock absorbers. While replacing the rear shocks, I noticed that the brake pads were worn to less than one eighth inch thick. I then looked at the front brake pads and noted that they had hardly any wear. I understand that the front brakes do 70% of the braking and the rear brakes do 30%. That made my finding abnormal. All the brake pads and rotors were replaced, at the same time, about one year ago. When I prepared to change the front shocks, I noted that the ABS dashboard light was on. I was turning the vehicle around at the time and when I approached the garage I applied the brakes and the pedal went all the way to the floor. A few seconds later, I felt the brakes modulating and the pedal was forcefully pushed back up to the at rest position. The truck continued to roll and the brakes were ineffective. I have always believed that a dual (front/rear) braking system was a safety feature. I was incredulous that this was even possible. I feel fortunate that I was only navigating in my yard. I pull a 27 foot fifth wheel with this truck several times a year. I can only imagine the outcome if this event happened on the highway with the rv attached. I found many anecdotal stories that were similar to mine on several websites. As of now, this truck is grounded until I find a satisfactory explanation for this. The brake fluid reservoir was found to be completely full of brake fluid and an inspection of the brake lines revealed no sign of leakage. I have not yet delved into the trucks ABS system, but I have strong reason to believe it is defective.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierra 1500. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the brakes failed. The vehicle had to be towed to a independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake hose needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown.
Slowed down and turned into a parking spot and the ABS system kicked in. Did get the pickup stopped and noticed brake fluid leaking by the driver real wheel. Had almost no brakes getting the pickup home. Upon inspection found the rear brake line had ruptured due to corrosion. The ABS system has been kicking for no reason before this. Talked to a mechanic and he said there have been a lot of corrosion problems with the 1999 to 2003 gm pickups.
On the morning of friday august 21, 2015, my wife went to move my 2002 gmc sierra. She pulled out of our driveway and proceeded up-hill about 300-400 feet, and then turned around in a neighbor's driveway, when coming back down the hill she tried to brake to stop in front of our house, but the brakes totally failed without any warning. She then went up a slight hill on the other side of our house, but still couldn't stop, and didn't think to put the truck in park as she slowed. She rolled backwards down the hill and was able to steer into a neighbor's yard where the truck came to rest on a berm. At the time she said there were cars parked on both sides of the street and had a car been coming the opposite direction she would have crashed into it. Had there been pedestrians they could have been hit as well. When I came home that afternoon, I added brake fluid to the reservoir, and then pushed on the brake pedal. I saw a huge stream of fluid pour from below the driver's side door. I looked under the truck and found the brake lines surprisingly corroded. If sudden, immediate loss of brakes without any warning is not cause for a recall I do not know what is.
Pulling into my driveway truck started to slow then the pedal went to the floor. Tried pumping the brakes but did not stop untill I hit two garbage cans and pushed them into my garage door. I now have a truck I cant drive and a garage door that will have to be replaced. There was no warning I am just fortinate that no one was infront of this truck. One of the lines to the rear of the truck blew out and lost its fluid all over my driveway. I thought if you lost 1 line the truck could still stop with the front brakes but I had nothing. Please warn people before this problem kills people.
I was slowing down to park to unload some recycling and I pressed on my brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor. I was barely able to avoid hitting the person in front of me (outside of their vehicle) and their vehicle. I pumped the brakes but the pedal did not resist at all. My brakes were totally inoperable without using the emergency brake. I got out and had brake fluid streaming out of the lines right below the drivers seat.
General motors is aware of an issue with the parking brakes in some model years of their vehicles and have even issued a recall for them to be fixed. They only recalled vehicles with manual transmissions even though vehicles with automatic transmissions have the same brake parts and suffer from the same issue. The parking brakes engage on their own while the vehicle is in motion which causes damage to the pads and drums to the point where they cease to work. This is an unsafe condition especially when towing a vehicle and having to park on an incline. I have contacted them and they just keep telling me that my specific vehicle was not recalled. My vehicle has the same brakes as those that were recalled and have the same issue. 2002 gmc sierra 1500. If you look on the recall website you will see the same make and model year recalled with manual transmissions. Again the transmission is not the issue, its the brakes.
Driving to work one morning, I noticed as I approached a stop sign that I had to push my brake pedal further than I had earlier in my trip. Instead of continuing onto the freeway I pulled into a station and tested the brakes only to find that I could push them all the way to the floor and come to a gradual, rolling stop. The truck was towed to a shop where it was found that one of the metal brake lines had rusted through. All 6 lines showed signs of severe rusting. Once the lines were replaced the mechanic told me that a second line had rusted to the point that he did not think it would have held pressure if I had only replaced the first failed line. I was advised that the brake lines in this model and year of truck were known to rust and fail early in the life of the vehicle, especially in northern states.
On monday afternoon 5/11/15 I had just hooked up a small trailer in preparation to go pick up my granddaughter from central michigan university the following day. This was going to require a round trip distance of roughly 400 miles. While turning my truck around to park it for the night I discovered to my horror that the brake pedal on my truck went all the way to the floor with no stopping power at all. This happened suddenly and with absolutely no warning at all. I shudder to think what might have happened if this occurred during the road trip to pick up my granddaughter. I called my son in law who helped me replace a main trunk line for the brakes going to the rear axle. This could have been a disaster and but for the grace of god, did not occur during the trip the next day.
Pulled into a parking space at a store brake pedal went right to the floor,hit building. Brake lines blew out related to poor quality brake lines from manufacturer.
I approached a busy intersection and because traffic signal was turning amber, I applied my brakes and there were no brakes. The brake lines had corroded and broke. Although I filed a complaint last year, gm has decided that even though there are numerous incidents regarding the cheap parts they used in these vehicles, they would not issue a recall. In fact, there was a newspaper article 2 weeks ago that stated there would be no recall because most of these accidents were in northern states where salt is used on the roads in winter. However, now they have issued a very limited recall for cadillac ctss for the exact years that our gmc suffered same kind of brake failure. The cost to replace these faulty parts is estimated at $2000 per vehicle. But the danger to life and property is much greater. Don't understand how there can be such a limited recall when more than this one model is affected. And yes, I mitigated my damages by having brakes repaired. But feel that I was cheated, now that restricted recall has been issued.
The brake lines are rusted so badly it will not pass it's next va state inspection. This truck has only been driven 74000 miles. Can this be normal? I am a disabled vet with limited income and can not afford the cost of replacement. There is also more than normal rust of the suspension and other parts under the body. I believe this has gone on too long and a recall is necessary.
My 15 year old son driving with me in the passenger seat he has a learners permit applys the brake and it went to the floor not being able to stop properly swerves and avoids a collision with limeted brakes I took over and made it home buy the time I got home I had no brakes and no brake fluid I was releived to make it. I work on cars for a living and never replaced brakelines do to rusting out. There will be a fatality if gm dont fix there problem. I dont live in where it snows very often my couny has 2 salt trucks and my roads I drive dont get salt ,we havent got snow besides a dusting in three years. So to say its trucks in the north is a false statement. I bought a ss aftermarket brake line set I will install it myself . I know it will be labour extensive but it has to be done thanks for letting me vent thanks to you you for reading my complaint.
Anti lock brakes at low speed activated cannot stop vehicle pressing harder brake line blew had no brakes rear ended vehicle stopped at red light.
Brake line failure.. This incident happened today, 10/26/2014
Traveling north on route 28 near chantilly, virginia, a line of cars in front of me came to an abrupt halt. I pressed my brake peddle hard and within three seconds the brake peddle was at the floor. I quickly maneuvered my truck to the right and was able utilize the emergency brake to slow the truck to a stop. Incredibly, my son and I were not injured, we did not hit the line if vehicles in front of us, and were all spared a potentially deadly outcome. After coming to a stop, my son and I inspected our truck and brake fluid was leaking from the left supply line to the rear break. The line had burst due to hard braking and corrosion of the fuel line. We were saved for some reason, however, if this had been on a weekday during commuting hours, the outcome would have been entirely different. The federal safety agency should continue to hold gm accountable for this poor engineering (fuel lines) and eventual catastrophic situation that will, or probably already has, happened.
My 16 year old daughter was driving the truck at the time of the failure. She has her temporary license and was driving for the third time. After driving in town and on some rural roads, she started getting too close to other cars at stop lights and stop signs. I began telling her to stop sooner, she said she was trying. It only got worse so we went home. She almost ran into our house as tried to stop in the driveway. Because she is a new driver, she did not realize the brakes were going out. After we got out of the truck I noticed a puddle of fluid forming under the driver side. I determined that it was brake fluid. I raised the hood and had her press on the brake pedal. Brake fluid started spraying out of a brake line near the frame. The brake lines from the master cylinder to the ABS module are very rusty along with every other brake line. This truck may be 12 years old and have 87,000 miles but I have always taken very good care of it and it still looks new inside and out. I do not believe a major safety component like the brakes should be failing at this time. Other critical components have warning systems to alert you to possible failures but when there is no way to tell if something critical will fail I believe those parts should be made to last. If the life expectancy of a part is limited, the manufacturer should recommend service at a reasonable interval. My daughter is now scared to death to drive any of our cars because she feels it could happen again. I am just glad I wasn't pulling my 20 foot boat and had to make a panic stop at highway speeds when the line failed. Someone could have got injured or killed I am currently getting quotes to have it repaired. So far I have received prices ranging from $600-1500. I feel gm should cover most to all of these expenses because they used sub-par parts to build a critical component of the brake system.
While driving in town, I depressed the brake pedal to slow for a stop sign traveling under 25 MPH. The pedal pressure felt firm/normal for a brief second and then went nearly to the floor and I was barely able to stop. The brake light on the dash did not illuminate until approximately the 10th time I tried to stop. If there had been someone in front of me or I was traveling in a higher speed zone, I most certainly would not have stopped in time. The diagnosis is the rear brake line rusted through. I've been told by several mechanics that all the brake lines will have to be replaced as they are all so rusted no one line can be replaced without damaging the rest of the lines because of their close proximity to each other. I can't find anyone that will take on the job.
2002 gmc sierra 1500-brakes went out suddenly as I was turning into a busy intersection. Pedal went right to the floor-no brakes. There was no separate system circuit that brought the truck to a halt, there were no dashboard warning lights engaged, and no brake fluid leak before that would alert me to a failure. Had to use emergency brake to pull over to a safe spot- vehicle needed to be towed to repair facility. Repair facility stated this is a common problem with these vehicles- but there was no recall or safety bulletins issued that they could locate.
Was approaching an intersection and light turned yellow, applied brake and peddle went right to the floor, coasted through red light and immediately parked vehicle. Towed to local garage and front brake line in the middle (under rock guard) severely rusted and failed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that the brakes and ABS warning lamp illuminated sporadically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the ABS control module was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.
Today I was on freeway in bumper to bumper traffic and when I went to stop my brakes fluttered and made a weird noise and I pushed with all my strength on brake pedal to stop and wasn't able to stop like 25 other cars in my life would have stopped and rear ended a minivan, there was minimal damage done to his van, my bumper has a little dent and his van has a small scratch, this I the third time in last week this has happened with the first 2 me thinking it was nothing because it only happens maybe 1 out of every 300 brake applications, I came home today and did some research on google and found out there are 1000s of trucks like mine with the ABS activating at low speeds causing crashes, I called gm and asked a few questions and all they said was my VIN does not qualify for ABS or brake recall gm had on these yr trucks. If my truck is doing the same thing as these trucks that qualified for recall why wont they fix mind because obviously its same problem, the gm guy I spoke with played dumb and act like he has never heard of someone having my issue, he is lying because there is tons of people on these gm forums that have called gm with same problem as mine with same results, please help me or let me know what recourses I have to have gm fix this ABS issues before someone gets killed, thank you
While trying to park my vehicle in a parking lot the brakes anti-lock system engaged. I was pulling forward to back into a stall. There was a person walking down the parking lot some distance in front of me. As I applied the brakes to stop going forward and start to back the ABS system engaged and I could not stop. The gentleman in front of me thought I was going to hit him, and quite frankly I thought that I was also. The pavement was dry, the temperature was about 62 degrees. This is a dangerous situation. There is nothing wrong with my brakes at higher speeds. I have read some things about issues with the ABS speed sensors on the wheels. If this is the case gm needs to recall all of these vehicles before there are serious accidents or deaths!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierra 1500. The contact shifted into drive and applied pressure to the brakes however, the brake pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard and the vehicle did not respond to braking attempts. The contact mentioned that the emergency brake was utilized in order for the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake lines needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 79,059.
The brakes on this truck completely failed without any warning. Could not stop the vehicle except for the emergency brake. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. No warning lights, or any other indications of brake failure until there were suddenly zero brakes. I was very lucky that this didn't happen somewhere else, with my one-year old daughter in the truck. I see that the brake fluid is squirting out of one of the four steel lines just under the master cylinder when the brake pedal is pressed. Upon inspection I also see that all the lines look to be corroded. I intend to replace all the brake lines on this vehicle now due to the corrosion seen, as I do not believe it would be safe to drive otherwise.
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