76000 miles; issue ongoing beginning in november 2018 on dry pavement at low speed (under 10 MPH) braking is compromised by ABS system engagement issue. Below 10 MPH, the ABS system engages causing dry pavement braking to be double or triple the normal distance to stop prior to the ABS issue. This is a safety issue since ABS system pulsing of the brakes at slow speeds on dry pavement is unexpected. At a stop sign/crosswalk, this has caused a very close encounter. Vehicle has less than 80000 miles and has been serviced routinely by a certified mechanic. Replacement/service of ABS speed sensors and rust issue did not correct the problem. I have never been contacted regarding the recall that exists for this issue. Require assistance to determine why a vehicle with this mileage has this obvious safety issue and gm has provided no relief.
2003 GMC Sierra 1500: ABS light or ABS activating
16 of the 180 complaints about the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 describe ABS light or ABS activating.
- owner complaints
- 16
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 62,000
- recalls
- 0
ABS light or ABS activating by model year
What owners say
The ABS activates at low speed braking under dry road conditions without the tires locking up. The brake pedal vibrates as if I were on ice with the tires locked up. Braking effect is reduced under these conditions. This happens randomly and when it does I cannot be sure if I can stop in time before hitting the vehicle or object in front of me.
Pulling to a stop in my driveway my brakes slowed the truck and then completely gave way with the pedal hitting the floor. I stomped on the emergency brake pedal to keep from hitting the porch. I am so lucky to have that happen at low speed off the road. That could have been a tragedy on the highway. Turns out that my brake lines are severely rusted and one of the 2 lines coming off the master cylinder now has a pinhole leak immediately above the frame where it bends 90 degrees to go back to the ABS manifold. Applying the brakes just squirts fluid out of the line. I thought a single failure was supposed to result in reduced braking power, not complete loss of brakes. Note that my truck is in otherwise great shape and I simply had no idea. It is clear that the federal safety agency has been bamboozled by gm. Brake lines are a critical life safety system, installed on and in some places in the chassis before the vehicle body and bed are attached. It is not routine maintenance to rinse the brake lines let alone replace them. Gm pushing this back on the customer is complete bs. You can buy nylon coated or stainless steel brake lines for less than 100 $. The incremental cost to go from steel to something that would last the operational life of the vehicle is less than 50 $. I'm waiting on an estimate from my non-dealer shop, but a dealer charging 3600 $ is not surprising considering the amount of labor that must be involved. The federal safety agency decision on the issue is unconscionable. Guess it might have been different if they had run over a child at a crosswalk or if their child was mowed down by corporate greed. Hopefully that never happens, but with so many rotting gm trucks on the road, we will have to keep our fingers crossed.
During major snow fall after new year 2014, upon arriving home from work, with my wife and another passenger, I attempted to stop and my brake pedal sunk to the floor, nothing, no brakes. I nearly drove through garage door. I had to cut the wheel and punch the gas to perform a "half doughnut" to avoid hitting my house. Had there not been signifigant snow on the ground, this maneuver would have been impossible. The following day while navigating vehicle into garage, we had an incident , causing minor damage to truck & garage. Upon inspection, I discovered the steel brake lines were extremely fragile do to rust. 2 lines from proportioning valve to ABS unit, & 2 lines from ABS unit to front wheels deteriorated under body near chasis. One of the lines from prop valve to ABS failed, leaking brake fluid. I went to abeloff gmc where I was informed only lines from prop valve to ABS where available. I purchased and changed them. However, as I suspected the front lines would leak due to the fact they would be disturbed while changing prop v. To ABS lines. They failed before I got the truck out of the garage, causing a minor accident in garage . I then found a company online, classic tube, which provided me with a kit containing all brake lines made from stainless steel. So, not only could we have quite possibly been killed, but I now have [2] extra brake lines that cost me $125.00 that I don't need. Gm could at least had the decency to make all the lines availeable. I also discovered that this problem is not uncommon. Had these brakes failed a few minutes earlier, say on rte 80 w in pa, it could have been tragic for me, my wife ,my passenger, and anyone in the way!
This truck and I reside in wisconsin but were in florida at the time of the incident. My travel on 2/21 was to pick up my young granddaughter at her school. I was traveling at around 40 MPH in fairly heavy afternoon traffic, I had crossed a controlled intersection about a mile from the school and applied the brakes to slow down, the pedal went to the floor. I pumped the brakes and was able to slow the truck down. I proceeded to the school at a very reduced speed using the parking brake and pumping the brakes. I was able to safely get to the school. I exited the school yard and parked the truck. Called a tow truck for the rest of the trip. The mechanic that repaired the brake lines said there has been a partial recall on gmc and chevrolet trucks for faulty brake lines but my truck was not included. He said the worst rust was at the ABS control but there were other area's involved also. This vehicle is only 9 years old. I have owned vehicles much older than this one and have never had a brake line rust through. I urge you to do a deeper study and recall if necessary, into what appears to be the use of inferior brake lines and/ or poor placement of the ABS control on a wider range of this vehicle. It was fortunate that this incident did not cause an accident or injury or take place as we were returning home through the mountains in tennessee a few weeks later. I again urge you to extend the recall further into this trucks production. Thank you for your attention to this dangerous and extremely unsafe condition.
The braking system failed when the pedal went to the floor. Investigation revealed that the steel brake line had rusted and ruptured. The only precursor to this was noise from the ABS unit at low speed. It appears that all of the brake lines are badly corroded and will need to be replaced.
A brake line burst underneath the truck when I applied the brakes with substantial pressure (not enough to engage ABS on the dry pavement). Was able to swerve to avoid vehicle that cut us off and use emergency brake to slow/stop vehicle in a safe place. All brake lines were severely rusted/corroded and needed to be replaced. Fuel lines were replaced as well at the same time, due to severe corrosion.
I own a 2003 gmc sierra 1500 hd. This past winter I almost hit a snow plow due to a brake line rupture. Upon inspection it was found that all the brake lines were severely rusted and very brittle. I had the one line replace which cost me nearly $300. No this past week another rupture almost caused me to rear end another vehicle. This time I'm going to have to replace every line in the braking system. Also the ABS system kicks in when traveling at slower speeds (5-10 MPH). The cause of this is unknown to me at this time. Upon doing a little research online I find that there are thousands of people with the same model and nearly the same year vehicles, having exactly the same problems. Then I find on your site where you have started an investigation into the problem. The federal safety agency action number: pe10010 this truck has been very well taken care of and there is no excuse for these lines to be faulty in only 6-7 years time. It's likely to cost me nearly a $1,000 to have all of these lines changed. My question is if the federal safety agency finds gm responsible for these faulty lines and they issue a recall, will I be reimbursed for having already paid for the repair?
Had dealership replace driver side front wheel bearing because it was making a grinding noise. A couple months later the front brake pads and rotors were replaced. After the brakes were serviced, I started noticing that the brakes were pulsating, which was felt in the pedal, at low speeds. Took vehicle to the dealership and they said during the test drive that the ABS system was activating unnecessarily. They then put it on the diagnostic machine for some reasons. I was told I needed to replace both wheel ABS sensors. The dealership said that the ABS has nothing to do with the brake pads and rotors. When the pads and rotors were replaced, again the vehicle was put on the diagnostic machine, but didn't pick up that the sensors were firing. I'm doubting it is coincidence that these things are happening at random. There has to be some kind of correlation between the wheel bearing being replaced, the pads and rotors being replaced, and now the sensors needing to be replaced. My vehicle is a 2003 gmc sierra and has 47000 miles on it. All this happened within the last 6 months and 1500 miles.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. While driving approximately 5 MPH and attempting to make a complete stop, the ABS would shut off. There were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact repaired the vehicle himself and stated that it was identical to the failures mentioned in the 2005 sierra k1500 recall. The failure mileage was 31,000 and current mileage was 32,580.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 gmc sierra 1500. While decelerating, the brakes make a strange noise and the vehicle takes a long time to reach a complete stop. The dealer wants to charge $85 to perform a diagnostic; therefore, the contact will not have the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer informed the contact that he would receive a call back. The current mileage was 46,000 and failure mileage was 44,000. Updated 04/23/08. *lj the consumer stated the ABS activated when braking at low speeds.
My ABS activates too on dry pavement. Have not taken to the dealer yet. Way too many problems with this vehicle. Only 60,000 miles on it.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 abs
Is ABS light or ABS activating a common problem on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500?
16 of 180 owner complaints about the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 (9%) mention ABS light or ABS activating. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 GMC Sierra 1500?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history