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.
2003 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 105, newest first, as owners wrote them.
82k miles, original owner, well maintained and garaged. Had to stop at a red light and the pedal went to the floor as I went into the intersection.luckily no other cars were ahead of me and nobody was hurt. Dic lights came on and brakes have not worked since limping my vehicle back home.
Brake line failure complete loss of brakes while driving on hwy off ramp.
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.
I was on my way home running 45 MPH in light traffic. When I went to make a left hand turn and my brake pedal went to the floor. Scared the hell out of me. I was able to pump them enough to make the turn and luckily I was only three blocks from my home. I was able to coast it home. I raised the hood and all the brake lines are so rusty. I had my wife step on the brake and you can see one line busted. I checked with dealer and they don't offer replacement parts. You have pay someone to make the lines for you.
Turning into an auto parts store, from the highway, when I applied the brakes the pedal went clear to the floor. My truck slowed but not enough if anyone walking or a car had been there I would have hit them. I was very lucky. Of the four brake lines one burst, two were seeping, but not dripping and the rear line was almost as bad as the other lines and its a wonder it didn't break at the same time. Going home I would have gone down a very steep hill with a stoplight and a very busy intersection. It could have been a disaster. This is a low mileage truck, seldom driven in snow.
I was towing my 33' travel trailer with my very well maintained 2003 gmc sierra 1500 pick up truck. After a four and a half hour trip on the interstate highway doing 65 MPH, I arrived at my campground. As I was backing my trailer into my camp site, my brake pedal went to the floor and my dashboard lit up with warning lights. I had complete brake failure. I put the truck in park and got out to look under the truck. Right below the driver seat, brake fluid was pouring out of the brake line which had burst open. I had no brakes. Thank god this happened while I was backing the trailer in at 2 MPH. Minutes prior to this I was going 65 MPH on the highway, towing a 33' trailer. I shutter to think what could have happened if this line burst while at highway speeds. My wife and I were freaked out for days thinking about what could have happened. We had to have the truck towed to a repair shop and endure a very expensive replacement of all the brake lines, which were completely corroded. While the truck was being fixed I did some research on this problem and found that there were many, many, complaints about this exact same problem concerning 1999 - 2003 gmc and chevy pick up trucks and other models. Gm claims that you would still have some brakes because there are separate brake lines to the front and rear brakes. This is true, but I lost so much fluid, so fast, I had no brakes. Does someone always have to die before they force a recall? There are so many complaints on this matter and I know there is an on going investigation by the federal safety agency. Enough investigating, force the recall before someone dies if they haven't already.
On 8/9/15 at approximately 3:25pm an individual pull out in front of me. When I applied the brakes to keep from hitting him, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor board. I noticed at the time the "service brake system" indication was showing on the driver cid. I was able to drive the truck to a safe location and park it. I looked under the vehicle and noticed brake fluid on the ground under the right front wheel. The tow truck driver also checked and noticed brake fluid shooting up when the hood was up. At that time, he noticed the right front brake line had rusted through. The truck was then towed to cunningham gmc in springfield, tn.
Complete brake failure. All brake lines rusted out. Had to use the emergency brake to stop. Brake pedal went all the way to the floor. All the brake fluid was gone. Spent $1008 to fix the vehicle. No previous warning, no message until there was the complete brake failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. While driving at 65 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact had to engage the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that brake failure was displayed across the message board and a chime was heard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the brake lines were corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000. ..updated 05-26-15 *bf the consumer stated both brake lines failed. Updated 11/20/2015
While driving to the store I applied the brake and it went straight to floor without any pre-warning of a brake issue. I was able to stop without crashing and found that the brake line routed over the gas tank rusted through spilling out brake fluid which caused the brake reservoir to empty. After doing some research the federal safety agency is well aware of the rusted brake lines on gm models, so I am not telling you anything new. I expect alternators, starter motors, and other mechanical components to fail and need replaced but brake lines should be manufactured using stainless steel. How can this be any different than a car ignition turning off causing potential crashes and loss of life. The federal safety agency should have gm recall vehicles and/or reimburse owners for this highly potential safety issue.
Truck was being driven in traffic and as approaching stop light and brakes were applied petal went all the way to floor and had to swerve to miss stopped traffic. Upon inspection brake line on drivers front side of truck and laying on top of the frame was rusted almost completely in half! Quick thinking avoided accident .this truck has only been driven on city streets and never off road four wheeling and feel this is manufacturing defect as stainless steels lines should not rust in half if in fact they are stainless steel to begin with.truck is at gmc now to be repaired.
While having my vehicle check over for the winter, the mechanic inform me that the front brake lines are very rusty as well as the fuel lines and the cooling lines going to the transmission. This situation is very disturbing since I have very low mileage. The tubing used for the brake as well as the fuel lines should be able to withstand rusting for the life of the vehicle. If the material used by gm was not up to specification as far as corrosion protection either compensation to repair it is in order a recall should be made.
Entered 1st lane of traffic , accelerated and entered second lane. At that time traffic slowed abruptly. Applied pressure to brake, brake pedal went to the floor--pumped brake, total failure causing me to hit vehicle in front of me. Applied emergency brake to stop vehicle, however tractor trailer was behind honking horn , came within inches of hitting me. With emergency brake applied, forced truck to breakdown lane. Luckily no injuries--just car damage including a new front bumper that had just been replaced due to chronic gm rusting. Tow truck arrived--driver notices severe brake fluid drainage on ground and on truck bed when raised up. Truck brought to repair shop, where mechanic reported all brake lines burst due to severe corrosion. Mechanic stated--no wonder you didn't have any brakes because all lines failed--not surprised due to gmc having brake line issues. Needless to say--traumatic experience that could have been a lot worse under different traffic conditions. Think about child running across road--tractor trailer not being able to stop in time....higher speed on the highway-- think about it--I certainly am!!!
Attempted to stop at red light. Brake pedal went to floor. Swerved to not rear-end car in front. Ran red light because unable to stop. Pulled into residential side street and slammed into park. Brakes would not stop the truck. Not towing any load. No load in truck bed. Upon investigation after stopping, brake fluid spraying out left rear brake line near axle when pedal depressed.
When attempting to use brakes at highway speeds (70-75 MPH), pedal went immediately to floor with very little effort. Pedal had held firm moments before. No reduction in speed from pumping pedal. No warning of malfunction until danger was imminent. A certain crash was avoided if evasive driving was not implemented with a combination of shifting to neutral, kicking on the emergency brake, and shifting to the berm. Stopping distance estimated to be at least a half mile to 3/4. Vehicle suffered minor front end damage from using the berm to avoid other vehicles. Upon further investigation, a hard steel rear brake line above frame had fully rusted through. It had come apart with a large window, rather than a small perforation which would have allowed some brake modulation.
Brake lines rusting out. Vehicle not drivable.
Brake line corrosion caused rear drivers side steel line to burst and lose most of the truck's braking ability. Luckily I was driving slowly at the time. In addition to the line that rusted through, all lines will need replacing after further inspection.
Driving down middlebelt road coming up to a red light I hit the brakes and the brake pedal went to floor, truck finally came to stop, looked under hood and could see brake fluid leaking out of right front brake line.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond to deceleration attempts and that the brake warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the brakes and noticed that the failure was due to corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. Updated 8/19/14
I was backing up a trailer with my 2003 gmc sierra and tried to stop when the brake pedal went to the floor and did not stop. Checked out the brakes and found that the brake lines are rusted bad and one had failed. I found out this is a common problem with this truck for that time period. Reading about other complaints and there are a lot of them . This is not normal and very dangerous and there needs to be a recall for these vehicles. This is a safety issue and warrants a recall to replace these brake lines. This is a serious issue! There are no warnings, and most owners of these vehicles, like myself are not aware of this problem. It makes me sick to know that gm is aware of the poor choice of materials they used to make these brake lines and by doing so putting our love ones in danger and put money first.
Applied brakes when a deer ran in front of the truck. Steel brake line feeding the left front brake ruptured as a result of corrosion just above the fitting where the steel line connects to the brake hose. Pedal immediately went to the floor, both braking circuits failed. Had to use the emergency/parking brake to bring the truck to a stop. Vehicle is not a southern vehicle - was in vermont from purchase in early 2003 until moving to virginia in august of 2013.
You must take action on the gm brake lines in the early 2000 trucks. The corrosion is not normal compared to other vehicles. Either the metal is thinner or there is something in the metallurgy allowing increase corrosion. With the worst winter in recent memory, these brake lines were subjected to more salt than ever. I realize that there are two sets of brake lines and if one of them fails the vehicle still may stop albeit at an increase distance. While this may be fine for a small car. The vehicles we are dealing with are large vehicles. The brake lines are subjected to the most pressure when the beds are loaded and/or pulling a trailer. That also is the worst time for the brake lines to fail. These vehicles are also the least maneuverable in case evasive action needs to be taken. Are we just waiting for a few deaths first??
Pedal went to the floor on exit ramp. No warning. Truck went off road to avoid cars stopped at ramp end.
Brake line failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that while he approached a stop with the brake pedal depressed, the brake failed to engage and caused the contact to drive through the intersection. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who inspected and advised that the brake lines were corroded. The vehicle was repaired and the brake lines were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,635 and the current mileage was 115,599.
While slowing down for a light on a 4 lane highway my brake lines burst in two places failed from being weaken by rust....I had no chance to stop or advert the car and crashed into and totaled a new buick.....the driver was taken to the hospital...the front of my truck need repair....gm made the lines out of steel even thought the exhaust system and fuel line were made out of rust resistant material ( go figure)....I have my truck serviced at the local gm dealers and they never mentioned the potential hazard....when searching the internet I found that many other owners had the same experience.....I had also been on the local and national news yet gm but they never advise me of this condition, and I'm the original owner....under different circumstances it could of been much worse...my insurance went up 1000.00 and the agent said the break lines on her gm truck had just burst and crashed in a ditch...people are driving their cars longer and theres going to be a bad accident...I see on the net your department has been investigating it for several years, yet no action....you could at the very least advise owners of the danger....I filed a claim with gm for help in this matter and was denied because I already had the brake lined repaired....
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!
The brake lines ruptured and all breaking power stopped. I nearly slid into the intersecting street with traffic coming. The roads were icy/snowy, but no storm was occurring on this night. The temp. Outside was around 0 degrees in nh. I had it repaired and the technician noticed the entire rear brake lines were extremely rusted out and the spot just under the driver side door was the first part to rupture.
After starting the truck, I stepped on the brake pedal to shift out of park. Upon pressing the brake pedal, my foot went to the floor and a loud pop/snap noise was heard. The rear steel brake line had corroded and burst. After being towed to the mechanic and being inspected, I was told that all steel brake lines were corroded and had to be replaced. The mechanic also noted the extremely high failure rate of the brake lines in full size gm vehicles from that time period. This is the second gm truck I have owned that a brake line failure has occurred; experiencing the same failure with my 1992 chevrolet silverado.
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