Backing up toward 60 ft dropoff to unload debris.when I hit the brakes the pedal went to the floor.stopped with e-brake or I would have been down that 60 ft drop.checked under truck and fluid was running out a break in the line from rusting through in the middle of the line,not at a fitting.was very lucky that I stopped in time.that would have left a mark!
2003 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 105, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Our truck was at collision shop for a repair from a hit and run in a lowe's parking lot.. When they finished, they took the truck out of the garage to take for a car wash. When pulling out of their business the truck would not stop. They pushed it back into the parking lot and restarted and tested the brakes. There were no brakes. They looked under the truck and saw the brake fluid flowing out on the ground. We had the truck towed to our mechanic and one of the lines was broke. He replaced it ($298.00). He told us the other lines were also in bad shape. We became aware that gm had a problem after seeing a television news story. We took copies of this story to our local gmc dealer, the collision shop and our mechanic. Our gmc dealer said they knew nothing about this problem. On september 25, 2013 we had the remainder of the lines replaced. ($984.80). We have since encountered two additional people who have had the same problem. This truck was purchased in michigan, but we spend out winters in florida, so it has limited exposure to salt used during the winter. What scares us about this is: on the day before we took the truck to the collision shop, we were going to drive 45 miles to ann arbor, mi for a birthday party. We decided at the last minute not to go. If we had gone that day, this would have happened to us traveling on the expressway at 70 MPH! This is a scary thing. To quote the news story: "gm, in a statement to 7 action news states this is 'not a safety issue' as the brakes still operate with a broken brake line and admit that rusty brake lines are a problem that 'can happen over time', presumably from liquid salt used in cold weather states. Gm has a solution. The company is offering what they call a deeply discounted brake repair kit that runs $2-thousand dollars for only $500". Gm needs to step up to the plate and let owners know.
Leak
A vehicle pulled out in front of my son last night on his way to a boy scout meeting. The speed limit was 45. My son hit the brakes which locked up then let loose. Pedal went to the floor . He avoided hitting the car that pulled out on him and when I arrived found that the metal brake line running along the frame had ruptured as it bent to go across the frame behind the cab. This truck has only 70,000 miles on it and this is a premature failure due to premature rust. I own and 1971 dodge dart and a 1978 pontiac firebird with original metal brake lines on both with no rust on lines at all and I live in ohio and they are driven in the winter. I feel fortunate my son and no one else was injured due to the catastrophic failure of the gm metal brake line. Hope others will be just as fortunate. Toyota was forced into a recall of there truck line due to premature rusting problems and gm should be made to follow suite. These vehicles are accidents waiting to happen. I also own a 1994 gmc c2500 suburban that has no visible rust on the brake lines either with 170,000 miles that I have owned for 15 years. . The 2003 gmc chassis is truly sub standard to say the least. Please look into these issues I have read the forums out there and I know I am not alone. Thanks.
My son was driving my gmc pickup ( always dealer maintained ) to a friends house. While driving in traffic, he went to apply the brakes and the peddle went to the floor. He was not injured but it was a very scary situation. When looking into the problem, I find the brake lines rusted through. I also have found that gm is aware of this problem and has done nothing to correct a very serious problem. Thank god my son was not injured. I hope other people who allow their children to drive will be as lucky.
Was traveling at 50 MPH when brakes were applied and brake pedal went all the way to the floor, unable to slow vehicle with pumping brakes. Parking brake was applied with no success, ultimately slowed down with putting truck in low gear and costing to a stop. Was informed by dealer of rusted and blown brake lines.
Slowing for turn brake line rupture due to heavy rust. Complete repair needed for lines from master cyl. To wheels.$400.00 repair cost. Very scary situation.from what I have read gm says it will stop. It did,but they omitted how [xxx]far it takes.thank you information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I was pulling up to a busy intersection I went to step on the brakes they were gone. Lucky I was able to jump the curb and come to a stop, before hitting any one. Upon inspection the brakes lines were rusted through!!!!!!! Note!!! I had my truck in for a oil change and 27 point inspection the day before. At the dealer.
I went to put it in dr and the brake pedal went to the floor the metal line blue . They had to replace the caliper too. It cost me $475.89 to get it fix. Not happy. I had chevy with 200,000 miles on it and never replace any brake parts. I under stand this a bad parts on the 1999 to 2003 models [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
While backing in my driveway sloped downhill, applied brake peddle to slow before stopping. Brake peddle went to the floor. Luckily I had mind enough to apply the emergency brake to come to a stop before running through my garage. Upon inspection, I noticed fluid running off the frame rail onto driveway. I noticed brake lines in frame rail were corroded bad. Called dealer, they say they replace brake lines all the time in these vehicles. They wanted $1100. A local garage replaced all the lines for $800. I am the original owner and take good care of vehicle. Is this a class problem? Should this be covered under a recall? Happy to supply VIN if needed, just don't have it with me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and there was no response. In addition, the brake pedal traveled to the floor upon engaging. The vehicle accelerated through an intersection after repeatedly applying the brake pedal. The emergency brake was engaged in order for the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated the brake lines were completely corroded. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. There was an investigation associated with the federal safety agency action number pe10010 (service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: hydraulic: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000. The VIN was not available.
Dear sirs; we own a 2003 gmc sierra 1500 extra cab truck. It was purchased in june of 2003. It has just over 100,000 miles on it. It has been maintained throughout and garaged. On sunday, august 26, 2012, our son was driving the truck in our neighborhood and the brakes failed without warning. (this vehicle is primarily driven by my husband to work and back daily. No indicator light ever came on.) there were children playing in the street. After avoiding a ball that had rolled down a driveway and into the street, he pressed on the brake and the pedal went to the floor. He then pressed on the emergency brake, the emergency brake did not stop the truck. On his third attempt was able to steer to the curb and throw the truck into park to stop. Thankfully, there were no kids in his path. He would not have been able to stop and his life would be altered forever. Not to mention our lives and that of an innocent bystander/ child. Looking online to see if there have been problems reported, we found the federal safety agency has an investigation on this gmc trucks and SUV?s. The brakes on this truck were done between 70,000 and 80,000. All pads were replaced, 2 new rotors and 2 rotors were cut. No mention of brake line deterioration, corrosion, or visible problems were brought to our attention at that time. This vehicle is used mainly by my husband who drives it 6 miles one way to work daily. No problems, squeaking, or pedal changes had been noted. We were all really quite shaken by this incident. We had it towed to a dealership for repair. It went there during the labor day holiday thus delaying the repair. We were informed that the brake lines had rotted out. Any information or direction will be greatly appreciated.
I was leaving my driveway when I applied the brakes there was nothing... No brakes at all, peddle went to the floor. I managed to steer the vehicle away from on coming traffic, narrowly avoiding a serious or possible fatal accident. After inspecting the vehicle I was astonished to see that one of the brake lines was completely rotted out.this vehicle has 78000 mi. And is garage kept. From what I have read this is not a freak occurrence many other gm owners have complained of similar problems. The issue here is complete failure of the brake system. I though modern brake systems are designed to eliminate a complete failure? This is an extremely dangerous condition. Shouldn't the system work in a way that partial brake function remains possible with the loss of a brake line. I thought the system is partitioned to prevent this from occurring. If the current safety standard is to prevent this from happening, clearly the standard has not been meet! Gm needs to correct this problem. At the very least why isn't gm required to use a higher quality brake line to avoid this dangerous condition!!!!!
I put my truck in reverse to back out of the shop and my brake pedal went to the floor. I quickly threw it in park an turned the truck off. I then pushed the brake pedal again and it again went to the floor and I heard brake fluid squirting out. I put the truck on the lift and raised it up to inspect the issue. After doing so I found very rusted brake lines and components. After research I found this to be a very common issue with these trucks. Seems maybe gm should be fixing the issue. I wouldn't think a truck less than 10 years old should have such rusted brake parts. Especially since the exhaust is made from stainless, why not brake lines?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving in reverse the brake pedal was stuck to the floor. The emergency brake had to be applied in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the failure was located within the brake lines due to corrosion. The manufacturer denied assistance with the repair because the warranty expired. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 65000. The brake lines burst due to rust and poor design. The consumer stated water and salt were trapped inside. The brake lines were replaced and positioned another way, so they would not hold salt and water from the roads. Updated 06/27/12
My wife was parking and brake pedal went to floor.
On may 20, 2012 when moving my gmc 1500 pick up truck from my driveway at low speed I stepped on the brake only to have the pedal go all the way to the floor. This is the second time this occurred in about six months. On or about october 21, 2011 I also lost my brakes when parking the truck at a local strip mall. The required repair was for a corroded brake line. Thank god that both times I was traveling slowly. At highway speed I could easily have be killed. Please check this out!!
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that while stopped, the brake pedal was abnormally depressed to the floorboard. The contact was able to safely drive the vehicle home and park. Upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the brakes lines were fractured and corroded. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Low speed crash in driveway due to sudden rupture of rt. Front brake line metal section at banjo bolt. After inspection of the truck by a mechanic I was informed that 4 other steel lines are leaking due to severe corrosion and that every steel line on the truck is in danger of failure due to severe corrosion. Estimate to repair is near $1000.00 body damage from crash is around $900.00.
My 2003 gmc sierra 1500 sle has corroded brake, transmission and fuel lines. A certified mechanic stated that they all need replaced or breakage and leakage will occur without warning causing break, transmission or fuel delivery or fire damages. Please help with this problem asap. 00.
I took my 2003 gmc sierra in for an inspection, inspection failed due to corroded brake lines. Was informed that all brake lines need to be replaced. Is this normal? I live in the north..there seems to be a lot of rust/corrosion on the underside of my truck as well as starting around the body..am facing spending $400-$600 to replace the lines..looking for info regarding this type of problem..
Brakes blew out coming down a very steep hill. I was lucky because I had a toyota in font of me slowing down because of a squirrel crossing the street. I had also slowed down but then the toyota stopped and I went to stop my brake lines both front and back blew out and my pedal went to the floor and I had no brakes at all. Thanks to the toyota being there to stop me other wise I would had a very bad crash into crossing traffic or head on into a guard rail or trees. I had to pay for all new brakelines installed on my truck and the damage to the toyota and my truck costing around 2000.00 dollars plus the insurance over 2300.00 for the toyota and my front end. Now im afraid to drive my truck.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. While driving 25 MPH, the contact applied pressure to the brakes when the pedal was depressed into the floorboard and the vehicle did not stop. He activated the emergency brake and was able to idle the vehicle. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who informed the contact that the brake lines were rusted and needed to be replaced. The contact was awaiting repairs. The current and the failure mileages were 40,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. While parked, driver of the vehicle depressed the brake pedal and placed the gear in drive; however, the brake pedal dropped to the floor board. The vehicle crashed into the driver's home. The contact did not mention of there were any injuries. The vehicle was towed to a collision repair shop. The mechanic stated the brake lines were severally corroded and would have to be replaced. There was an investigation under the federal safety agency action number:pe10010 (service brakes, hydraulic service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:hydraulic:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings) that may be related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 89,093 updated 1/20/12 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle was parked in the driveway. It was parked towards the top of the driveway. The driveway has a steep slope and slopes down toward his parents house. The consumer's father entered the vehicle, started the engine, released the emergency brake, put his foot on the normal brake, and put the vehicle in drive. It was at that point, the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle began rolling down the driveway. There was approx 35 feet between the starting position of the vehicle and where the vehicle stuck the foundation of the home. At the moment of the brake failure, the driver tried pumping the brakes one more time, and then attempted to reach for the emergency brake. At the time of impact, the vehicle was traveling between 5-10 MPH. Updated 02/22/12
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.
Main brake line blew while my wife was backing up in a parking lot, the only way to stop was to put the car in park while moving. We had it towed to our local mechanic who had to replace every brake line. The truck only has 68k miles on it. The mechanic said they were very bad and we were lucky to be safe. I cannot believe this issue has not been addressed and recalled by gmc. Our bill was an unexpected $1,300. I'm expecting a call back from a district gmc contact monday about the issue. I'm fighting to be reimbursed as this is a known deadly issue and needs to be recalled. How have they not been sued from this problem yet?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. While driving 40 MPH, the brake warning light illuminated when he applied pressure to the brakes. The brake pedal went to the floor and did not idle the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with rusted brake lines. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure nor was the vehicle repaired. The current and failure mileages were 63,000.
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.
When attempting to stop truck, brake pedal faded to floor. Upon inspection, the brake lines exhibited severe corrosion and rusted thru allowing fluid to leak out. The truck has less than 90,000 miles.
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