2015 GMC Sierra 1500: brake failure

Filed Mar 2, 2026 · Brakes · NM

I had and still have the Brake Assist failure warning light on and having issues with brake pedal effort not working as it should to stop vehicle and also the stability control warning lights., the brakes hardly work at all at low speeds and most of the time don't stop the vehicle almost causing several crashes. I took vehicle to gm service center and they said they updated software but when I picked up the vehicle and drove it not long after the brake assist warning came back on and I still had no brakes at slower speeds and the problem had actually gotten worse than it was before i took it to them. I called the dealership and told them that the problem had not been fixed and it was worse they said that I would have to pay the service fee / price for parts if I wanted to bring the vehicle back in and to have problem fixed...I explained it was a re call and it was taken to them to have issue fixed in the first place ...and I was told I would have to pay since they updated software ..I then explained it was worse than when I took it to them and still got denied any kind of resolution to the problem. Nothing was fixed or solved. I still had the warning lights on dash and the problem was worse then when I took the vehicle to them for repair. Not long after the transmission went out and the vehicle hadn't been drove. So it sat for 2 yrs or so. I just got a new one put in and the vehicle still has the same problems with the brake system . I reached out to dealership once again and was told I would still have to pay to have the issues fixed when it was never taken care of by them to begin with.

Filed Jul 20, 2025 · Brakes · KS

Starting vehicle in parking lot and backing out of parking space. Brakes failed and truck continued to roll backwards almost hitting a pedestrian. I was able to stop hard on the pedal and stop the vehicle. This has happened several times. I have a steep driveway and backing down to the street the brake pedal will unexpectedly have little resistance and the truck will continue to roll into the street almost hitting oncoming traffic.

Filed Mar 22, 2025 · Brakes · WI · crash

The brake system failed in a parking lot three times within a month. It’s related to the special policy and recall regarding the vacuum and the loss of brakes at slower speeds and in reverse. The first two accidents were very minor creating no damage. The third one was at 10mph when I lost my brakes and crashed into a concrete barrier in a parking structure causing significant damage to my truck. I did not get injured but I have a wife and two kids that I am so grateful were not in the truck for the third one with major damage. With that being said my son was in the truck the second time it happened when I crashed into a parked vehicle in a parking lot because I was unable to stop which made me very frustrated and worried for my families safety in my truck. The first accident was in a parking lot where I was backing up and lost the brakes and crashed into a building which is my veterinary office causing damage to the building. Therefore after the first crash due to this issue I have decided that driving with my family in the truck is not an option anymore. It is very disappointing that a truck I purchased for the functionality and safety of having my wife and kids in it is no longer safe for passengers or myself in it. This problem is very reproducible and is a major concern for my family and my safety. It was towed to a GMC dealership in Waukesha and is being inspected and they have stated it is reproducible. No warning lamps or messages were indicated for this issue. The truck will next need to get towed to Crash Champions auto body repair to ultimately get repaired which will take another month. All of this is a major inconvenience as I am a full time firefighter and in paramedic school as well. Not having a reliable safe vehicle for an extended period of time has caused great stress and inconvenience to my family. I’m hoping and praying that something can be done about this quickly and promptly to make this right. Thank you.

Filed Sep 24, 2022 · Brakes · TN

When braking at low speeds I have no brakes to stop and i can feel a vibration in the brake pedal.

Filed Aug 24, 2022 · Brakes · WI

The Truck has something wrong with the Trailer braking system. with no notice it display "Service Trailer Braking system" in the DIC. This will cause loss of brakes to the trailer and make it very difficult to stop with the trailer. Everything functions properly and at a random moment they will just stop working.

Filed Jul 9, 2022 · Brakes · NC

My truck has just over 54,000 miles on it. I bought it new and have treated it well. It's my "Sunday" truck. Without warning, yesterday while carrying my wife to a doctor's appointment, as I pulled into a parking space to park ... I had almost no brakes. I actually jumped on the emergency brake to aid me in getting stopped. After my wife had gone in for her appointment, I slowly moved the truck around the open areas of the parking lot trying to figure out what the problem was. I checked the brake fluid, looked to make sure I hadn't lost a brake pad or something else weird and found that everything was good. What I did find though was that the only time the truck had any issue was when I was moving under maybe 4 or 5 mph. And in fairness ... I discovered the truck did have some tiny (but I do mean tiny) amount of braking ability at that low speed, but to say that the experience was unnerving would be a terrible understatement. Had someone been standing between me and the vehicle I was parking in front of when I experienced this, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I would have pinned them between our vehicles, or God forbid, something worse. I don't know what's going on here, but there's definitely something going on with the brake system at low speed on this GMC.

Filed May 16, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · PA · fire

I was towing a camper down Rt 422 in Butler, PA in my GMC truck when it suddenly caught fire. My wife was following me and alerted me to pull over as quickly as possible. I had no brakes and the gear shifter went straight up without shifting. The doors would also not open while the truck was filling with smoke. I got out using the manual unlock knob and am lucky to be alive. We had about one minute to try to extinguish the flames before it fully engulfed both my truck and camper. I filed a complaint with GMC. By what I am reading online there are many instances of fires and GMC does not seem to provide assistance. This is very unnerving and scary to say the least. I am sad and angry for this situation. This happened through no fault of my own and I lost absolutely everything. I was in the middle of moving to start a new job and lost many work items in my truck as well. I had to delay my start date for work. Now I am responsible for deductables, insurance increases and other items not covered by my insurance. Now I have to buy a new vehicle and camper but what will GMC do to help me? Probably nothing.

Filed May 8, 2021 · Brakes · 69,000 miles · PA

While going slowly and turning, my brakes failed to stop me. There was no pressure for the brakes. This happened several times. I almost ran into the back of a car.

Filed Nov 20, 2020 · Brakes · 98,000 miles · OK

Backing out of my driveway in reverse applied the brakes and brake went all the way to the floor and did not stop the vehicle like it should. This vehicle had a recall already on it for the vacuum pump failing causing a loss of braking power. I got the recall remedied ( supposedly by increasing the vacuum pressure but now 6 to 7 months later this is a huge issue it is extremely dangerous driving in low speeds down residential areas with kids playing etc and your brakes fail you this ultimately can cause very serious injury if not death. And to know they put a recall out that supposedly fixes the issue and it dosent fix anything makes it worse because your cheap and dont want to replace a vacuum pump is utterly disturbing and disgusting

Filed Nov 6, 2020 · Brakes · 55,000 miles · NY

Low speed brake failure. Creeping up to a stop sign and and not being able to stop due to brakes being hard to push. There was a recall for this exact problem but when the dealer typed in my VIN # the decal wasn't listed.

Filed Oct 21, 2020 · Brakes · 91,000 miles · NC

In slow traffic today I almost slammed into the back of a car! The brake pedal went to the floor,and had a shutter feelin terrible!! This is scary and needs recalled now!! I heard it was but came up no with my VIN#?? But my year is supposed to be recalled...this needs fixed im not happy after today..

Filed Oct 19, 2020 · Brakes · 65,000 miles · CO

2015 gmc sierra 1500. Had the brake pump vacuum recall performed not too long ago. This issue actually seems worse now. I was backing out of a parking spot - low speed was the issue previously- and applied the brake. Nothing happened, no brakes (pedal was depressed) truck continued to back out and I had to jam on the brake again, only then did the truck brake system shudder and engage enough for me to stop. This happens at low low speeds - crawling traffic, parking lots etc.... I got to tap the brake pedal to slow a bit and nothing occurs - or the pedal pushes back at me giving me no brakes. I have to completely disengage the pedal and then forcefully engage the pedal again to get any kind of braking. I have only noticed this at very slow speeds. This is terribly scary when we are crawling down a steep mountain highway with bumper to bumper traffic and I get no brake response. Like I said, the truck went in for a recall that was supposed to have fixed this issue.