We had driven about 90 miles from our main house to our lake house on friday night-brakes were fine. Saturday morning we backed the sierra up and hooked up the boat to the hitch. After hooking up the boat while we were pulling out of the driveway the brake pedal went to the floor. We dropped the boat and drove the sierra a few miles to the store. While at the store we noticed a leak above the gas tank. The leak was brake fluid and the sierra took an entire bottle of brake fluid. We drove it the few miles back to the house and got the truck towed home the next day. When the gas tank was dropped we noticed rust so bad on the frame that a screwdriver went thru the frame. The frame could have busted apart right behind the cab of the truck. We were extremely lucky that there were no injuries.
2001 GMC Sierra 2500: brake failure
17 of the 134 complaints about the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500 describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 13%
- typical mileage
- 64,100
- recalls
- 0
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
I parked my vehicle and upon exiting observed fluid drips on the pavement. I touched and smelled the fluid and determined it to be brake fluid. I then observed fluid dripping from beneath the drivers side passenger compartment. I immediately checked the brake fluid res. And observed it to be below the 1/2 point. I was approximately 4 miles from my home and decided to take the back road which required less braking. The fluid was still leaking upon my arrival home. I should note there was no fluid leaking prior to departing my residence. I did notice the pedal travel to have increased and the feel to be slightly spongy as I drove down a steep grade requiring significant braking to maintain the 35 MPH limit into havre de grace. The vehicle (2001 gmc 2500hd) is not driven much and mostly for local (<15 miles) travel. The front rotors and calipers have been replaced and the lines bled approximately 2 months ago. There is rust evident on the brake lines. I might argue that due to the vehicle age this is to be expected; however, the extremely low mileage is equivalent to approximately three (3) years worth of driving. Having owned many vehicles, this is the first to have had such a problem. I now have the unscheduled expense of replacing the brake lines. I am lucky not to have been further from home where I might have experienced total brake failure possibly causing a crash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 gmc 2500. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH the brakes failed. The vehicles was taken to a dealer who diagnose that the brake system needed to be replaced. The failure recurred 3 more times afterwards in which the brake system was replaced. The failure mileage was 3,999 and the current mileage was 22,000. Updated 10/11/12*lj updated 10/11/2012
Was coming to a stop sign and had total brake failure. Luckily I was the only one on the road and able to keep control of the vehicle and limp it back home. Could have been much worse. Found rusted brakes lines under the truck just spraying fluid when the brakes are applied. Needs all new brake lines from front to back. Have found many complaints about this online. Gm should recall these vehicles as they are not safe!
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet sierra 2500. The contact noticed that the brake lines were corroded. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 125,000. Updated 01/26/11*lj the consumer stated when he applied the brake to avoid hitting a deer, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. Updated 02/22/11
For about the last year we have been having ABS light issues and have had brakes replaced, wheel bearings replaced, hubs replaced. Mechanic assured everything fine. Have had complete loss of brakes twice in last year. Latest failure was one week ago...brakes failed, went to floor but did not hit anything as was in parking lot. Mechanic found corrosion on the brake line and replaced section of the line involved.
Brake failure. My brake pedal went to the floor I discovered brake fluid leaking onto the ground under the drivers side door. Upon further inspection I was shocked to find that my metal brake lines were corroded and burst leaving me with no brakes. Truck is 2001 sierra 2500hd with 64,000 miles. I have never seen metal brake lines fail like this .
Coming to a stop leaving a parking lot entering a 45mph roadway applied brakes the pedal went to the floor swerved missed rearending vehicle in front of me just missed being hit by car coming on main roadway finally got vehicle stopped on opposite side of the main road on top of the sidewalk/grass by slamming e brake on. After having truck checked out the brake lines are so rotted there is a hole in one under the drivers door area. The hole system is so rotted it need to be replaced.
I have owned my 2001 gmc sierra 2500hd truck since it was new. The vehicle currently has approximately 92,000 miles on it. On august 25, 2010 I was traveling approximately 45 MPH towing a 14? Trailer as I approached an intersection where the light changed. The road surface was rough. I applied the brakes firmly so that I could stop for the intersection. Due to the rough road the ABS kicked in and when it did my brake pedal went completely to the floor and I had no brakes. I tried pumping the brakes, but nothing. By the grace of god, no one was hurt as I continued into cross traffic at the intersection. After pulling into the closest gas station, I found that the brake lines going from the master cylinder had both blown out. Once I had the vehicle home I inspected the brake lines and found all the lines in extremely bad condition. In fact the lines going to the front brakes were seeping brake fluid. Having owned many vehicles, most older than this one, I was shocked that brake lines were in as bad a condition as they are. Especially in a vehicle that isn't even 10 years old yet. Brake line failure is a catastrophe waiting to happen. The dealership indicated that gm is not stepping up to this problem - hopefully you will encourage them too.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 gmc sierra 2500 hd. The contact while driving at 50 MPH, the brakes failed and would not engage. The contact proceeded to drive through a busy intersection and shifted into first gear. The vehicle would not stop and he then proceeded to drive into a parking lot, purposely hitting against the curb to stop the vehicle. The contact found that the undercarriage, frame, front and rear brake lines were severely corroded. The dealer advised bringing the vehicle in for diagnostic testing and possible repairs. The contact stated he had experienced failures with the brakes since the date of purchase. The dealer previously replaced and under coated the rear brake lines to prevent rusting and corrosion but to no avail. The manufacturer was contacted, but did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 29,000 and the current mileage was 50,000. Updated 11/12/10 *cn the consumer stated the cost to repair the brake lines was $3,000. Updated 11/24/10
2001 gmc 2500 sierra with 50 k miles, total brake failure!!!, this has happened before 2 times, first under warranty (they balked at fixing) replaced all rotors and calipers, then one month after warranty was out, failure again brake line corrosion from master cylinder to transmission (never seen that before!) cost $250 to fix, then the line behind that, under the fuel tank at 50k miles while 800 miles away in maine on vacation!! Nearly killed us! (and others) estimated cost to repair another $500... The entire frame and under carriage is rusted to hell! This truck is washed and waxed regularly, and was supposed to be under coated! I have had both front wheel bearing fail at 21k and then again at 35k miles with antilock brake failure as well both times, the bearings $300 apiece and dealer installed.. What next? Transmission will not shift when cold, below 50 degrees!! Estimated cost to fix this over $1500 just to find out what is wrong.. This truck cost over fifty thousand dollars new and has spent more time parked getting fixed then driving!!! Help us please!!!!!!!!!
I was driving my 2001 gmc 2500 hd truck down the road to lock in the 4wd due to a heavy snow storm in the north east. When I got to the end of the road and applied the brakes the anti lock brakes kicked in (brake pedal pulsing) then the pedal went to the floor. I had to hit the gas to prevent being hit in the drivers door due to going through the stop sign with no brakes. I did call the dealer that I bought the truck from they said that the brake lines are not covered under gm warranty or recalls and would cost over $1000 to replace all brake lines. I find this to be a serious safety issue for a truck with only 97000 miles on it. I would hope gm would step up and cover all cost for this repair.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500 brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500?
17 of 134 owner complaints about the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500 (13%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500?
There are 0 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 GMC Sierra 2500?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history