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2000 GMC Sierra brakes problems

228 complaints (51% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 66,000. 21 crashes reported.

owner complaints
228
of this car's complaints
51%
typical mileage
66,000
crashes
21
recalls
4

Which part fails

  • Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
    111
  • Foundation components: disc: rotor
    12
  • Foundation components
    9
  • Foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
    8
  • Antilock: wheel speed sensor
    8
  • Foundation components: disc
    6
  • Foundation components: disc: pads
    4
  • Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
    4

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

GMC Sierra brakes problems in other years

199019952000200520102017

Specific symptoms reported on the 2000 GMC Sierra brakes

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

ABS 71Brake failure 63Grinding brakes 9

Related recalls

Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slipReported August 29, 2005 · 1,353,718 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles may experience unwanted antilock brake system (ABS) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas. This recall will be launched in the "salt belt" states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maryland, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia only.
Risk
This can cause increased stopping distances during low-speed brake applications, which could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel speed sensor, and check the peak-to-peak output voltage to ensure the wheel speed signal is within specifications. The recall began september 22, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.

Recall number 05V379000 · Recall details

Parking brakeReported April 22, 2005 · 90,242 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions and built with either pbr parking brake systems or trw parking brake systems, the parking brake friction linings may wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.
Risk
If the parking brake does not hold, unintended vehicle movement could occur, which could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with a pbr parking brake system. On vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system, dealers will install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly. The recall began on july 29, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.

Recall number 05V161000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsReported October 30, 2000 · 1,383,922 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a clearance condition between the front right-hand brake pipe and the body cross sill that could decrease to the point of allowing contact during the life of the vehicle. If contact occurs and the brake pipe becomes damaged, in half of the brake system there can be a loss of brake fluid and pressure. The brake warning lamp will be activated when the brake fluid level reaches the indicator limit.
Risk
During braking, the pedal will be lower than normal and stopping distances will be longer. If this occurs when stopping distance is limited, a crash could occur.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the front right-hand brake pipe for wear. If there are signs of wear, this section of the brake pipe will be replaced with a new designed brake pipe section. If there are not signs of wear on the brake pipe, the dealer will install a spacer clip to ensure sufficient clearance between the brake pipe and the body cross sill.

Recall number 00V345000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slipReported February 28, 2000 · 10,674 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.
Risk
The base brakes would remain fully functional, but the dynamic rear proportioning (drp) system, which optimizes front to rear brake balance, would become inoperative.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.

Recall number 00V055000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Brake line corrosion failureOpened March 30, 2010, closed January 5, 2011

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Defect Petition DP10-003 on March 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (MY) 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.DP10-003 was granted and on March 30, 2010, Preliminary Evaluation PE10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility vehicles manufactured and sold by General Motors Corporation (GM).On July 2, 2010, ODI received GM's response to an information request, which included GM's assessment of the frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. GM stated that:(1) the brake system of the subject vehicles is split front/rear and should a brake pipe suddenly fail for any reason, the affected vehicle would be capable of stopping with the pressure supplied by the remaining circuit; (2) the subject vehicles were designed to meet the hydraulic circuit partial failure requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 105 and 135, Light Vehicle Brake Systems; and (3) should a brake fluid leak occur for any reason, the brake system malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) would illuminate and warn the driver before the brake fluid level was low enough to cause a loss of line pressure.ODI's and GM's analysis indicates that 85 percent of the complaints occurred on vehicles used primarily in States that use salt on the roads during Winter months (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin).Overall the complaint rates per 100,000 vehicles for Salt Belt States is 43.0 and Non-Salt Belt is 3.0.In approximately 25 percent of the complaints the brake pipe failure occurred suddenly, with no warning (i.e., no MIL, Brake Fluid Loss Warning), and resulted in extended stopping distances.In 30 of these the increase in stopping distance that resulted was a factor in the crash and in 10 others the vehicle was intentionally steered off the road or into another lane of travel in order to avoid a crash.This investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA11-001) for subject vehicles sold or currently registered in Salt Belt States to further assess the scope, frequency and safety risks associated with sudden failures of corroded brake pipes that can result in decreased brake effectiveness. ODI will continue to gather information on subject vehicles outside the Salt Belt as well.

PE10010

Parking brake failureOpened December 20, 2005, closed May 31, 2006

Odi's review of complaint data received since the close of ea04-011 revealed no indication that the investigation should be re-opened.more details can be found in the federal register notice enclosed in the dp05-009 public file.odi reserves the right to reopen the investigation in the future should conditions warrant.

DP05009

Unwanted low-speed ABS activationOpened April 28, 2005, closed September 13, 2005

In a letter dated august 29, 2005, gm notified odi that it was recalling certain model year 1999 through 2002 c/k pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles to correct a problem with anti-lock brake system (ABS) wheel speed sensor corrosion that may result in unwanted ABS activation and extended stopping distances during low-speed braking (recall 05v‑379).gm's recall covers approximately 804,000 vehicles currently registered in the following 14 salt-belt states:connecticut, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, michigan, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, and west virginia.the recall procedure will involve removing the sensor, cleaning the mounting surface, applying a rust inhibitor (zinc-x) to the surface, and reinstalling the sensor.if necessary, the sensor will be replaced. The population and failure report data given in this resume are for the full region that has been considered by odi as the salt-belt.that includes delaware, iowa, maryland, minnesota, missouri, wisconsin and the district of columbia in addition to the 14 states included in 05v‑379.the states covered by gm's recall have the highest incident rates for the subject condition, accounting for 91% of the incidents, but only 24% of subject vehicle sales in the united states.odi's analysis determined that 840 of the complaints, 244 of the crashes, and 16 of the injuries identified in this investigation occurred in those states.the resulting incident and crash rates are 96.2 and 28.0 per 100,000 vehicles respectively (note:rates are based on vehicle sales, not registered vehicles). The corresponding numbers in the excluded portions of the salt-belt are 399,000 vehicles, 81 incidents (20.3 per 100,000 vehicles), 3 crashes, and no injuries.the statistics in the remaining 30 states are 2,406,000 vehicles, 168 incidents (7.0 per 100,000 vehicles), 31 crashes, and one injury.gm and odi are continuing to monitor the problem experience in states that are not included in the recall.gm will provide odi with updated complaint, field report, and warranty data in november 2005.odi and gm will review that data and assess the appropriateness of the current scope of the recall at that time.

PE05020

Parking brake failureOpened April 9, 2004, closed May 10, 2005

In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified the federal safety agency that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly on vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system. A total of 58 non-duplicative complaints were received by odi and gm concerning the approximately 59,000 my 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series pickup trucks with the pbr parking brake system.these included 22 alleged rollaway incidents, resulting in a rate of 38.5 rollaway incidents per 100,000 vehicles.odi is aware of 24 complaints regarding the my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series manual transmission trucks recalled by gm, including 5 alleging rollaway incidents.though the conditions described in gm's letter are also present in the c/k trucks with automatic transmissions, the rollaway rate in those vehicles was similar to those observed in peer vehicles studied by odi in this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. For additional information, see the attached closing report.

EA04011

Parking brake failureOpened December 8, 2003, closed April 9, 2004

Odi opened pe03-057 to assess parking brake ineffectiveness in the subject vehicles.these vehicles are equipped with four wheel disc brakes that incorporate a single-shoe drum-in-hat parking brake independent of the service brakes.complaint and warranty data indicate that the parking brake linings tend to wear out early in the life of the vehicle (at an average of 24 months in service), reducing the parking brake system's torque below that needed to immobilize the vehicle.gm has attributed this accelerated wear to foreign material intrusion and a failure of the brake shoe to properly self-center within its brake drum.effective with the start of my 2003 production, a newer reduced force hold-down clip was introduced to facilitate brake shoe disengagement from the drum surface.this part is also available at the service level for the my 1999-2002 vehicles.gm has indicated that the paking brake is intended to operate in conjunction with the transmission to immobilze parked vehicles, and that in many cases, accelerated parking brake lining wear is caused by rough use, vehicle modifications, and driving with the parking engaged. Odi has upgraded the preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis to gather further information concerning parking brake usage factors and the circumstances surrounding the seventeen reported vehicle crashes.

PE03057

What 2000 GMC Sierra owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Nov 2, 2015 · Brakes · 147,000 miles · KY

My pickup truck was in motion when driving on a city street I had to slow down. The brake-petal went almost completely to the floor. I almost hit the vehicle in front of me while trying to stop. After pulling to the side of street I checked under the truck and discovered that the rear metal brake line adjacent to the truck frame had rusted and burst.

Filed Jun 24, 2015 · Brakes · 135,000 miles · MI

While towing my boat I experienced brake failure. The pedal went to the floor with no pressure. Brake warning light did not come on. We were on a dirt road with no traffic and were able to stop without incident. After inspecting the brake lines a leak was found in one of the lines under the drivers side door before the line enters the brake modulator. All the lines are rusty and need to be replaced. I contacted the gmc dealer and although they have seen the problem before they are unaware of any safety problems with the brakes and that gm has no fix for the problem. They estimate the cost to replace the brake lines to be about $1200.

Filed May 3, 2015 · Brakes · 56,000 miles · NJ

The brake lines have rotted out and failed in traffic multiple times without notice. Also the leaf spring hangers rotted and broke. The rear bumper is a rusted mess. The undercarriage of the truck looks like something that was washed ashore. Heavy duty rot. The body and cab inside still look new. Something wrong with the steel in this vehicle.

Filed Jan 31, 2015 · Brakes · 152,630 miles · IL

Brakes failed unexpectedly. The pedal went all the way to the floor and barely slowed down the truck at all. This was due to a brake line that rusted through. The repair was $765. Had I been in an area with higher traffic there would have been an accident.

Filed Jan 15, 2015 · Brakes · 65,000 miles · FL · crash

Brake line rusted thru causing the truck to lose brakes entirely. This vehicle has never been out of florida, and I am the original owner since new. Never driven on salty winter roads or snow.

Filed Oct 21, 2014 · Brakes · 173,500 miles · VA

My 2000 gmc sierra 1500 pickup, which has spent its entire life in virginia, lost its brakes while I was towing a dual-axle trailer and boat. Thanks to god's protection, this happened right as my made my final stop right in front of my house, so I was barely moving. Had this happened just moments earlier, I would have been traveling around 50 MPH on a winding country road. I looked under the driver's side door and found the brake line and fluid running from it. While there was surface rust on the lines, I wouldn't say it appeared that a failure was imminent. Clearly, inferior materials were used for the brake line when less corrosive materials should have been used. Gm should acknowledge their poor choice of materials and provide, at the very least, replacement brake line sets. Their current "deeply discounted" set costs more than an aftermarket set.

Filed Sep 8, 2014 · Brakes · 255,413 miles · MO

Was driving with 3 of my children to a football practice. Was on mo state hwy 70 doing approx. 60mph. An incident occurred ahead of me which resulted in an immediate slow down. Hit my brakes hard(like all other vehicles around me) and brake pedal went to floor and truck lost at least 90pct of braking power. Almost complete lack of any brakes. It was an honest miracle that me and my children along with any other people that would have been hit at that speed were not killed or badly injured. It was a split second incident and act of miraculous luck that avoided a catastrophe. I did not have time to think and just reacted out of instinct and swerved from middle of three lanes into grass shoulder(which resulted in terrifying attempt at keeping control and not flipping truck over etc. Going from 60plus MPH on a tight shoulder in a high traffic major hwy in suburban st louis. A miracle we survived. When on shoulder attempting to keep control with no brakes I did think and engaged emergency brake all the way down with basically zero affect at helping slow down. This was a dangerous and traumatic experience for my children and not soon forgotten! Discovered it was a metal brakeline rusted on frame mount underneath driver door that burst causing this. I have owned the truck since 2001 and purchased with 14,000 miles. Looking online for parts to replace(which are expensive, money too tight to afford the lowest quote from repair shop to replace all steel lines of $1000 to $1500)what now pay almost what truck is worth to fix? Gm is obviously aware. Why not at least have moral strength enough to put out a bulletin to inform or self inspect? I am at a loss expressing myself at gm's lack of character. I will never own as will my children another gm vehicle. Why buy american? Should have gone with a japanese company. Never would have come to this with toyota or honda. Sad!

Filed Jul 8, 2014 · Brakes · 142,813 miles · IN

Truck was parked. Went to put it into drive and stepped on the brake pedal. The pedal went to the floor. The steel brake line back by the driver rear wheel ruptured. On closer inspection, I will have to replace all brake lines as they are so rusty and corroded. It is a safety issue. I was fortunate that I nor my wife was traveling on the road when this happened.

Filed Jul 8, 2014 · Brakes · 30,000 miles · MA

Pulled on to road while towing boat and could not stop. Brake peddle to floor. Used emergency brake to stop. Replaced some lines and problem re-occurred.

Filed May 21, 2014 · Brakes · 119,000 miles · IA

As I was approaching a stop sign at 30 MPH, I went to apply the brakes and the brake pedal went to the floor board. I pumped the brakes a couple times to regain pedal pressure with no luck. I was lucky that no other cars were at the intersection or else there would have been an accident for sure. I made a quick right hand turn and used emergency brake to stop. There was a puddle of brake fluid coming from the ABS module underneath the drivers side door. Upon further inspection, the brake line ruptured due to rust and corrosion. I am relieved that no one was at the intersection and that I did not have my wife and 3 kids in the vehicle at the time the brakes went out. I have owned many vehicles and never had a single vehicle where metal brake lines have rusted out. I have owned this truck for 10 years and now question gm and their quality and integrity. At this point, I probably won't buy another gm truck because they rust out in less than 10 years and my family's life was at stake for a design/quality flaw. I now have to spend $1000+ dollars to replace all brake lines on my truck when gm could have installed stainless steel brake lines in the first place. Disappointed gmc truck owner.

Questions about the 2000 GMC Sierra brakes

Does the 2000 GMC Sierra have brakes problems?

Owners have filed 228 complaints about the brakes of the 2000 GMC Sierra, 51% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 2000 GMC Sierra brakes problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 66,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2000 GMC Sierra brakes?

Yes, 4 recalls: 05V379000, 05V161000, 00V345000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the GMC Sierra have bad brakes?

The GMC Sierra model years with the most brakes complaints are 1999 (338 complaints), 2000 (228 complaints) and 2001 (150 complaints).

Other 2000 GMC Sierra problems

Body 34Tires 30Steering 28Acceleration 27Transmission 26Suspension 25Engine 22Fuel system 22Airbags 17Lights 13Visibility 13Electrical 12Seat belts 6Wheels 6Locks 5Seats 2

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