2003 GMC Sierra: brake failure

Filed Oct 28, 2015 · Brakes · 150,000 miles · MI

Exiting off freeway ramp in indianapolis brake pedal went to the floor without notice and no brake fluid loss, nearly crashed crossing 5 lanes of cross traffic just lucky I wasn't broadsided by cross traffic. I received no notice of hazard from gm, no recall and only learned of this problem once researching on web. I am lucky to be alive.

Filed Dec 17, 2014 · Brakes · 70,200 miles · MO

On 11/11/2014, truck suddenly veered to left, crossed middle of road and went halfway into ditch, road did have a small amount of snow[1/2 inch], this happened just as I topped a small hill. On 11/16/2014 again as I topped a hill on a curve the truck suddenly veered to the left, crossed the middle of the road and did go completely in the ditch. On 11/30/2014 as I backed out of the garage, the brake pedal went to the floor and had a horrible noise when I applied the brake. I made an appointment with my mechanic and he found the brake caliper was froze up and sheared off the brakepad and this ruined the brake rotor, this of course caused the loss of brakes on the right rear side, which must have been pulling me off the road. Luckily we suffered no serious injuries and no other vehicles were on the road.

Filed Nov 25, 2014 · Brakes · 84,586 miles · MI

I was traveling in rule area of mich. After dark,a deer jump out in front of me! I hit the brakes,a brief brake surge, then the pedal went to the floor! No brakes! The brake lines under the drivers seat area were rusted through! I stop at a gas station. I found brake fluid all over and a man asked me what had happened,I told him what I found , he and I couldn't believe they were so rusted out ! My truck is in very good shape! Except for the brake lines! It's got a stainless steel exhaust system but they scrimp on one of the most critical systems for safety ! Unbelievable! By the grace of god I didn't hit the deer! But what if it had happened in town or if the deer was a child! Thank god it happened the way it did and no one got hurt!

Filed Nov 17, 2014 · Brakes · 160,000 miles · RI

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra. While attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the brake pedal depressed to the floor and the brakes failed to engage. The brake system malfunction indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. After stopping the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a trail of brake fluid leaking from underneath the vehicle. The contact determined that the rear brake lines were excessively corroded and needed to be replaced. The contact repaired the vehicle himself. However, the failure recurred. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed Sep 10, 2014 · Airbags, Body · 134,652 miles · DE · crash

I was parked on a sloped driveway (about 10 - 15 degrees). I started the engine, stepped on the brake pedal and took the car out of park into drive. Brake pedal was normal. I started to roll forward and when I pushed the brake pedal the car did not slow. I slammed the brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor. At this point I went off the end of the driveway onto a 45 degree downward sloped lawn; then into a wooded area at the top of a ravine. I slammed into a tree. The car was judged a total loss by my insurance company. I did not get a brake warning light. The airbags did not deploy. The car was serviced at a union park gmc (wilmington, de) two days prior. Including brake inspection. Cause of brake failure was determined to be ruptured brake line. Both front and rear brakes were failed.

Filed Sep 9, 2014 · Brakes · 78,000 miles · OH

I was approaching an intersection where traffic was stopped for a red light. I applied the brakes and was decreasing speed from approx 35 MPH. At approx.10-15 MPH the brake pedal went to the floor without any warning or sensor detection and the brakes failed. I held the pedal to the floor, immediately shifted to low gear and drifted to the right shoulder to avoid the stopped traffic. I slowly moved the vehicle to a safe place. In a short distance the service brake system warning activated but there was no warning prior to failure. The truck was taken to my mechanic where it was found that the brake line on the left frame rail had failed under pressure due to extreme rust. It was also determined that all the brake lines, emergency brake cable and brake plates were rusted far in advance of expectations for my model year and mileage. All brake lines have to be replaced because another failure is certain if only the blown line is replaced. I contacted the dealership that sold and has serviced my vehicle and they stated that there was no assistance or recall for rusted brake lines even though there are numerous complaints.

Filed Aug 12, 2014 · Brakes · 100,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal sank to the floorboard when it was depressed. The contact had to shift to a lower gear to slow down the vehicle and the brake service warning indicator illuminated. The contact discovered that the brake fluid lines were ruptured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Aug 11, 2014 · Brakes · 211,158 miles · PA

Pulling out of driveway, no brakes. Broken corroded brake line, appears that all lines look in the same shape .luckily there was no oncoming traffic. The hole in the line is directly under the driver seat.

Filed May 20, 2014 · Brakes · 34,000 miles · NJ

Approximately july 12,2013, I was traveling down the road doing about 50, when a car cut me off,I had to apply the brakes quickly,as I did, I lost my brakes. As I examined why, I found out that my drivers side rear brake line was rusted threw. Now in 2014, may 13 , I was traveling down the road coming to a traffic light when it changed to yellow, I applied my brakes and found out once again I have no brakes! This time the brake line for the front drivers side has rusted away causing brake fluid loss.

Filed Dec 25, 2013 · Brakes · 155,000 miles · CT · crash

Backing out of a parking space I applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I hit a steel pole causing damage to my rear bumper. I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong. I inspected the truck and found brake fluid dripping from under the vehicle in the area of the drivers door. Further inspection showed the brake lines were very rusted which I attribute to the brake line failure.

Filed Oct 19, 2013 · Brakes · 63,812 miles · NJ

The problem started when I noticed the rear brakes making excessive noise. Figuring that it was likely worn brake pads, I decided to change them. During the process of changing out the brake pads, I noticed that the rotors had been extremely worn down. This lead to me replacing both rear rotors, only to find that the brakes were not releasing after being applied. I then replaced both rear brake calipers. This did fix the problem of the brakes not releasing. After bleeding the brakes, I took the truck out for a test run. At this point there was a brake line failure and lead to complete brake failure. My concern is due to the fact that the brake lines are very heavily corroded, and I fear that there will be many future problems with the system. The truck has many other rusted parts underneath as well, and I do not use the vehicle for any abnormal driving use that would lead to excessive corrosion.

Filed Sep 24, 2013 · Brakes · 99,000 miles · OH

Pulled up to the carwash. As I was preparing to put money in the machine,I heard a hissing sound. Brake pedal went to the floor & brake light came on. I had no brakes whatsoever. Was able to roll back to a vacant area & stop with emergency brake. Truck is still in the shop where mechanic is replacing all the brake lines. He said this was common for this truck & the lines were all bad.