I was taking my 4 yr old to school this morning with his 1 yr old sister when the brakes completely failed. Upon approaching a red stoplight at 30 miles per hour with three cars stopped ahead of me I pressed the brake pedal and it went completely to the floor. I pulled gearshift to the low position and swerved into the vacant left hand turning lane to avoid the cars stopped at the light. Then turned hard right as to not enter the busy intersection in front of me with no avail. Somehow we were not hit by another vehicle. At that time I pulled vehicle over to the shoulder of the road which ended abruptly and turned into a grassy area of a baseball field where the vehicle finally came to a stop.gm states that if there is a brake line failure the vehicle still has braking ability. I can tell you first hand that is a totally false statement. My vehicle dash did not display any problem prior to this incident. When vehicle was tow to my home I put key in the ignition to check my mileage and now a brake failure message is displayed.I am very angry with gm for not notifying me of this problem and never had any idea there was an on going issue until today. Myself and my two children could have been killed today because of this neglect. Please do something to rectify this problem because many more gm vehicle will have this problem and innocent people and their families will be hurt or even die.
2004 GMC Sierra brakes complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 74, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Brake pedal had no pressure and went to the floor. Truck wouldn't stop. Later I noticed a brake fluid leak. There was no leak before the incident and brakes worked perfectly earlier in the day. If I hadn't been in a parking lot and out on the road, there would certainly have been an accident.
The brake line ruptured on my 2004 gmc sierra 1500 pick up truck - inspected by a certified mechanic, all remaining lines need to be change due to corrosion.
All fuel and brakes like rotted. The brakes failed for the second time. One brake line was previously replaced approx. 1 year ago. Both times vehicle needed to be towed for repair. Total cost for most recent replacement/repair was $1202.13.
Had to stop suddenly at about 20 MPH. Brake lines burst due to corrosion. All lines had to be replaced. Cost $756.87 for replacement.
I had not driven my truck in a few months due to other problems with the ventilation controls. While beginning to prepare the truck to tow a 3500 pound boat I needed to reposition the truck in my driveway. The driveway slopes down to the street. While moving the truck, on my driveway, the brake pedal went completely to the floor. Pumping the brakes was not able to stop the truck that was traveling at idle speed. All braking was gone and the truck rolled down the driveway and into traffic on my street. By turning off the engine and coasting to a stop (in gear) just avoided an accident. After getting the truck back in my driveway I found two distinct puddles of brake fluid under the truck. Inspecting the brake lines showed that there were at least two different failure points in the brake lines. One closer to the master cylinder and another a few feet further back. I believe one failure occurred in the front brake circuit and the other was in the rear brake circuit which LED to the *complete* loss of braking. This is contrary to gm claims that this failure can not lead to total brake loss. I have pictures and video of the failure points that I can forward if needed.
Lost brakes at stop light . Found all break lines rusted.
Burst steel brake line due to corrosion. Was towing a trailer at the time. All brake lines had to be replaced due to severe corrosion. Still have malfunctioning front ABS due to corrosion affecting the wheel sensors.
I had just had the truck inspected. Was driving home and two blocks from the inspection station when I came to a red light. When I stepped on the brakes the pedal went to the floor. Fortunately I reacted quickly enough to use the parking brake to stop the truck and keep from rear ending the car that was already stopped. After pulling into parking lot and inspecting the brakes I noticed a puddle under the front left of the truck. Looking closer I found the brake line had rusted through. I returned to the shop where I had the inspection done. He repaired the one line that had burst. I was informed that the other lines looked rusted and ready to burst at anytime.
Brake lines completed rusted out. Purchased from a gmc/chevy dealer with no notice of this issue. They knew about the issue and this should have been fixed. Still no recall. I guess not enough people have died yet.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc sierra. The contact stated that the brake lines and fuel pump was corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician verified the failure and replaced both the brake lines and fuel pump. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc sierra. The contact stated that the brake lines were completely rusted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage 200,000.
Traveling south, ny rt. 12. Attempted to slow for a right turn. Signal on, towing an empty trailer approx weight 2000 lbs. Applied the service brake for the turn, pedal went to floor, no brakes. Luckily no incident. Examined the underneath and found that the steel brake lines were routed over the frame on the driver side (underneath body under the driver door.) when brake line(s) failed, there were no sign of any braking ability. Both the front and rear brake systems were inoperable. The lines had rusted through from apparently road salt or (?), creating a very dangerous situation. Since the incident I have spoke with several other drivers who have experienced the same failure.
Brake lines had rusted out and burst so the brakes failed to stop the truck. Truck was on a down hill incline and went through a stop light (fortunately it was late at night and there was no crossing traffic.) had to replace all the brake lines.
Brake lines rusted and failed causing the brake pedal to go to the floor.
While driving, needed to slow down for traffic light and the brake pedal went to the floor. I was able to still drive it, as the brakes would stop the truck eventually. Cause was the rusted rear brake line that ruptured. Cost to fix was $400.00 in addition, on 12.27.13, I had the front wheel bearing replaced at a cost of $525.00. The truck only has 66,600 miles on it.
I was I 91 south heading in to hartford ct, traffic was heavy and as a result I was traveling appx 20 MPH as I entered the ramp exit lane. I stepped on brake pedal and the pedal went to the floor, fortunately I was able to veer into the breakdown lane and avoid hitting other cars. I slowly made it to my place of employment and later had the truck towed home. As it turns out I discovered the all brake lines had corroded and had to be replaced. I contacted gm as I thought it very unusual for all brakes lines to be so severely corroded. They attributed the severe corrosion to the fact that the truck was 10 years old and refused to cover the expense and considered the case closed. By doing a simple internet search I found that this same problem is quite common and my mechanic also informed that gm ( possibly as a result of this being a common issue) has made a available a brake line replacement kit.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving less than 10 MPH, the ABS engaged independently. The vehicle was not taken for inspection or repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v379000 (service brakes, hydraulic). In addition, the contact lso stated that the passenger's side tailgate became fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 40000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc sierra denali. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 25 MPH, the brake pedal was able to be fully depressed but did stop the vehicle. The vehicle was downshifted and the parking brake was applied when the brake warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was left to be towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc sierra. The contact stated that while reversing into her residential garage, the brakes failed. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that one of the brake lines had fractured and all the rest of the brake lines were completely corroded. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 78,000.
After exiting onto the highway and attempting to brake to make a right turn I experienced catastrophic brake failure. When the brake pedal was applied there was no pressure, and the pedal went straight to the floor. No warning lights or sensors were activated before the total brake failure. The vehicle was towed to a local gmc dealership. The dealership advised me that the brake line "blew out" from the front left caliper because of rust. I researched such problems and found that similar complaints were numerous and that the federal safety agency had initiated an inquiry/investigations into excessive rust on brake components of gmc vehicles causing this type of total brake failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc sierra. The contact stated that the brake pedal became stuck to the floor board. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who inspected the vehicle and found that the rear brake line was leaking due to corrosion. The rear brake line was replaced. The manufacturer was not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,047 and the approximate failure mileage was 99,000. Updated 11-04-13 *bf updated 11/8/2013
Vehicle in front of me stopped suddenly. My brakes failed as my foot/pedal hit the floor. All I heard was buzzing. I hit the vehicle in front of me. Mechanic showed me the rusted out brake line that failed. Advised me that the ABS pump just plan emptied my mc to make up pressure loss. My complaint isn't so much the fact that my brake line rusted out as it is a 10 year old truck, (although stainless lines with steel connectors would be a huge improvement). But my complaint is that the ABS systems in these trucks, and maybe other vehicles are flawed. Back before ABS came out, if a line was damaged or failed for whatever reason the separated reservoirs in mc's would at least give you front or rear brakes to stop. That was the best single design improvement manufacturers made to brakes, and I've been driving when mc's only had one reservoir. To have a complete mc drained for a line failure is ludicrous.
Driving on the freeway, I stepped on the brakes to slow down as traffic was heavy in a area that is slow in the morning. The brakes started to slow me down, then without warning the pedal went to the floor and I could not slow the truck. I took action and moved onto the next lane to avoid a crash. I continued to apply the brakes which only worked a little bit until I came to a stop. I had the truck towed to my house. Upon inspection, one of the four brake lines that run along the outside of the frame under the drivers seat had burst due to extensive rust. In fact all four of the brake lines in this location had extensive rust. I had to have all for replaced.
Upon applying brakes to shift into reverse, pedal went to floor and all warning lights came on. Had truck towed to garage, and upon inspection a metal brake line had rusted out. After replacing brake line garage was bleeding brakes and another line failed. Was told by mechanic that I should have all the metal lines replaced because of sever rusting of the metal. This seems to be more prevalent in general motors than any other brand. I was told that the use of salt brine solution in our area for winter freezing is the reason behind this. I was told that the mechanic is seeing at least one vehicle a week with this problem.
My mother borrowed my truck to run an errand on her way home she called to tell me that the "service brake system" message had appeared in the dic. Moments later the vehicle lost all stopping ability. Thankfully due to the combonation of an empty road good driving no collision ocured. This morning I go to invegistate to find complete rust through on two of the steel hydraulic lines located just behind the drivers front wheel. All steel lines in this truck brake, fuel, and, transmission cooler have similar extensive rust damage. This is extremely dangerious and will be expensive to repair as to ensure safety all metal lines will need changing. I came to find out that not only is this a very common issue with these trucks but that gm is doing nothing to help owners nor do they offer correct quality oe style replacement lines. I was qouted over $1000 by two seperate dealers in my area. My truck is well taken care of and is driven much less than the national average this failure has truly upset me I dont see buying another gm product in the future.
I have a 2004 gmc sierra that has an electrical issue with the ABS or brake system. The brake light, ABS light and service brake system light goes off at random times. Might have something to do with the air conditioning because the A/C draws power from the battery and I can see that a certain level the indicators go off. Most of the time the lights chime and blink when I apply the brake but it also has happened when just turned the truck on. I've replaced the rotors and pads to still have the problem. I'm not sure if it's a ground or sensor that is failing. I've found tsb for regrounding, failing sensors, or ecbm. Still haven't found the correct diagnosis. I just hope the ABS functions when I need it.
I was backing out of the driveway and the brakes went to the floor. The brake lines were severely rusted. They look like the are 50 years old.
Brake line failure as an emergency stopping procedure was in place. Vehicle eventually stopped, but rear ended the forward vehicle. Brake line corrosion in hard piping was diagnosed as the problem as the hard brake line ruptured.
When coming to a red light I tried to stop my truck. Upon pressing the brake peddle the first time I started to slow down. Upon pressing the brake peddle the second time, the peddle when to the floor and did not slow me down. I had to run the red light and us my e brake to slow down and finally stop at a gas station. While waiting for aaa to pick me up noticed brake fluid coming out from under drivers side. Truck was towed to my son's house. After looking under the truck he told me the brake lines from the front of the truck had broken. He suggested we replace all the brake lines, which we did. All the original lines were rotting away. When we removed the brake lines they all broke into pieces . We replaced all the original lines with stainless steel lines at cost of $400.00 plus I found a front and a rear calipers frozen, so I replaced all the brakes and calipers. There is no way the brake lines on a 8 year old truck should be found in this shape. The original lines looked like aluminum coated steel.
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