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2005 GMC Sierra brakes complaints

Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 37 of 37, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2005 GMC Sierra brakes problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Nov 9, 2014 · Brakes · 140,000 miles · MD

The vehicle was purchased new and has been regularly maintained. The brake lines and frame are heavily corroded. While pulling out of a parking spot on 10/26/14 brakes were applied abruptly which caused a rupture of the corroded brake lines. All brake lines will need to be replaced in order to safely return the vehicle to service. Other family members have 2004 chevy yukon and 1994 gmc 2500, both vehicles had brake lines fail due to corrosion and required complete replacement in order to safely return the vehicles to service. This is a serious safety concern and these brake line failures are not normal wear and tear. I have had several vehicles much older than this vehicle which still have stock brake lines with no corrosion.

Filed Jul 31, 2014 · Brakes · 65,000 miles · WV

I went out to move the truck and noticed there was fluid on the driveway. I examined the rear driver side and there was a brake line that had rusted through. I contacted the local dealership and they stated they were unaware of this being an issue with those trucks. I had researched and found that there have been multiple complaints to gm about this issue. Fortunately, this occurred when the vehicle was parked and did not fail while driving my family in the vehicle. What I have read is that the brake lines were manufactured with poor quality materials and that they fail. The article referenced is: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/automobiles/gm-resists-recalling-trucks-over-brake-line-problem.html?referrer=&_r=1.

Filed Jul 11, 2014 · Brakes · 78,946 miles · KY

Helped friend with plumbing problem, as I backed out his drive way brakes seemed a little soft. At first stop sign brake pedal went down about 1/4 more on travel than normal. At next stop sign a car was already stopped, I applied my brakes, pedal to floor, no brakes at all. Dropped transmission into first gear, slowed some. The car at stop sign luckily proceeded on thru. I was not able to make a complete stop, and rolled thru the stop sign. Just about hit another car. I was able to nurse truck home. I have a garage at home with a car lift in it. I like working on old cars, and motorcycles. Worked on cars and trucks since I was 16, am 61 now, and by no means a novice working on, or racing cars!!! After checking trucks braking system. Left front steel brake line was rusted badly and had ruptured. As I continued checking the brake system, all brake lines extremely rusted. I have a 1952 styleline deluxe that the original brake lines look better. Truck my have seen snow 3 to 4 times in its life, pretty sad. I am lucky to not have killed some one or myself. Have pictures of brake lines and truck is still on lift. Extremely poor quality brake lines. Gmc should recall. With out a doubt sure some has been killed or injured, there will be more if not addressed now!!!!!!!!!

Filed Jun 14, 2014 · Brakes · 32,000 miles · VT

I drove into lumber yard hit the brakes and they were gone. As my speed was low due to parking lot, I was able to stop without incident. Brake lines were completely rusted and all the brake fluid drained into parking lot. I had the brake lines repaired at considerable cost as they were all rusted. They needed to be custom bent by the shop. Luckily no one was hurt or killed. This should not have happened. I had rust in all lines and the grouping of lines over the drivers side frame rail next to front tire was the culprit area with all lines rusted thru. I had no stopping power. I had to use parking brake to stop.

Filed May 24, 2014 · Brakes, Steering · 143,000 miles · MD

I took my truck into fitzgerald auto mall, with whom I've had a great relationship, for some power steering issues. I was told that the brake system piping itself was rusting and would need to be replaced to the tune of $1600.00. I researched this and found that this is a common issue with gm trucks and there hasn't been anything done about it. Gm has reduced the cost of the repair "kit" to $500, but who is going to install it? I have had many vehicles and lived in many states where salt is used on the road. I've never seen a vehicle that had so much damage because of it, especially a critical system like brakes. This should have been a recall years ago. I don't think the owners of these affected vehicles should have to pay to fix an engineering mistake. Gm should be liable and fix it for free. Thank you.

Filed May 20, 2014 · Body, Brakes · 18,650 miles · MI

2005 gmc sierra z71. I am the original owner. This vehicle has 18k miles, yes 18 thousand original miles. This truck does not get beat on at all, no off road etc, and it has been well taken care of since new. There is a rust issue with these trucks. On 5-19-2014, on my way to the car wash my brakes started to feel very soft and the truck was not stopping. I changed routes to my mechanics shop, and while en route lost the rear brakes. I thankfully arrived (driving very slowly) to the front of his shop. I got out and saw a puddle of brake fluid leaking out of the rear end brake lines rear lines were completely rusted. He inspected the vehicle, and as if this wasn't enough, informed that the transmission lines were also leaking (rusted). Mechanic added that I should be prepared for the fuel lines to rust through next. This line replacement job will cost me about 2k. Not to mention the issue with the lower rockers and cab corners rusting. That estimated is for another 2k. I purchased this truck to last me, and apparently gm does not build a quality product anymore. There a numerous complaints about this issue, and gm refuses to acknowledge the problem. Very unhappy!

Filed Apr 20, 2014 · Brakes · 115,720 miles · NY

I was driving on a highway getting ready to make a left hand turn off the highway when all of a sudden my brake pedal went to the instead of continuing the turn I pulled onto the center median so I would not hit the on coming traffic. I ruptured a brake line and had to have my truck towed to a repair shop.after reading on line I understand this is a persistent problem with the sierra and silverado. I also have read that gm is aware of the problem but refuses to issue a recall because they feel it is not a safety issue. We'll if I had not pulled the wheel back to the right and went into the median I would have been involved in a head on crash,I would call that a safety issue.

Filed Mar 23, 2014 · Brakes · 71,950 miles · MD

I was stopped at a traffic light with my foot on the brake pedal when suddenly the pedal went almost completely to the floor. After getting safely off the roadway, I inspected the truck and saw a lot of fluid leaking from beneath the rear of the cargo bed. I then discovered that a rear brake line had ruptured, apparently from corrosion. I checked the brake reservoir and found that it was almost empty. Once I got the truck to a repair shop I saw that all the tubular brake lines were severely corroded and all needed to be replaced. I had stainless steel lines installed and repair costs exceeded $1.200.00. I've owned this truck since it was brand new and have always kept it very well maintained.

Filed Mar 9, 2014 · Brakes · 67,320 miles · OH

Was traveling on baldwin rd., clermont county, ohio. I applied the brakes to slow for a corner and the brake pedal went to the floor board.I finally got the vehicle stopped and I realized what had happened. I had a discussion with a mechanic at my dealership while my truck was still under warranty about the condition of the brake lines in the engine compartment, and was told that the rust was just discoloration and nothing to worry about. When I called the dealership on 3/7/2014, I was told by the service manager that he was not aware of any investigation.

Filed Oct 28, 2013 · Brakes · 75,000 miles · DE

Began to back out of parking space when the brake pedal fell flat to the floor. Lost all braking power and was unable to stop. Brake fluid leaking from rusted line.

Filed Oct 19, 2013 · Brakes · 63,000 miles · MI

Brake lines heavily rusted. Looks like they will soon fail.

Filed Jun 15, 2013 · Acceleration, Brakes · 103,000 miles · NJ

I was approaching a stop light and applied pressure to the brake pedal. My foot went to the floor and the truck did not stop. I was able to activate the parking brake and safely stop the truck. On inspection, it was discovered that the factory installed steel brake lines failed due to corrosion. The vehicle is well cared for and has no signs of body rust but the brake lines are almost completely rusted away front to back.

Filed Jun 11, 2013 · Brakes · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, she applied the brakes and the vehicle slid a small distance. The contact then pumped the brakes and the brakes functioned normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the flex hoses lines from the master cylinder and the ABS pump to the rear calipers would all need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 70,000.

Filed Apr 18, 2013 · Brakes · 66,853 miles · NH

All brake lines badly rusted. Line above fuel tank rusted through and leaked while driving. Pedal went to floor. To avoid colliding with vehicle in front of me went off road. No damage to my truck.

Filed Jan 28, 2013 · Brakes · 117,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the brakes failed. The contact applied the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by the contact, who was a certified mechanic and the failure was diagnosed as a fractured brake line. The manufacturer was notified and informed him that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 117,000.

Filed Aug 7, 2012 · Brakes · 55,833 miles · NJ

Vehicle was driven on a driveway and the brake pedal lost complete resistance and went flat to the floor. Total brake failure occurred without any warning indicators. Inspection of the metal brake lines positioned near the left front wheel revealed that all four lines showed severe signs of corrosion and one of the lines had produced a hole therefore leaking brake fluid.

Filed Jun 7, 2012 · Brakes · 55,437 miles · NC

The problem is a totally rusted-out set of steel brake lines throughout the gmc truck. The burst brake line is in the engine compartment. It is the line that runs from the antilock brake distribution point (attached to the frame beneath the driver seat). It runs along the frame, above the frame rail and past the steering box, and then makes a right turn beneath the radiator to the passenger side of the truck, where it exits into the wheel well and connects to the flexible brake hose on the passenger side. The steel line burst in the area adjacent to the steering box, so that it sprays brake fluid all over the steering box whenever the brake pedal is depressed. This quickly emptied the reservoir on the master cylinder leaving almost no brakes at all. There is very minimal braking available with the pedal fully depressed the floor. I initially examined the system to see if there is any chance of a do-it-yourself repair but quickly abandoned that idea. All of the brake lines are badly corroded and covered with scale, so there is no chance of cutting out the bad segment, double flaring the ends, and splicing-in a short segment to replace the rusted-out portion of the brake line. All of the brake lines throughout the truck are badly rusted and likely will fail again if left in place (according to the gmc service manager). The brake line that failed burst in a part of the engine compartment that would seem to not even be exposed to road salt, since it is inside the engine compartment and relatively shielded from salt spray and road grime by the body, wheel well and frame rail. The dealer service manager in murphy, nc estimates that it will take one of his mechanics almost a full day to remove all of the bad brake lines and fabricate replacements (these lines are not available in prefabricated form from gmc.

Filed Jan 5, 2012 · Brakes, Suspension · 72,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra 2500hd. The contact stated that when attempting to brake at low speeds, the front end would shake and the braking distance would increase. The contact also stated that the vehicle would pull toward the right when the failure occurred. An authorized dealer stated that this was a known failure, but this year, make and model was not recalled. The failure and current mileages were 72,000. Updated 02/09/12*lj the front wheel bearing assembly and sensor were replaced. Updated 02/13/12

Filed Oct 14, 2011 · Brakes · 47,000 miles · IN

I have a 2005 gmc sierra. While driving on dry roads and braking at low speeds the ABS abnormally activates with out warrant. This only happens at low speeds and has almost caused me to have several accidents. I called the gm dealer to see if there is a recall on this and they told me there was not and I could bring it in to have it looked at and repaired at my expense. I see there are other complaints here at the federal safety agency for the same thing. Searching the internet I found there are alot of people with the same problem and that gm has done a recall on 1999-2002 vehicles. I also found that gm knows they still have a problem with there ABS because they have put out a tsb # 03-05-25-007d on it, and the federal safety agency has it listed on there bulletin section. It is the federal safety agency bulletin #10004310.

Filed May 20, 2010 · Brakes · 107,000 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra. While driving at approximately 8-10 MPH on dry roads, the ABS abnormally activated without warrant. The contact stated the failure would only occur when traveling at low speeds under 10 MPH. The dealer advised a diagnostic and repairs if necessary at the owners expense. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure became progressively worse. The failure mileage was 107,000 and the current mileage was 112,000.

Filed Nov 16, 2009 · Brakes · 43,433 miles · SC

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra. During brake application between 10-12 MPH the ABS activated without warrant. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The driver-side wheel speed sensor was cleaned, because of corrosion . The technician speculated that the driver side wheel speed sensor would require replacement in the future. After the repair the failure resurfaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 43,433. The current mileage was 43,453.

Filed Jan 9, 2009 · Brakes, Lights · 43,000 miles · KY

Front driver side and passenger side wheel bearings and ABS sensors went bad. I have spoke to other owners of similar vehicles and they also had trouble.

Filed Jun 3, 2008 · Brakes, Electrical · GA

Returned to dealer 4 times for: brakes going out (4 new sets installed) abnormal wear on tires (f) valves chattering at 10-65 MPH returned to dealer 3 times for: steering sector knocking front axle making warping noise transmission clunking when shifting up or down returned to dealer 2 times for: various electrical/light problems smoking in passing gear or hard take off all of the above problems are still on-going and have not been repaired.

Filed Jan 23, 2007 · Brakes, Electrical · 34,000 miles · CA

Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra hybrid truck. Two weeks ago while driving at 5 MPH the vehicle's steering wheel and the brakes locked. The contact was able to drift to a stop. The vehicle also vibrated, and made a whistling sound. After several attempts the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle's lost power at red lights; however, it restarted. The dealer stated that they did not have the parts to repair the vehicle, they were also waiting for a technician to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle has been at the dealere for three weeks. The dealer also stated they didn't know where the parts were coming from, yet they've ordered the parts. The contact was currently renting a vehicle. There were no warning indicator lights present at the time of the incident. Two weeks prior to the failure, the contact's vehicle overheated and the warning indicator light appeared. The dealer replaced the water pump. The contact also spoke to gm and was told they would investigate the dealer. The contact thought there was a failure with the battery, it was defective and serviced under the warranty.

Filed Jun 20, 2006 · Brakes · 20,000 miles · AZ

Dt*: the contact stated that there were problems with the break pads, rotors, shoes, and drums. At only 30,000 miles, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs on 5 occassion to grind down the brakes and rotors. None of the repairs fixed the problem. The first time the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the problem was at 20,000 miles. The contact expressed concerns that the vehicle should not need this many repairs at this mileage . There were no incidents prior to this problem that caused the brakes to go bad.

Filed Oct 18, 2005 · Brakes · 6,500 miles · AK

Dt: the contact owns a 2005 gmc sierra. While driving, the vehicle would pull to the left or right under light and severe braking.. Talked to the dealership, and they said that this was normal. The contact did not feel that this was normal, it was a safety hazard.*ak updated 11/16/05.

Filed Oct 14, 2005 · Brakes · 3,560 miles · KS

Purchased 2005 new gmc sierra crew cab, 349 miles, on 19 july 2005 from ranz motor co., inc., chanute, ks, VIN [xxx]. On 8/21/05 the vehicle began to shake violently, the front brakes locked up, there was a distinct odor emitting from the vehicle, and smoke was rolling out from under the right front side of the truck. Ranz motors replaced a bad brake booster in accordance with bulletin epit3685 and checked operation. On 9/1/05 the vehicle displayed the same defect as described above. This time car was taken to coast to a slow speed before exiting the highway by my husband, a 27 year retired police lt, when the brakes were applied, the steering shook so violently, the steering wheel was jerked from both hands, the vehicle crossed the center line into oncoming traffic narrowly avoiding a head-on accident. Slowly drove the vehicle back to ranz motors (approximately 50 miles round trip). The vehicle was not repaired at that time, but the next day a service tech drove the vehicle only .21 miles before the vehicle again exhibited the same defect. The tech pulled up on the brake pedal and vibration stopped (ref: [xxx]). Another booster was installed, vehicle was road tested 295 miles without any duplication of previous problem. I have lost all confidence in the vehicle, it's use is not only as a family vehicle, but is also used to pull a 4 horse trailer. No old parts where shown to either myself or my husband either time. I've discussed with ranz motors trading the vehicle back in on something else and steve ranz "wasn't comfortable selling that vehicle to someone else with it's history of problems". Other dealers have depreciated the vehicle substantially based on it's repair history. I proceeded with the gmc buy back program where I was offered $794.00 and an extended warranty, and told if it happens again we will consider buying it back. I don't like playing russian roulette with my life or that of my family. *jb updated 07/18/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informat

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