Over the last year the brake pedal has been getting softer and softer to the point I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to stop. I just took it to a repair shop and paid $800.00 to replace left/right rear brake hoses, L/R rear brake calipers, L/R rotors.
LF brake line ruptured while towing 5,000 pounds in a rural, mountainous area. I had enough fluid remaining to get the truck stopped by pumping the pedal. The failure happened at the base of a steep decent on a twisting two-lane highway. Had it occurred even half a mile earlier, I could have written off the truck, trailer, and car I was towing, and possibly been seriously hurt.
There is never an ideal brake failure, but luckily I was pulling a registered street car that I could back off the trailer and drive to a parts store. They didn't have the brake lines in stock, but I did find a bolt that fit the truck's brake line distribution block. Plugging the port allowed me to tow the whole rig home on three brakes.
Anyone with a Silverado of this vintage should check their brake hard lines religiously.
Driving down interstate 95 outside Ft. McHenry tunnel in the next to outside lane (left lane) noticed traffic lite sign about one half mile ahead with arrow telling traffic to move out of the fast lane. Stayed in my lane at about 60 mph, when I got to the sign a car in the fast lane traveling at 70 plus slammed on his brakes and crossed into my lane I hit my brakes and went to the right to avoid hitting him, just missing a tractor trailer in the other lane the brake pedal went to the floor. I then limped my way to the place I was going to, upon inspection the steel brake line under the drivers door was rusted and burst. I am 70 years old and have been around cars (racing all my life) and currently have three 50 year old cars with the 50 year old brake lines and have never had a brake line fail. My local dealer says there is no known problems with this BS, GM needs to have a recall before someone gets killed.
I bought my Silverado used in 2011. Haven't had any issues other than the engine light coming on (still not sure about that issue). I was helping my brother remove some small stumps in his back yard (thankfully I wasn't on the highway) hit the brake pedal and it went to the floor. I was able to drive it home, carefully.
Took it to the mechanic the following day and the mechanic let me know my brakes lines were rusted and that was the cause. They initially gave me a quote for $950 for nickel plated lines, which I thought was crazy, but he said there was a kit GM recently made available and that would cost around $700 I took the second option, but kinda regret it after reading all the reviews on this website. Either way if GM knows it's an issue they should fix it. The mechanic let me know it was a common problem that they frequently repaired. I will not buy another GM truck due to this issue and the mechanic recommendation.
Very Low Mileage. These brake lines should not have gone bad this quickly. I just pulled into a parking lot off the highway during rush hour traffic when I applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I was lucky to have had room to come to a complete stop without striking any of the vehicles in front of me by using the emergency brake. The brake lines should be a recall item, before someone gets killed or injured.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Over the last year the brake pedal has been getting softer and softer to the point I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to stop. I just took it to a repair shop and paid $800.00 to replace left/right rear brake hoses, L/R rear brake calipers, L/R rotors.
- Bill J., Columbia, MO, US