This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Pulled off interstate 95 to switch drivers. When the vehicle stopped and was put into park the brake lines ruptured. On inspection lines were completely rusted (all 3). Chevrolet corporate refuses any responsibility for inferior material, dealer is charging $3400 to replace lines. Exactly 2 minutes earlier and the truck would have been on 95 and this would have been disastrous and perhaps fatal.
Brakes had been a little mushy, then as the driver was coming to a stop, he noticed that he lost all hydraulic pressure. He used the parking brake in order to drive it to a safe place. Looking under the vehicle the next day, the brake lines are completely rusted out and there was a puddle of brake fluid.
I was pulling up to a stop sign in my 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and easing on the brakes when I noticed they were soft, so I pushed on them harder and still nothing. The brake pedal was all the way to the floor with barely any stopping power. Luckily there was no one at the stop sign and I was able to push the emergency break to get enough stopping power to come to a halt shortly into the intersection. The "service brakes" light came on once the computer noticed that the brake pedal was against the carpet and the truck wasn't slowing down, which is obviously too late. Upon further investigation, the failure seems to be in the brake lines just behind the driver side door. The plastic support bracket that supports the brake lines as they run along the frame had fluid dripping off it and rusty broken brake lines in it.
Wife was moving truck to garage when brake pedal went to floor; on further observation brake line had rusted to the point where reservoir was empty of fluid. We had just been hauling trailer loads of hay glad this didn't happen on open road with other vehicles involved. Bought truck new no abuse in its history. Bought 91 Chevy pickup truck new and still have that one. We have never had any problems with the brake lines on the older truck. I will definitely think twice before purchasing any more GM vehicles if they are going to put my family in danger with poor parts like this.
Pulling my boat on secondary road toward highway, pushed brakes to stop for stop sign, brake pedal went to the floor with no warning or trouble light. Had enough braking force to stop after rolling approx 100 ft. Cautiously drove to gas station/parked vehicle and called a wrecker to take truck 65 miles to my home. On inspection I discovered corroded brake line(steel) had ruptured along routing to back brake. Lots of corrosion visible on multiple steel lines. I was incredibly lucky to not be traveling faster and in an emergency braking situation.
- New Castle, IN, USA
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As I was backing up the truck to hook up our horse trailer I experience a sudden loss of hydraulic pressure in the braking system and the break pedal went to the floor. I was able to stop the truck before it hit the trailer or my daughter who was directing me. I noticed a puddle of fluid on the ground under the truck just below the driver seat and traced it to a crack in a corroded brake line. We were very lucky that the failure occurred when it did. Had the brake failure happened 10 minutes later, we would have been traveling on I95 in very crowded conditions with a horse in tow. There had been no indication that the brake system was at risk of failure. We had used the truck the previous weekend to trailer our horse to a show and the brakes worked fine.
Traveling on interstate 95 nb when slowing down to exit, brake petal went to floor, had to pump several times to get stopped. Inspection under the hood revealed brake hydraulic fluid covering the whole driver side of the engine compartment including the exhaust manifold. Fluid was coming from a rusted metal brakeline. Further inspection of other lines identified similar rusting. Vehicle was unsafe to drive to a repair facility. The emergency brakes on this vehicle are not sufficient to stop in a safe distance at highway speeds. This is a safety defect.
Coming out of my driveway, which is approximately 1200 feet long, I hit the brake pedal which went straight to the floor, without even slowing the truck from 15 mph (it is very slightly downhill near the very end). I crossed the road and was hit by an oncoming vehicle approaching my driveway. Fortunately, the vehicle was a friend slowing to enter my driveway and the collision was minor. Destroyed my rear bumper and damaged the left rear quarter panel. Had the oncoming vehicle been traveling at a normal rate of speed for this road, it would have been much worse. Likely with injuries. It is a rural road with a 35 mph speed limit and people generally drive it at 40-45 mph.
I believe the original brake lines on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have inherent design/material flaws and are unsafe to the driving and pedestrian public. I had 2 separate instances of catastrophic loss of all braking effort on the same truck within one year of each other. On 10/6/2013 was driving said vehicle, mileage 80229, on a rural road when approaching a point of interest. Depressed brake pedal once to reduce speed to 40mph and then a 2nd time to reduce speed further. However brake pedal lost all resistance and went to the floor. Pumped brakes 4 times and no braking effort was available. Pulled parking brake which was rusted out and only provided minimal braking effort. Was able to downshift and reduce speed to eventually pull off road after approx 1/2 mile. Serviced by GM dealer, repair was "replace rusted out rear brake line and bleed" at a cost of $850. Tech inspected all other brake lines and tech found no other brake lines that had excessive rust. New brake line is an uncoated metal. On 8/19/2014 driving said vehicle, mileage 86242, about to turn onto expressway entrance ramp when traffic slowed. Depressed brake petal and pedal went to the floor; was traveling approx 15mph when brakes were lost. Fortunately I was able to Pilot vehicle away from ramp and onto shoulder. Pumped brakes over 10 times; no braking effort was applied to slow the vehicle. Parking brake again provided no braking effort. Was able to coast slightly uphill on shoulder to bring vehicle to a halt after approx 250 feet. Serviced by same GM dealer, repair was "replaced the front brake lines, to both front wheels and the four lines from the master to the bpmv. Fill and bleed the hydraulic system. Remove rusted brake bleeders and replaced" at cost of $1180. New brake lines installed are coated with a black plastic or fiber.
Truck was in don mealey Chevrolet clemont fl. 34711 for a fuel leak. Upon completion of work technician took truck out for test drive. During the ride he experienced brake failure and almost struck another vehicle. This was reported to me by the service writer [xxx]. the results were rebuild brake lines. 4000 found rear brake line from ABS unit to rear wheels leaking replace brake line and bleed brakes parts $89.71 labor $698.21 total $787.92 plus $75 haz. Fluid disposal. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I was launching my boat this morning and nearly launched my truck with it. Putting the boat in the water my brakes all of a sudden stopped working. Luckily I thought to put it in drive especially since I can't swim. After driving to the top of the hill I had to crash in to a bank to stop! then I noticed something leaking above the left rear tire. It appeared to be a brake line that had rusted through.".".I had my wife press the brake pedal to find where it was leaking and it was exactly what I thought. Rusted brake line! of all things designed to survive rust, the brake lines were obviously left out. This is the first time in a long time that I felt my life was in danger. After some research I learned this is very common. I just can't believe nothing is being done about it. Doesn't seem like the GM I know to put lives in danger.
Approaching traffic light, went to apply brakes and pedal went to floor. Pulled off road and saw brake fluid from vehicle leaking. Had vehicle towed to shop, this is second time 1st time front brake line rusted through, this time the rear lines rusted through. Extremely dangerous situation.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that the brake lines were excessively corroded. The dealer stated that the brake lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 186,000.
While driving, I went to apply brakes at stop light when brake pedal went to floor and "service brake system" warning light came on. Was able to stop by using emergency brake. Aaa towed to local gas station and discovered that brake lines were badly rusted and had ruptured at one point. Technician ordered a brake line "kit" from GM and installed it for total cost of about $1000. After 3 months, I noticed that the brakes felt soft, and discovered it needed 3/4 can of brake fluid. Closer inspection under vehicle disclosed another badly rusted brake line located on the rear drivers side between the top of the frame & the truck bed. (it appears the bed will have to be lifted to replace this line. It either wasn't part of the kit, or the repair station skipped replacing it because it was too hard to get to.) my complaint would be that non-stainless steel brake lines were used originally, and that the lines that were installed are of inferior quality that will rust out and fail. I was able to stop the truck when mine failed because I wasn't going that fast, there were no vehicles in front of me, and it was experienced enough to apply the emergency brake. I'm not sure a younger driver going faster in traffic could stop before a collision.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. While driving approximately 5 mph, the brakes failed and the service brake indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the brakes needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
Brake lines rusted out needing replacement. Chevrolet dealership charged $772.70. Service manager says many problems. GM offers kit to replace lines. Should be recalled. Never had a brake line problem in 50 years as I maintain my vehicles. I could no long wait for a recall. The brake lines were terrible. My 2004 Subaru outback has twice the mileage and lines look like new. Brake lines should last life of the vehicle. Please do something. How can you investigate for 4 years and do nothing?
On June 27,2014 approx. 6:30pm my brake pedal went all the way to the floor as I was backing up to turn my truck around in the driveway. I proceeded to put the truck in drive and pushed the brake again and the pedal went to the floor. I put the truck in park and got out and looked under the truck and noticed that brake fluid was pouring out from under the driver side cab. I got a closer look at what was going on and that is when I noticed that the brake line had burst. I also noticed how extremely rusty the brake lines were. The brake lines were in such bad shape from rust that repairing it was not an option. The lines needed to be completely replaced. I had the truck towed to shelor motor mile in christiansburg, va on 7/3/14. I told them to replace the brake lines because they were too rusted to repair and I did not feel safe driving it with the brake lines in such bad shape. I picked up my truck on 7/10/14 and I also got my old brake lines that was removed from the truck. After I got home I got under the truck and looked at the new brake lines and noticed they had a black coating on them. I was told that the coating was to rust proof the brake lines which the old lines did not have. I felt very fortunate that this happened while I was in my driveway and not on the highway because it could have been real bad accident.
The brake lines collapsed leaving my truck with minimal stopping power. This has now happened two times in one month. My mechanic said there was an unexpected amount of corrosion on the lines.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Perry Hall, MD, USA