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.
The rear brakes failed with little or no warning. The brakes went from good to mushy without warning light. I added brake fluid to test in drive way. Pumped the brakes and the warning light came on. The rear line failed. I had the truck inspected at a General Motors dealer in January of 2018 and also at the end of February. The said my vehicle is maintained in excellent condition. If this could happen to me....all GM vehicles with these brake lines are at risk. I read their was a safety bulletin 13-05-22-001. Today is 4/12/2018...because I tow a boat to Florida I had the truck checked 2 times in the last 12 weeks....if the dealers can't detect faulty lines....a recall is needed.
The right front brake line on my truck rusted through. I lost braking when loading my 10 ft camper in the driveway. I took the truck to dealership and it was found that all the brake lines are rusted and in danger of failure at any time. All of the brake lines on the truck are bare metal and prone to rust. New brake lines are painted to prevent this from happening. Had to buy complete brake line kit to get right front line for replacement by dealership for $452.85. They recommend that I replace all of the lines. I called Chevrolet customer service, complaint # 8-3176545196. I have gotten no cooperation, they have told me there is nothing that they can do. Because of this potentially causing a catastrophic fatal accident due to complete or partial loss of braking power - it gives no warning until failure occurs. I told them they needed to put out an alert to other drivers and they declined stating that they did not have enough complaints. This truck only has 99546 miles on it and in all of my years working with automobiles I have never seen a break line rust through.
Sudden failure of brakes during low speed stop, brake line failed near frame underside in driver seat area. Was able to quickly stop vehicle with emergency brake just short of going into heavy traffic. This truck is meticulously maintained including underside washes, no body rust anywhere and was undercoat protected from new. Shocked a level of rust on what are apparently high carbon steel lines, these should be stainless steel.
When normal stopping ABS activates and keeps activating until pedal goes to floor and brakes do no function, there are no warning lites and no indication of a problem.I was under the impression that any ABS failure would revert system to regular brake system. This is very dangerous.
I was driving my truck on 3/30/16 another vehicle pulled out in front of me. I slammed on my brakes to avoid a wreck. At the next red light I noticed my brakes were soft. I pulled over to check my fluid. It was down about an inch. I decided to try to make it home. Then a service brake light came on. I did make it home. I crawled under the truck and brake fluid was from the front to the back of the truck. I noticed two compromised metal brake lines on the driver side frame rail that were rusted through. I touched the lines and they were falling apart and flaking off metal at the touch. I contacted Chevrolet and it was towed to the dealer. They quoted me $1,100 to repair the problem. My truck is a 2006 I bought it brand new it has 59,500 miles on it and I paid right at $50,000 for my truck. It is unacceptable for this to happen in less than 10 years of ownership. This is a huge safety issue since Chevrolet used inferior and cheap products in their trucks. There should be a recall on this. Someone could have been seriously injured or killed the other day when I was driving. I replaced all of the rotors and brake pads and one caliper not 9 months ago. I never thought that my metal lines were compromised until I had a failure. I have lost alot of faith in GM due to this issue. I am still working with GM and the dealer to get the problem resolved, but it is not looking good. I am wondering how many other vehicles are compromised. I was talking to my uncle the other day and a gentleman overheard my conversation. He told me that he had a 2003 2500 Chevrolet the brakes also failed on. He was towing a trailer and toatled his truck. I am completely out of warranty as of next month. GM says to keep my bill for the replacement of the lines that I may get paid back. I dont think that is likely at all. This should be a recall because safety is compromised.
- Kingsport, TN, USA
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Brake line failure due to excessive corrosion as the lines lay on the frame. Luckily, the break was at home and I was able to get it into the shop for repair. Less than a month later, another line broke as I was pulling into my drive.
Lost brakes while driving in residential neighborhood due to rusted brake line. Had it towed to my mechanic who did an inspection and said all the brake lines were rusted at the brackets holding the lines. My mechanic is in the process of replacing the brake lines. I talked to several other people with the same year truck and both had also experienced brake line failure from rust. Truck has only 20K miles and has only been in the salt twice as I had an older vehicle I used when it snowed. GM needs to correct this safety defect.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado. While driving 35 mph and attempting to decrease in speed, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard and failed to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,642.
This vehicle has had multiple brake issues since new. First off, it goes through front brake pads and rotors too frequently. First replaced around 25K and again around 60K. This vehicle has mostly been used for long highway trips, NY to fl etc., not around town. Used in rural area. Next, several brakes lines have burst and had to be replaced. The last incident luckily was in my driveway. Having dual brake cylinders on these trucks does not seem to help if a brake line bursts. I needed the emergency brake to stop it on almost flat ground. A recurring problem is with the ABS. Evidently they rust easily, especially in salt belt states, then corrosion on the sensor and hub causes it to activate for no reason. It does not activate the computer control or give warning. It happens intermittently. I had to have one front hub replaced in 2013 and another in 2014. Now I am having to replace one of those again with the dealer recommending to replace both. The cost is over $750 per side. There were recalls on previous year models but not 2006. This is ridiculous and the brake line issue has been going on with Chevrolet for a very long time. I had to replace most lines on my 1996 Silverado. I can't believe that nhsta allows this to go on year after year. Nothing is more important than braking, nothing!
My vehicle with 57,000 miles had the brakes go out while driving without warning. I took it to a mechanic who said the front brake lines had rusted and broke. I have had the work completed. I feel this is a product defect for a low mileage vehicle. It is very well taken care of and has very few miles on it, and I have owned it since it was new. I have been in contact with Chevrolet and they will not provide me with any answers. They keep telling me to take it to a dealership, however the dealership has told me there is nothing they can do.
One brake line burst from being rusted out and the remaining 4 front brake lines are in bad shape and need to be replaced. The brake line burst while I was pulling my boat trailer and I narrowly avoided an accident. I was in a residential area and was only going about 15mph.and was able to apply the emergency brake to stop the truck.
While approaching a traffic signal my brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I drove my vehicle slowly home and checked brake fluid level. It was low and I topped it off. I tried the brakes again and once again the pedal went to floor. I went under the vehicle and brake fluid was dripping off the cross member just behind the engine. I could see that all the brake lines were very rusty. I was able to get the vehicle to big O tires. After inspection, it was found that the brake line had rusted through and all the others were in very bad shape and I had all the lines replaced. After some research I found this was a known problem and GM has redesigned the lines but, refused to recall and replace the lines. You need to research this problem further and insist on a recall before someone is killed. I am the original owner and as indicated by the mileage the vehicle is not driven that much and very well taken care of.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado. While the vehicle was coming to a stop, the anti-brake system engaged independently and caused the brakes to fail. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,000.
I was driving the truck away from my home, when I steped on the brake pedal it went to the floor. I got the truck stopped with the parking brake. When I inspected the brake lines they were all extremely rusty and one had burst. Fluid leaked out and there was no pedal at all. The brakes were gone with no warning.
Traveling 60 mph on the highway and approached a red traffic light. Applied the brakes to stop with other traffic. Brake pedal went completely to the floor with approximately 10% braking power. No warning lights on dash. Fortunately the traffic light turned green and traffic moved prior to a crash. Crash was guaranteed if traffic light had not changed. Brake fluid level fine. Brake line under drivers side rusted and burst. No warning signs.
While applying breaks on dry surfaces and coming to a stop the ABS kicks in and pedal goes to the floor. This causes the stopping distance to increase. I have almost rear-ended stopped and parked cars and ran into my garage door. There have been to many close calls so I have pulled the fuse to shut off the ABS.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. While pulling into the driveway at approximately 7 mph, the brake pedal was depressed to the floor but the vehicle did not stop. The vehicle crashed into the contact's porch. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The contact observed brake fluid under the front of the vehicle and the brake lines were completely rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. MA 09/03/15 updated 11/03/2017
While traveling on the expressway in my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado with 26,000 miles on the odometer, I attempted a transient lane change while taking evasive action in order to avoid a hazardous situation. When coupled with the brakes I noticed longer than usual engagement. As a result, I was forced onto the shoulder and had to use multiple downshifts in concert with the emergency brake to bring the vehicle to a halt. It sounded like a train stopping on rails. I proceeded to drive home with hazards on, U never exceeding third gear. The following morning I noticed clear oil underneath the front end of the vehicle. I believe this is an extremely dangerous vehicle and a less experienced driver would have been killed or extremely injured. Lastly, I have also been noticing inconsistency with steering resistance. Sometimes the steering is considerably looser than at other times. I have dismissed this disconcerting sensation by assuming it is weather/humidity related.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fair Haven, MI, USA