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.
All factory hard brake lines have failed due to corrosion. I've replaced the intermediate line between the master cylinder and distribution block with stainless steel 1.5 yrs ago. I just replaced the rear brake lines along the axel. Now the front brake lines have failed. In all cases the lines failed while driving and emptied the master cylinder. I do not live in the salt belt.
Brake line failure due to rusted & corroded brake lines resulting in costly repairs. Luckily my 2004 Chevy Silverado 3500 was stationary when brake line ruptured and I was not towing a trailer or loaded with cargo at the time of failure. The ABS pump also failed prior to line failure. My father in law had similar issues with the same model year 1500. Why does GM not use stainless brake lines for such an important safety component.
Brake failure today on Chevy siverado. Driving 55 mph on highway. The car ahead of me slowed and I braked. Peddle went to the floor without stopping vehical. Was able to come to stop and could see rusted brake lines by driver door. Had wife press brake peddle to see fluid sraying from rusted area. Had zero braking power when first went out
Rear brake line blew when trying to apply brakes. No indicator lights or anything pedal just went straight to the floor. Had to swerve off the road into an embankment to avoid a collision at a red light! mechanic said that all my brake lines were rusted and it was just a matter of time before another one was to fail.
2 problems: 1- while driving with no warning the brakes failed. After coasting to a stop I noticed a brake line had ruptured at the frame rail under driver area. I was able to crimp brake line with a pair of vice grip pliers and move truck to a safe location for repair. I believe the brake lines used on these trucks to be of such inferior quality that sudden failure is a common occurrence. 2- my truck has dual tanks for diesel fuel and they have worked sporadically for years. I did not see this as a safety issue as much as an inconvenience. However while my truck was idling on a hot summer day I noticed diesel fuel dripping out of the front tank filler cap. Apparently the pump that pumps the fuel from the rear tank to the front tank was receiving a signal to pump even though the front tank was completely filled. It was continuing to pump and leaking the fuel out the filler neck. This seems like a serious safety hazard to me. I do not know if the root of the problem is the float that sticks in the rear tank, the sending units that fail, a wiring ground issue or some other electronic glitch. I do know issues with dual tank duramax diesel trucks are about as common as the truck itself is. After researching online I realized many other owners of my vehicle model have had both of the exact same problems so I thought I should report them.
- Murphy, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the brakes suddenly failed and the driver lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into a ditch. The contact indicated that when depressing the brake pedal, it extended to the floorboard. The independent mechanic examined the vehicle and discovered that brake lines had rusted. The contact also discovered that the frame, the rocker panels and the tailgate hinges had also rusted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000. The VIN was not available.
I was driving on rt.7 in schenectady NY, speed was around 35mph, traffic signal changed to red, as I was appling the brakes the peddal suddenly went to the floor, lucky for me there were no cars in front of me, or in the intersection. My truck did envetually stop, but it was after passing thru the intersection. The red light on the dash did not come on till the brakes failed. Further inspection revealed main brake line to the rear wheels blew due to rust.
Brakes failed suddenly due to severely corroded brake lines. Brake pedal was slightly mushy at stop sign coming off of freeway. At the next stop sign (3-way intersection on 55-mph county highway) the pedal went right to the floor. Fortunately there was nobody in the intersection or a serious accident may have occurred. Apparently GM's position is that brake lines are maintenance item, and this is normal wear and tear, which is ridiculous. I've owned older vehicles (including a nearly 50-year old Chevrolet truck) in snow country and have never seen brake lines this rusty. I am very fortunate the rupture did not occur in an emergency braking situation.
While exiting of a highway and traveling 25 mph my brakes completely failed. I pushed the pedal to the floor several times but it did not slow the truck. As a result I rear ended a vehicle in front of me. I had now warning or check light for the brakes previous or since. Upon inspection I discovered corroded and leaking brake lines in the middle section of my truck.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. While driving approximately 55 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The brake fluid warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred on two other occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake line was rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000.
I was driving along and had to hit the brakes immediately. I almost hit the car in front of me. I noticed I had to start putting the brakes all the way to the floor in order to stop, especially on an incline. The brake light went on and off a few times so I took it to a shop to have it looked at. They told me that my brake line blew and all the other brake lines are rusted and the truck is not safe to drive. This truck is only 11 years old, that is absolutely unacceptable that all the brake lines are rusted. The truck only has 108K miles. I called a local Chevy dealership and they quoted me 3K+ to fix it. It involved at least 20 hours of labor and they needed to lift the frame off to fix. I can not believe their are no recalls from GM or atleast them offering any help to pay for this. The dealer did not offer me any help or remedy to the situation, just wanted me to fork up 3K.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. While driving at an unknown speed, the brake pedal was depressed and extended to the floorboard. The contact placed the vehicle in neutral and was able to stop the vehicle. The contact then placed the vehicle in park, depressed the brake pedal once more and the brake pedal went to the floorboard and the brake warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon inspection, the brake lines underneath of the vehicle were corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,527.
My brother inlaw owns a 2003 GMC Sierra and experienced total brake failure due to corroded brake lines in 2009. Upon inspecting my brake lines on my 2004 Silverado I observed the the brake lines were corroded and would have to be replaced before they failed as well. My truck was only 5 years old at the time! after much discussion with the dealership where I purchased this vehicle I determined that they would not stand behind their product and had to pay out of pocket for the repairs. I still have the corroded brake lines, receipt and pictures of lines on truck before replacement. Keeping all evidence in case of recall. By the way, my exhaust system looks like brand new. Why didn't they use the same material for the brake lines? I don't expect anything to be done about this until cnn starts running stories about people getting killed by this problem!
The brake lines on my truck are completely rotted out. When I went to get into my truck and drive away no brake pedal exsisted. Yet again another quality GM product made from inferior materials.
This is the (2) times losing my brakes due to rusted brake lines. Today 7-11-2015 I lost them again and once again due to rusted brake lines. I ended up driving into some bushes to stop and just missing (2) trees. Im not the only one in the us that is having this dangerous problem with rusted brake lines on this type of make. I ask that you recall this make a.S.a.P. before any lives are lost. Once again I repeat recall this make a.S.a.P. if I hit those trees I'd be dead!! P.S. help help!!!!!!
Wife was driving on 301 South in Maryland on 10\27\2012 when she applied the brakes when pulling over to get gas. Pedal went to the floor and brake fluid was visible on ground by the drivers side door. She had to leave it at the gas station until I was able to repair. Brake line was rusted through I replaced it and got truck home. Replaced 2nd brake line on 11/08/15. Now 07/10/2015 another line has rusted through in the process of replacing the remaining lines.
While driving down the street went to hit my brakes and they went to the floor with no warning no lights on the dash at all took me a city block to stop my emergency brake barely work I'm glad I was not in DC like I was an hour before it would have been a very bad accident
Front brake lines failed causing fluid loss and complete loss of brakes. Happened at slow speed, but still was unable to stop before hitting a fixed object
In March while driving my 2004 Chevy 3500 diesel truck the brake warning lights inside the cab lit up and the brake pedal was feeling spongy. I took it into classic auto group mentor for service. A wheel bearing was replaced along with a few other items and I was told that it was good to go. I picked it up. The brake pedal was still spongy and the warning lights were still on. On April 22, I returned to the classic auto group Chevy service to again have the brakes serviced. They billed me $1400 to change a valve, a module and some screws. The brakes now go all the way down to the floor when depressed with the motor running. There is no effective braking ability. With no effective braking the warning lights are not lit up. Classic auto group Chevy in mentor says that this is normal. This is not how the brakes worked before the warning lights came on. They worked like brakes on any vehicle. Classic auto group mentor says that I should just get used to it. I have a complaint number from Chevy # [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Corpus Christi, TX, USA