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.
Brakes failed due to burst line to rear axle; little or no stopping power from front brakes; emergency brake worked for a few minutes but no longer after couple of miles to my driveway. Disassembly revealed E-brake pads had crumbled away inside rear rotors; and all 5 brake lines coming out of ABS unit will need to be replaced, not just rear. Fyi I have owned in excess of 20 G.M. trucks, but none ever as bad as this on brake lines. Daughter in truck with me- this could have turned out very badly. Truck unusable until all lines are fixed- very difficult due to positioning of lines ( I have done many brake lines- on much older trucks). Thanks...
I took my 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 in to get inspected. It failed due to no parking/emergency brakes. I have never used my parking brake, never been in the where it was needed. I first noticed after removing wheel that everything is rusted beyond what I think it should be at this point, the splash shields are almost completely gone. I removed the drum and brake shoes and noticed that on both sets of shoes, left and right, the pads of the shoes were not really worn, but the actual lining that the shoes are attached to were worn at the very bottom on the drivers side and the very top on the passenger side, both where there are no pads. I followed the directions that came with the new shoes, replaced everything, and still no brakes. I then bought a new cable and swapped it out, thinking the cable may be stretched. Still no brakes. I removed the wheel and drum once again and had someone depress the parking brake. I noticed the actuator working, so I reassembled everything, and still no brakes. I then contacted GM customer service to see if there were any recalls for this problem, I was told that there was not. I was told that I can take my truck to a certified Chevy dealer for them to diagnose the problem, at my expense, being that I haven't been able to find gainful employment in over 3 1/2 years, I can not afford this. I was told there is nothing further that can be done to help me. I have less than 2 weeks for my truck to pass inspection, if not, then I must pay fines and costs when I do reregister my vehicle. How do I get my vehicle to pass inspection when there is obviously a defect in their design. I'm hitting a brick wall everywhere I turn. With all the complaints and problems that I see being posted online, how could there not be a recall. What has to happen for them to take responsibility for this problem.
Steel brake line rusted through at rear of truck near driver side wheel well. All other steel brake and fuel lines in truck heavily rusted and also near blow out point. When rear line failed, brake pedal went to the floor and stopping distance doubled. I was pulling a 3,000lbs boat at the time. The brake warning lamp did not illuminate. Brake warning lamp came on only after approx 10 miles of no rear brake availability. I am currently taking preventive measures and replacing all steel lines in truck. Old lines available for inspection if you act quickly.
Most recent(9/15/12),brake line ruptures do to tons of rust.... body mounts totally rusted off, rear brake rotor dust shields rusted off, leaf spring shackles rusted thru and fell off..rear bumper rusted thru, total under carriage rusted thru, railsunder doors totally rusted thru and have big holes in them..
The brake lines on the truck, which is approximately 10 years old are completely corroded. I happened to be pulling into a service station when the driver side front line completely blew out, spraying brake fluid everywhere. I was lucky. The brakes are completely nonfunctional. I could have been killed or killed someone else if I had been anywhere else when this happened.
- Portland, ME, USA
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I had applied the brakes to stop, and the ABS was going on and off and I ended up going thru the intersection, luckily no one else was in the intersection, I found out there was a recall on it in 2005 and the work was done on 1/23/2007, I called Chevrolet to find out that the recall was done they "cleaned" it and hey look 5 years later it does the same thing and GM wont do anything about it. Looks like cleaning really didn't do the job.
I was driving on a street in philadelphia, when a couple of children started to cross the street in front of my vehicle, when I applied my brakes the pedal went to the floor. I had to swerve to avoid hitting the children and narrowly missed them and another vehicle. I took the vehicle to my local Chevrolet dealer's service department, and they indicated the metal brake line had deteriorated and rusted thru.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado. While driving approximately 5 mph, the brakes were engaged but the brake pedal dropped to the floorboard abnormally. The driver was a certified mechanic who inspected the vehicle and discoverd that the brake lines were severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet silverado1500. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal however the pedal abnormally dropped to the floorboard.the contact was able to stop the vehicle without incident. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the brake lines were severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
Driving 45 mph. Needed to apply brakes. No brake at all. I was able to down shift and thank god I was goin up a slight grade and no one was infront or close behind. I was able to veer off road and get it slowed in time to turn into the parking lot of the dealer whewre I had purchased my truck 10+ years ago. They said all brakes lines must be replaced. Excessive rust on all. I looked at the line to the left rear wheel after they removed it. It fell apart in the mechanics hand. How it had stopped me is unknown. Brake lines do not do this. I've worked on vehicles for 40 years. Hard brakes lines do not rust like this. The entire brake line is corroded. Not just the top say, from salt. The entire line. I was not able to stop the truck with any remaining brake. Physics stopped my truck. Feet before plowing into a major intersection. I'd love to buy another GM product. Not sure I have the faith that GM wants me to. Thanks GM. How can you bailout of this mess? recall it. I spent good money on a Chevy because a Chevy will last as long as your willing to care for it properly. Now I'm spending in excess of $800 to fix your "low bidder" vendors mistake. Whomever made the brake lines should be bailing me out. Make it right GM. Just make it right.
On my way home from vacation thankfully I stopped to use the restroom. When I left the parking lot I noticed that the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle slowly stopped. Saw brake fluid on the ground and looked under the hood saw a burst brakeline above the left wheel. I was out of state had to be towed to a repair facility. Noticed all the brake lines badly rusted and opted to replace all of them at a cost of $1100. Thankfully this did not occur on the highway that I had just exited at speeds of 70mph!
I was attempting to stop for traffic ahead, I applied the brakes which initially slowed the truck but then the brake pedal went to the floor and I was unable to stop my truck and hit the car in front of me. Both vehicles sustained only minor cosmetic damage. After making sure the other party was uninjured and waiting for the police to arrive I noticed fluid under the truck. I looked under the truck to find brake fluid dripping from the brake lines that run along the frame rail at the drivers door. All the brake lines where severely rusted and I had to have the truck towed to a repair center to have the brake lines replaced. I don't understand GM's logic of using a stainless steel drive shaft and exhaust systems, but use lesser material for something as important as the brakelines. A recall is clearly in order.
I am not sure of the exact date of the first incident. Can report if necessary. On Saturday, August 11, 2012, after a stop at the end of my driveway, I proceeded across the street and stopped again at my parents driveway to pick up their mail. Upon climbing the hill of their driveway, I attempted to stop in front of their garage when my brake lines ruptured and I lost all braking power. Thankfully, I was able to put the truck in park before hitting the garage door. I had my mechanic tow the truck to his shop and he said it would cost a "couple thousand dollars" because he needs to lift the cab off the frame to replace the lines. Last year, I had to replace all of the caliper, rotors, pads, parking brake pads and backing plate and all of the rear brake lines which were severely corroded. I have less than 33000 miles on this vehicle which I bought new. The total cost of those repairs was 2800. Add the 2000 or so for this repair and it comes to almost 5000. I feel there should be some relief from GM due to the unusual wear and corrosion and the low mileage. Please advise me of any necessary steps to resolve this issue.
I was driving when I went to stop and the pedal was soft. The truck still stopped but the pedal didn't feel right. I was able to get to my in-laws house, about 2 miles. When I got out I saw brake fluid leaking from the brake lines running along the frame on the drivers side. They are the lines that go to the ABS module. When I inspected further, all 4 lines were either leaking or about to. That is when I noticed both rocker panels, just under the doors, were rusted and the passenger side rusted through. The doors are not rusted and there is very little rust on the truck even where the paint has flaked off.
Slowing down to park, pushed brakes, pedal went to the floor. Barely stopped before pinning someone between my vehicle and another truck. Rear brake line burst below driver seat, brake fluid puddle under truck. Upon inspection, all 4 brake lines running along the frame totally rusted, about to burst. Need to replace all lines on whole truck. On the flatbed towtruck, noticed the driver rear leaf spring where it wraps around the bushing was missing the top half. This is where force is transmitted from axle to frame (back is a hanger / pivot). The whole rear axle could have torn off. Noticed where it had cracked and had rusted 1/2 through before falling off, likely sometime recently.
With engine on and going at approximately 45 mph, an 'ABS system' warning light came off along with a continuous motor type sound. I parked the car on side road and loud 'motor' type noise continued coming underneath the car. I drove the car back home and ABS system light on with continuous sound did not stop. Turned engine off and the sound did not stop. After a couple of hours, the sound did not stop and had to disconnect car battery. Took car into car dealership and right away before car was formally tested/diagnosed, the service advisor stated he knew exactly what the issue was. The car was diagnosed and service advisor confirmed the car had a 'known' problem related to abcm (ABS control module). According to the service advisor this is a potential safety related problem. This is the reason why I am submitting this safety complaint. According to the service advisor, damaged abcm computer can send an incorrect signal and the breaks can close when the car is running. I contacted Chevrolet corporate and explained the situation (service req # 71-1092953268). I was informed there are no recalls for this type of problems. I did a quick search in the internet and found that many consumers are complaining about the same problem. Also noted that the problem does not seem to be related only to 2002 Chevy trucks, but other car models and years. If the cardealer service manager is correct and this is a safety related problem, then this issue could cause serious incidents. Can NHTSA please look into this problem and confirm if this is a potential safety problem? thanks in advance for your help.
While backing my truck out of the garage I lost my brakes due to pedal going to floor and loosing brake fluid. I was able to get it to stop with emergency brake. Upon further investigation I noticed all brake lines that route on outside of frame between master cylinder and ABS module were rusted badly and were wet with brake fluid.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the brake pedal wiggled and the vehicle would not stop. The contact had to apply repeated pressure to the brake pedal in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 05V379000 (service brakes, hydraulic:anti lock). The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Had to make a panic stop at a speed of 50 mph....not a full braking panic stop but a minor panic stop when the brake pedal went to the floor. Drove 3 miles to home (very carefully)......service garage said I had blown a brake line due to rust, and all lines were completely rusted. Cost to replace all lines, $950.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Barrington, NH, USA