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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,099 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #44

Apr 012015

Silverado 2500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2004 Chevrolet Silverado. Consumer writes in regards to brake failure due to rusted brake lines. The consumer was informed when the first line of the dual system failed, the second system received additional pressure which caused that one to fail too.

- Schuylerville, NY, USA

problem #43

Apr 242012

Silverado 2500

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact was driving 35 mph when the brakes failed and the vehicle crashed into the woods. The vehicle was not destroyed and the brake warning light illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 93,000.

- Jackson, NJ, USA

problem #42

Mar 072012

Silverado 2500

  • 66,027 miles
2004 Chevrolet Silverado has severely rusted and corroded brake lines. Must be replaced. With all the emphasis on safety it is absurd that these vehicles do not have corrosion proof ( stainless steel brake lines). Repair will be very costly. I had three Ford pickups prior to this Chevrolet, kept them for a minimum of 10 years and never had a brake line problem. These are obviously inferior/defective and vehicle should be recalled and the brake lines replaced at Chevrolet's expense.

- Uniontown, PA, USA

problem #41

Dec 012010

Silverado 2500

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. While driving approximately 15 mph, the driver depressed the brake pedal but the brakes would not respond. The vehicle eventually came to a stop after repeatedly applying the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the mechanic advised the contact that two of the brake lines were corroded and would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure later recurred. The vehicle was repaired a second time. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

problem #40

Nov 132011

Silverado 2500 8-cyl

  • 144,000 miles
While testing the brakes and lights on a 7,000 lb gvw trailer the brake pedal went to the floor. Investigation showed brake fluid from behind the drivers seat and above the gas tank. The brake line over the gas tank rusted through and burst. Another 5 minutes I would have been traveling on mountain roads with no brakes and pulling a trailer. Vehicle was towed and repaired at my expense. Also a days work was lost because I was not able to travel 130 miles home for my companion to work the next day.

- Bessemer, PA, USA

problem #39

Nov 112011

Silverado 2500

  • 82,301 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado diesel. The contact stated that while the brake pedal was depressed and the gear selector was placed in drive, the vehicle emitted a loud banging noise and the brake pedal depressed to the floor. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed brake fluid leaking and spilling over the engine. The vehicle was then towed to an authorized dealer for examination. The dealer stated that there was a power steering failure and a brake booster failure. The manufacturer was notified and a complaint was lodged. The dealer replaced the brake booster assembly and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 82,301 and the current mileage 82,600.

- Inglewood , FL, USA

problem #38

Oct 312011

Silverado 2500 8-cyl

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ruptured brake lines, dealer said it is very common, wants $1500 for repair. My daughter has 2003 Silverado & the day before her line ruptured also!

- Califon, NJ, USA

problem #37

Sep 142011

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that the brake lines failed and caused the contact to crash into a garage door while entering a residential driveway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the brake lines were rusted completely. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 80,988.

- Wilcott, NY, USA

problem #36

Jul 272009

Silverado 2500 8-cyl

  • 64,246 miles
I was exiting freeway and applied brakes to slow down. Pedal went to floor. Luckily I got slowed enoughtostop. Called dealer and had vehicle towed. They replaced two brake lines from master cylinder prop. Valve tobrake pressure mod. Valve. Bad design on this vehichle. Replacement parts were udated without this design. I ask about this and was informed that they did away with the original design. 30,000 dollars rolling down the road looking for an accident. They weren't interested in my safety or correcting the problem at there cost, but were glad to relieve me of $536. Thank you

- Iuka, IL, USA

problem #35

Jul 102011

Silverado 2500

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while reversing from a driveway, the brakes were applied and the pedal depressed to the floor. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who stated that the brake lines were corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were approximately 39,000.

- Willmington, CT, USA

problem #34

Jul 022011

Silverado 2500

  • 44,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake line rusted and burst

- Zion Grove, PA, USA

problem #33

May 272011

Silverado 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
2004 Chevrolet 2500 crew cab truck brake lines completely rusted out. Noticed problems with brakes not wearing evenly and eventual loss of braking. Took truck to original dealer for servicing to find out the brake lines were completely rusted and fluid leaking from the rusted areas. Was informed by the dealer that it was not cost effective to replace all the brake lines because they would have to be custom fit. We also have a 2000 Chevrolet 1500 extended cab that has double the mileage of the 2004 and is still working perfectly, no rusted lines.

- Hoyt Lakes, MN, USA

problem #32

Apr 272011

Silverado 2500

  • 62,000 miles
Brake rotors deteriorated to put they had to be replaced, could not be resurfaced. Found many other people have had same problem. Seems to me GM has used inferior metal. Truck is used only for occasional hauling. Truck is 2 wheel drive - no off roading.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #31

Apr 162011

Silverado 2500

  • 70,510 miles
My wife and I were traveling down a steep hill with a stop sign at the bottom. I proceeded to begin pumping the brakes to slow down, as I was pumping the brake, the pedal kept going down further and further to the floor. It went all the way to the floor and a red warning light came on telling me to service the brake system. I used the emergency brake at the last minute to come to a complete halt. I got out and noticed some oil on the pavement that turned out to be brake fluid. I stopped at an auto place and bought a large bottle of brake fluid to fill the master cylinder. I then stepped on the brake and could see the fluid spewing out of one of the brake lines. The brake lines are very badly corroded. I towed the vehicle to my neighborhood mechanic and he informed me that another Chevy truck was there with the same problem. This near miss truly scared both me and my wife and we were both grateful we didn't have a serious crash. The vehicle is now at a Chevy dealer for repair and they will be starting the work on Thursday, April 21st. I did contact GM to complain about what I believe is a very serious safety issue, they have called me to ask for the details. I've researched this problem online and found that there are numerous Chevy truck vehicles with the same corroded brake lines so I decided to put in a complaint. The NHTSA has complaint #ODI 10358067 already in it's database and I suspect many others based on what I see online. Chevy brakes systems have 365 complaints noted at edmunds.com. And I question how many have not been reported. Just a note, I am an ex-engineer and believe the design is very poor and that the material chosen actually begs for failure. GM engineers should be ashamed of the design. Please contact me if you have questions. Thank you.

- Vestal, NY, USA

problem #30

Nov 152006

Silverado 2500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the brakes applied they extended to the floor and the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. The dealer was informed about the failure and stated that they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available. The current mileage was 70000.

- Dover , NJ, USA

problem #29

Sep 152010

Silverado 2500

  • 42,000 miles
2004 Chevrolet Silverado. When decelerating to stop for a red light, the ABS system activated causing the vehicles deceleration to decrease, thus increasing the stopping distance, resulting in a near collision. The vehicle now does this consistently during every stop once the vehicles speed drops bellow 10 mph. There are no warning lights indicating anything is wrong with the vehicle, which is even more alarming. This problem seems to be identical to that in NHTSA campaign id number 05V379000. If there is an problem with speed sensing (as in NHTSA campaign id number: 05V379000), the system should be able to detect inconsistent sensor readings and render the ABS system into a passive mode as a fail safe measure.

- Shafer, MN, USA

problem #28

Sep 282010

Silverado 2500 8-cyl

  • 96,764 miles
Bought the truck in October of 2009, took to dealership on 12/17/2009 with complaints mileage of 96,764 of low engine power, hard to start truck, ,,,glow plugs were bad corroded park neutral switch, corrosion on brake lines..paid $ 3,600 in repairs then around late September 9-28-2010truck died a fourway intersection...was almost hit by a car...towed to nearest service fleet source...found out injectors were bad...work was started for repairs...then I found out the glow plugs...which I paid for already...and the injectors were service bulletins...called fleet told them to stop repairs...called the dealership...that had the truck in December...ask why they charged me for the glow plugs and why the did not fix the injectors...when it was in there.....dealership hung up on me...called 1-800-790-5700..spoke with GM told them about my Chevy problems...they claim that my injectors would not be covered...as it was not a dealership....funny thing is that fleet source is a certified rebuilder for Bosch, and satadyne by the manufacture for these parts that are used in all GM vehicles....so if you take your truck to a dealer...they get their parts from these people.....GM has a history of putting on bulletins for items...and claiming when you bring in your truck that the part does not meet the perimeter for replacement....I about another $ $3,200 that makes about $ $5,0000 dollars of items that people have complained out...had recalls..service bulletins....never will by anything that GM make again.

- Athens, PA, USA

problem #27

Aug 152010

Silverado 2500

  • 53,678 miles
Corroding brake lines on a 2004 Chevrolet 2500 Silverado pickup truck causing critical failure and substantial loss of hydraulic braking power.

- Lanoka Harbor, NJ, USA

problem #26

May 232010

Silverado 2500

  • 38,000 miles
My brake lines rusted out completely on my 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, instantly disabling the brake system. It happened in my driveway. This vehicle had only 38,000 mile on it.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #25

Mar 012010

Silverado 2500

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 hd. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 mph and applying the brakes, the brakes were hesitant to engage. He had to depress the brake pedal into the floorboard in order to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer advised there were no recalls on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 79,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

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