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2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

726 reports with mileage · 79 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 273 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 195 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 151 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

26 crash reports7 fire reports8 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

195 reports
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90,000 miles · Dec 8, 2008
Electrical System

TL -THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SURBURBAN 1500. HE STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE WHOLE INSTRUMENT PANEL STOP WORKING.PULLED OVER SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN THE INSTRUMENT WORKED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET THERE ARE PLENTY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS COMPONENT ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 90000 AND CURRENT W…

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TL -THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SURBURBAN 1500. HE STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE WHOLE INSTRUMENT PANEL STOP WORKING.PULLED OVER SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN THE INSTRUMENT WORKED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET THERE ARE PLENTY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS COMPONENT ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 90000 AND CURRENT WAS 91000.

NHTSA ODI #10251127

Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 2008
Electrical System

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 CHEVY 1500 STICKS AND DOES NOT MOVE BACK TOWARD ZERO AS I SLOW DOWN AT TIMES. IT SEEMS TO BE MORE COMMON WHEN I HAVE THE HEAT ON WHICH IS NECESSARY IN WISCONSIN FOR MOST OF THE YEAR. IT STARTED TO HAPPEN AT THE END OF LAST WINTER BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR IT AT THE TIME AND BY THE TIME THERE WAS A R…

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THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 CHEVY 1500 STICKS AND DOES NOT MOVE BACK TOWARD ZERO AS I SLOW DOWN AT TIMES. IT SEEMS TO BE MORE COMMON WHEN I HAVE THE HEAT ON WHICH IS NECESSARY IN WISCONSIN FOR MOST OF THE YEAR. IT STARTED TO HAPPEN AT THE END OF LAST WINTER BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR IT AT THE TIME AND BY THE TIME THERE WAS A RECALL FOR VEHICLES W/ LESS THAN 70,000 MILES, MINE HAD TOO MANY MILES ON IT. NOW IT IS HAPPENING A LOT MORE FREQUENTLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10249867

6,000 miles · Nov 24, 2008
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND HORN WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED THE COMPONENTS UNDER WARRANTY. THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND THE DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO REPAIR THE FAILURES FOR FREE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND HORN WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED THE COMPONENTS UNDER WARRANTY. THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND THE DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO REPAIR THE FAILURES FOR FREE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000. UPDATED 12/22/08. *LJ

NHTSA ODI #10249706

95,000 miles · Sep 16, 2008
Electrical System

I RECEIVED TICKETS FOR DRIVING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. I FOUND OUT LATER IT WAS BECAUSE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN MY MODEL TRUCK WAS DEFECTIVE AND REGISTERING THE SPEED 10-15 MPH OVER ACTUAL. I CONSIDER THIS DEFECTIVE PART A SAFETY HAZARD TO MYSELF AND TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND REPORTED IT TO GM. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT GM HAD A REC…

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I RECEIVED TICKETS FOR DRIVING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. I FOUND OUT LATER IT WAS BECAUSE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN MY MODEL TRUCK WAS DEFECTIVE AND REGISTERING THE SPEED 10-15 MPH OVER ACTUAL. I CONSIDER THIS DEFECTIVE PART A SAFETY HAZARD TO MYSELF AND TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND REPORTED IT TO GM. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT GM HAD A RECALL OF THE THIS SAME PART OR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN MY MODEL OF TRUCK. I NEVER RECEIVED NOTICE OF THE RECALL NOR WAS I EVER INFORMED AT THE TIME OF SERVICE AT A GM DEALER THAT THERE WAS A RECALL. AFTER FINDING OUT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OF THIS PART, I WENT TO THE GM DEALER FOR A REPLACEMENT BUT WAS THEN INFORMED THAT MY VEHICLE HAD PASSED THE MILEAGE LIMIT ON THE RECALLED PART AND THAT THEY (GM) WOULD NO LONGER HONOR THE DEFECTIVE PART. MY PROBLEM WITH GM IS THAT IF THIS DEFECTIVE PART IS A SAFETY HAZZARD THEN GM IS RESPONSIBLE TO REPAIR IT. I WAS INFORMED BY AN ATTORNEY, A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND A JUDGE THAT GM IS REQUIRED TO SUPPLY A SPEED OMETER THAT REGISTERS THE CORRECT SPEED WITHIN +-5 MPH. THIS DEFECTIVE PART IS OFF BY 10-15 MPH. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT GM HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR AT NO CHARGE THOUSANDS OF SIMILAR TRUCKS WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART. THIS PUTS NOT ONLY THE DRIVER OF THESE VEHICLES AT RISK BUT ALSO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. A 10-15 MPH ERROR IN SPEED COULD BE DISASTEROUS IN A SCHOOL OR CONSTRUCTION ZONE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10242377

70,000 miles · Sep 8, 2008
Electrical System

THE DASH INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO WENT OUT. NONE OF MY GAUGES A FUNCTIONAL. NOT EVEN THE GAS GAUGE. I'M AFRAID IF I RUN OUT OF GAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THERE COULD BE A SERIOUS INJURY. I GOT A LETTER FROM GM, THEY SAY ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM, BUT WONT RECALL THE PART. THEY ONLY FIX IT FOR YOU IF YOU ARE …

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THE DASH INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO WENT OUT. NONE OF MY GAUGES A FUNCTIONAL. NOT EVEN THE GAS GAUGE. I'M AFRAID IF I RUN OUT OF GAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THERE COULD BE A SERIOUS INJURY. I GOT A LETTER FROM GM, THEY SAY ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM, BUT WONT RECALL THE PART. THEY ONLY FIX IT FOR YOU IF YOU ARE UNDER 70,000. MINE WENT OUT AT 70,000 SO THEY WILL NOT RECALL OR REPAIR. IF ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM, IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. PLEASE HELP ME & PROBABLY MANY OTHERS GET THIS RECALLED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10241300

Mileage unknown · Aug 22, 2008
Electrical System

2003 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 & 2500 TRUCKS BOTH HAVE INSTRUMENT PANEL/SPEEDOMETER THAT IS NO LONGER WORKING. CONSUMER WANTS THE DEFECTIVE PARTS REPLACE AT NO CHARGE. *NJ

NHTSA ODI #10239353

78,000 miles · Aug 14, 2008
Electrical System

WE JUST RECEIVED CLASS ACTION SUIT PAPERS REGARDING THE FAILURE OF THE SPEEDOMETER TODAY ON 8-13-08. THE PAPER WORK SAYS GM BEGAN A SPECIAL COVERAGE CAMPAIGN ON 9-28-07 SO WHY ARE WE JUST NOW HEARING OF THIS. MY SPEEDOMETER WENT OUT AT 78K (MAY 4TH 2008)! HAD I RECEIVED THIS PAPERWORK THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDE…

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WE JUST RECEIVED CLASS ACTION SUIT PAPERS REGARDING THE FAILURE OF THE SPEEDOMETER TODAY ON 8-13-08. THE PAPER WORK SAYS GM BEGAN A SPECIAL COVERAGE CAMPAIGN ON 9-28-07 SO WHY ARE WE JUST NOW HEARING OF THIS. MY SPEEDOMETER WENT OUT AT 78K (MAY 4TH 2008)! HAD I RECEIVED THIS PAPERWORK THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER THIS LAWSUIT. AT THE TIME THEY (GM) DECIDED TO REPLACE THE SPEEDOMETER (SEPTEMBER 2007) I ONLY HAD 68K. THIS IS UNFAIR. THE DEALER KNOWS THEY SHOULD RECALL THEIR FAULTY PRODUCT, BUT ARE WILLING TO SETTLE IN A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT. THERE IS JUST ONE PROBLEM! MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE A 2003 MODEL HAVE MORE THAN 70K ON THE VEHICLE. WE NOW HAVE 84K MILES, A SPEEDOMETER THAT HAS COMPLETELY QUIT WORKING, AND A COMPANY THAT DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ERRORS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS NO RECALL! THERE ARE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FILE A CLASS ACTION SUIT SO THEREFORE, SHOULD THERE NOT BE ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM RECALL THIS PRODUCT? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10238104

75,000 miles · Aug 13, 2008
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER / TACHOMETER INTERMITTENT FAILURES - WRONG SPEEDS SHOWN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10237959

66,933 miles · Aug 4, 2008
Electrical System

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY THINKING THAT THE OTHER DRIVERS WERE GOING SLOW. I THEN NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE RPM WAS MORE LIKE I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 95 MPH WHILE SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED 65 MPH. EVENTUALLY DURING THIS TRIP THE SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO MPH. AFTER STOPPING AND RESUMING THE TRIP THE SPEEDOMETER APPEARED TO BE…

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DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY THINKING THAT THE OTHER DRIVERS WERE GOING SLOW. I THEN NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE RPM WAS MORE LIKE I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 95 MPH WHILE SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED 65 MPH. EVENTUALLY DURING THIS TRIP THE SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO MPH. AFTER STOPPING AND RESUMING THE TRIP THE SPEEDOMETER APPEARED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY, BUT THAT ONLY LASTED FOR ABOUT 15 MILES WHEN I NOTICED IT AGAIN LOSING SPEED WHILE THE ENGINE RPM REMAINED THE SAME. AGAIN IT EVENTUALLY DROPPED TO ZERO. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE NOTED AT LEAST 300 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, OR RECEIVED A CITATION HAD I HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO HAVE BEEN OBSERVED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT BEFORE I DETECTED THE MALFUNCTION MYSELF. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10236805

77,000 miles · Jul 30, 2008
Electrical System

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO FREEZES UP, AND DOES NOT INDICATE THE TRUE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. I RECEIVED A LETTER OF RECALL/REPAIR FROM GM ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM, BUT THE LETTER STATES THAT THEY WILL ONLY REPAIR THE PROBLEM IF THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 7 YEARS OLD OR HAS LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. HERE IS WHERE …

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THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO FREEZES UP, AND DOES NOT INDICATE THE TRUE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. I RECEIVED A LETTER OF RECALL/REPAIR FROM GM ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM, BUT THE LETTER STATES THAT THEY WILL ONLY REPAIR THE PROBLEM IF THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 7 YEARS OLD OR HAS LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. HERE IS WHERE I HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THIS. WHEN I GOT THE LETTER FROM GM, MY TRUCK HAD 66,000 MILES ON IT. AT THIS TIME, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS WORKING FINE. THE LETTER STATES IN BOLD LETTERING " DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE TO THE DEALER UNLESS IT IS SHOWING SIGNS OF FAILURE". MY TRUCK DID NOT DEVELOP THIS ISSUE UNTIL IT REACHED 77,000 MILES. GM NOW REFUSES TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER UNDER THE RECALL, BUT WANTS $600.00 TO REPLACE THE SPEEDOMETER. THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE THE TRUE SPEED OF THE TRUCK, AND TO ME IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE FOR MY FAMILY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10236411

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

3

EA11001 · Brake Line Corrosion Failure

Opened Jan 5, 2011 · Closed Apr 8, 2015

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

EA04011 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Apr 9, 2004 · Closed May 10, 2005

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake; Parking Brake:conventional; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Parking Brake:conventional

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

PE03057 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Dec 8, 2003 · Closed Apr 9, 2004

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake

ODI OPENED PE03-057 TO ASSESS PARKING BRAKE INEFFECTIVENESS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THESE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH FOUR WHEEL DISC BRAKES THAT INCORPORATE A SINGLE-SHOE DRUM-IN-HAT PARKING BRAKE INDEPENDENT OF THE SERVICE BRAKES.COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA INDICATE THAT THE PARKING BRAKE LININGS TEND TO WEAR OUT EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE (AT AN AVERAGE OF 24 MONTHS IN SERVICE), REDUCING THE PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM'S TORQUE BELOW THAT NEEDED TO IMMOBILIZE THE VEHICLE.GM HAS ATTRIBUTED THIS ACCELERATED WEAR TO FOREIGN MATERIAL INTRUSION AND A FAILURE OF THE BRAKE SHOE TO PROPERLY SELF-CENTER WITHIN ITS BRAKE DRUM.EFFECTIVE WITH THE START OF MY 2003 PRODUCTION, A NEWER REDUCED FORCE HOLD-DOWN CLIP WAS INTRODUCED TO FACILITATE BRAKE SHOE DISENGAGEMENT FROM THE DRUM SURFACE.THIS PART IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICE LEVEL FOR THE MY 1999-2002 VEHICLES.GM HAS INDICATED THAT THE PAKING BRAKE IS INTENDED TO OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRANSMISSION TO IMMOBILZE PARKED VEHICLES, AND THAT IN MANY CASES, ACCELERATED PARKING BRAKE LINING WEAR IS CAUSED BY ROUGH USE, VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS, AND DRIVING WITH THE PARKING ENGAGED. ODI HAS UPGRADED THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO GATHER FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING PARKING BRAKE USAGE FACTORS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE SEVENTEEN REPORTED VEHICLE CRASHES.