IllustrationTHE BRAKE LINES RUSTED AND FAILED WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. ALL THE BRAKE LINES HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO RUST DAMAGE FROM INFERIOR COMPONENT. *TR
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
560–25K
11025–50K
15450–75K
15275–100K
175100–150K
79150K+
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
What owners actually said
805 reportsI WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE WORK AND AS I ROLLED TOWARDS THE STOP SIGN I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE BUT THE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I ROLLED THROUGH THE STOP SIGN AND INTO THE NEXT LANE, FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AT THE TIME. WHEN I EXITED THE VEHICLE I IMMEDIATELY SAW THE TRAIL OF BRAKE FLUID AND UNDER CLOSER …
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I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE WORK AND AS I ROLLED TOWARDS THE STOP SIGN I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE BUT THE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I ROLLED THROUGH THE STOP SIGN AND INTO THE NEXT LANE, FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AT THE TIME. WHEN I EXITED THE VEHICLE I IMMEDIATELY SAW THE TRAIL OF BRAKE FLUID AND UNDER CLOSER INSPECTION I COULD SEE WHERE NOT ONE BUT TWO LINES HAD RUPTURED AT ONCE. I WAS LEAVING TO PICK UP MY SON FROM DAYCARE AND IT IS TERRIBLE TO THINK THAT HE COULD HAVE BEEN THERE AND IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BUSIER INTERSECTION. GM CLAIMS BRAKE LINES FALL UNDER ROUTINE MAINTENANCE BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHICH ROUTINE THEY MEAN. NO GM TECH OR INSPECTOR HAS EVER MENTIONED RUSTY BRAKE LINES. IF THEY WANT TO MAKE THE CONSUMER RESPONSIBLE MAYBE THEY SHOULD TRAIN RESPONSIBLE TECHNICIANS. *TR
ON APRIL 11, 2015 I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 SILVERADO 1500 TO WORK. WHILE DRIVING ACROSS TOWN I APPROACHED A STOP LIGHT. MY BREAKS FELT VERY SOFT AND HAD ALMOST NO RESISTANCE. WHILE AT THE STOP LIGHT MY VEHICLE CONTINUED TO CREEP FORWARD VERY SLOWLY INTO THE INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I CONTINU…
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ON APRIL 11, 2015 I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 SILVERADO 1500 TO WORK. WHILE DRIVING ACROSS TOWN I APPROACHED A STOP LIGHT. MY BREAKS FELT VERY SOFT AND HAD ALMOST NO RESISTANCE. WHILE AT THE STOP LIGHT MY VEHICLE CONTINUED TO CREEP FORWARD VERY SLOWLY INTO THE INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I CONTINUED APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE WITH NO NEED FOR SLOWING DOWN AND ARRIVED AT MY NEXT TURN. I WENT TO DEPRESS MY BREAKS AND AGAIN THEY WERE VERY SOFT. JUST AS I WAS ALMOST SLOW ENOUGH TO TURN MY FOOT WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. AT THIS TIME THE SERVICE BREAK SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON ALL OF THE ALERT TONES BEGAN. LUCKILY I WAS GOING SLOW ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO COAST INTO A PARKING LOT AND COME TO A STOP USING WHAT MINIMAL BRAKING POWER I HAD LEFT. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THAT MY RESERVOIR WAS VERY LOW. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG BECAUSE I JUST HAD ALL OF MY FLUIDS TOPPED OFF WITHIN THE LAST 15 DAYS WHEN I TOOK IT BECAUSE I HAD 3 BROKEN HEADER BOLTS. AFTER WORK, I CHECKED THE RESERVOIR AND IT WAS TOTALLY EMPTY I INSPECTED THE VISIBLE PORTION OF THE LINES TO FIND THAT ONE OF THEM HAD CORRODED TO THE POINT OF BREAKING (LEAKING ALL THE BRAKE FLUID) AND THE REST WERE EXTREMELY CORRODED ALSO. OVERALL, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS WILL BE THE 4TH TIME THIS YEAR IT HAS BEEN IN THE REPAIR SHOP FOR A COSTLY REPAIR. SINCE I PURCHASED THE TRUCK I HAVE TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF IT INCLUDING CLEANING ALL OF THE SALT OFF IN THE WINTERS AFTER EVERY STORM AND AVOIDING DRIVING NEAR THE BEACH. I HAVE TAKEN ALL ACTIONS TO KEEP THE VEHICLE RUNNING GOOD. I AM GLAD THAT I DID NOT FIND A NEED TO STOP SHORT THIS TIME BECAUSE I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT I WOULD HAVE CRASHED AND BEEN INJURED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS FAULTY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE HIMSELF. RECENTLY, THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED HESITATION ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS BEING APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE AIR CONDITIONER CIRCULATED WARM AIR WHENEVER ACTIVATED. THE BLOWER MOTOR CONNECTOR WAS NOT REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE MOTOR RESISTOR WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
I WAS TOWING MY BOAT DOWN A 4 LANE HIGHWAY, APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES FROM HOME. AS I APPROACHED A TRAFFIC LIGHT, IT TURNED YELLOW AND I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL SUDDENLY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING POWER AND I ROLLED THROUGH A RED LIGHT. AS I COASTED I TRIED THE PARKING BRAKE, WHICH ALSO HA…
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I WAS TOWING MY BOAT DOWN A 4 LANE HIGHWAY, APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES FROM HOME. AS I APPROACHED A TRAFFIC LIGHT, IT TURNED YELLOW AND I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL SUDDENLY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING POWER AND I ROLLED THROUGH A RED LIGHT. AS I COASTED I TRIED THE PARKING BRAKE, WHICH ALSO HAD NO BRAKING POWER. AS THIS OCCURRED, I HAD TO ROLL THROUGH ANOTHER RED LIGHT, THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO AVOID COLLISIONS. SHORTLY AFTER I WAS ABLE TO EASE THE TRUCK AND BOAT UP A HILL AND ONTO THE SHOULDER. AFTER BEING TOWED TO A DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED I HAD A COMPLETE BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON ALL THE BRAKE LINES. *TR
SEVERAL TIMES NOW THIS LAST 2 MONTHS MY TRUCK STOPS RUNNING. AT FIRST IT WOULD SLOW DOWN THEN STOP, THE LAST TIME IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN 3 TIMES FROM WORK TO HOME WHICH IS ONLY 10 MINUTES AWAY. THE IGNITION SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM. I AM BRINGING THIS TO EVERYONES ATTENTION JUST IN CASE SOMEONE ELSE HAS THE SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE.…
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SEVERAL TIMES NOW THIS LAST 2 MONTHS MY TRUCK STOPS RUNNING. AT FIRST IT WOULD SLOW DOWN THEN STOP, THE LAST TIME IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN 3 TIMES FROM WORK TO HOME WHICH IS ONLY 10 MINUTES AWAY. THE IGNITION SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM. I AM BRINGING THIS TO EVERYONES ATTENTION JUST IN CASE SOMEONE ELSE HAS THE SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE. IF I WERE DRIVING 65 OR 70 MILES PER HOUR IT COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE OR ME OR BOTH. MY PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS ALSO SHOWING A FAULT. IT SHOWS THAT IT NEEDS SERVICED.
I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND NOTICED A FLUID PUDDLE IN THE SPOT WHERE IT WAS PARKED. UPON INVESTIGATING,IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE FRONT BRAKE LINES HAS RUPTURED. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION,ALL BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY CORRODED AND SOON TO ACCOMPANY THE RUPTURED LINE. I'M DISPLEASED THAT SUCH A VALUABLE SAFETY …
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I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND NOTICED A FLUID PUDDLE IN THE SPOT WHERE IT WAS PARKED. UPON INVESTIGATING,IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE FRONT BRAKE LINES HAS RUPTURED. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION,ALL BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY CORRODED AND SOON TO ACCOMPANY THE RUPTURED LINE. I'M DISPLEASED THAT SUCH A VALUABLE SAFETY ASPECT OF MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED BY GENERAL MOTORS. I FEEL THAT GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES IN MY 18 YEARS OF DRIVING THAT WERE OLDER AND HAD MORE MILES THAT HAD SHOWN NO SIGNS OF SUCH FAILURE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. *TR
MY CHEVY TRUCK IS A 2003 WITH 52000 MILES ON IT, ONE OWNER,THE ABS SENSORS IN THE FRONT WHEELS HAVE FAILED 3 TIMES NOW, WHAT'S SCARY IS UNLIKE OTHER VEHICLES, THE BRAKES FAIL WHEN THIS HAPPENS, OTHER VEHICLES THE ABS JUST SHUT OFF, STILL HAVE BRAKES, ALSO I AM ABOUT TO PUT ON MY 3RD SET OF BACK BRAKES IN 52000 MILES, STILL ON …
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MY CHEVY TRUCK IS A 2003 WITH 52000 MILES ON IT, ONE OWNER,THE ABS SENSORS IN THE FRONT WHEELS HAVE FAILED 3 TIMES NOW, WHAT'S SCARY IS UNLIKE OTHER VEHICLES, THE BRAKES FAIL WHEN THIS HAPPENS, OTHER VEHICLES THE ABS JUST SHUT OFF, STILL HAVE BRAKES, ALSO I AM ABOUT TO PUT ON MY 3RD SET OF BACK BRAKES IN 52000 MILES, STILL ON THE FIRST SET OF FRONT BRAKES, SHORTLY AFTER PUTTING DISC BRAKES LIKE THIS ON THE REAR THEY WENT BACK TO DRUMS, I ALSO NOTICED THAT ALL THE BRAKE LINES LOOK PRETTY BAD WITH CORROSION, AND THE FUEL LINES, THEY MOUNTED THEM RIGHT UP AGAINST THE FRAME SO THERE IS NO WHERE FOR WATER AND ROAD CRUD TO DRAIN, BEING AN ENGINEER MYSELF, I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, THE TRUCK LOOKS VARY NICE UNTIL YOU LOOK UNDER IT, ALL LOOKS LIKE 200000MI 20 YR OLD JUNKER. THE ATTEMPTS THEY MADE TO PROTECT THE BACK DISCS ARE A JOKE, THE INFERIOR MATERIAL USED FOR SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS BRAKE LINES AND FUEL LINES IS CRIMINAL, AND THEN MOUNTING THEM TO SOMETHING THEY KNEW WAS GOING TO ROT PREMATURELY LIKE THE FRAME IS UNCONSCIONABLE.......AND NO RECALLS ON NONE OF THESE ISSUES IS A SURE SIGN NOBODY CARES. ONE MORE NOTE MY FRIEND HAD A 2002, AND HE HAD HIS BRAKE LINES RECALLED, 2003 ARE IDENTICAL, NO RECALL ?? ONE MORE THING, IN THE FIRST 1000MI MY BRAKE BOOSTER UNIT HAD TO BE REPLACED.. I WILL KEEP THIS SILVERADO UNTIL IT TURNS TO DUST , WHICH PROBABLY WON'T BE LONG , I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A GM FAN, AND HAVE THREE OTHER GM VEHICLES, MY TRUST IN THEM AND THE SYSTEM TO PROTECT CONSUMERS HAS FAILED MISERABLY. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
NOTICED BRAKE FLUID ON THE FLOOR OF MY GARAGE AS A RESULT OF BRAKE LINE RUST THRU. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THAT ALL OF THE STEEL LINES IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM WERE CORRODED AND REQUIRED REPLACING. EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL HAS LEAKED DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NEARLY ON THE FLOOR, NO BRAKE WARNING LIGHT HAS AC…
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NOTICED BRAKE FLUID ON THE FLOOR OF MY GARAGE AS A RESULT OF BRAKE LINE RUST THRU. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THAT ALL OF THE STEEL LINES IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM WERE CORRODED AND REQUIRED REPLACING. EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL HAS LEAKED DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NEARLY ON THE FLOOR, NO BRAKE WARNING LIGHT HAS ACTIVATED INDICATING A BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. BECAUSE I HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE WORKING ON VEHICLES, I KNEW ENOUGH NOT TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE TRUCK. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES ON THE TRUCK BECAUSE THE DEFECTIVE STEEL BRAKE LINE MATERIAL HAS FAILED OR IS NEAR FAILURE THROUGHOUT THE BRAKE SYSTEM. *TR
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES FAIL AS WELL AS THE SPEEDOMETER. *TR
Official recalls
0No 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
3EA11001 · 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.