IllustrationWHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PUSHED AND WENT TO THE FLOOR IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. APPARENTLY THE BRAKE LINES RUPTURED DUE TO BEING RUSTED THROUGH. *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 reportsHAD BEEN DUCK HUNTING WITH MY GRANDSONS PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND STARTED BACKING MY TRUCK INTO GARAGE WITH BOAT ATTACHED AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. AT THAT POINT I HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL. HAD TO PUSH PARKING BRAKE TO STOP TRUCK. WHEN I GOT OUT I SAW PUDDLE OF LIQUID ON DRIVEWAY ( BRAKE FLUID) . I LOOKED UNDER TRUCK AND SAW …
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HAD BEEN DUCK HUNTING WITH MY GRANDSONS PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND STARTED BACKING MY TRUCK INTO GARAGE WITH BOAT ATTACHED AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. AT THAT POINT I HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL. HAD TO PUSH PARKING BRAKE TO STOP TRUCK. WHEN I GOT OUT I SAW PUDDLE OF LIQUID ON DRIVEWAY ( BRAKE FLUID) . I LOOKED UNDER TRUCK AND SAW THAT THE BRAKE LINE UNDER THE DRIVERS FLOOR AREA IS RUSTED AND BLEW OUT. I JUST THANK GOD THAT IT HAPPENED WHEN IT DID AND NOT AS MY GRANDSONS AND I WAS GOING DOWN HIGHWAY. I GOT ON INTERNET AND I SEE THAT THERE IS MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVING SAME ISSUE WITH BRAKE LINES ON CHEVY TRUCKS. I JUST MUST ASK HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO GET HURT OR DIE BEFORE GM FIXES THIS PROBLEM???? I THINK IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO STEP UP AND TAKE CARE OF THIS ... *TR
MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HIS 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO PULLING A TRAILER WHEN A DOG JUMP OUT IN FRONT OF US. HE PUT ON HIS BRAKE BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY. THERE WAS A CAR IN THE OTHER LANE, A DROP OFF ON OUR SIDE OF THE ROAD AND A DOG IN FRONT OF US. WITH GOD'S HELP MY HUSBAND MISSED ALL OF THAT. MY HUSBAND STARTED CHECKING AND FOUND…
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MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HIS 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO PULLING A TRAILER WHEN A DOG JUMP OUT IN FRONT OF US. HE PUT ON HIS BRAKE BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY. THERE WAS A CAR IN THE OTHER LANE, A DROP OFF ON OUR SIDE OF THE ROAD AND A DOG IN FRONT OF US. WITH GOD'S HELP MY HUSBAND MISSED ALL OF THAT. MY HUSBAND STARTED CHECKING AND FOUND A RUPTURED BRAKE LINE PROBABLY DUE TO THE RUST ISSUE. NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT THE COST OF TOWING THE VEHICLE AND REPLACING THE BRAKE LINES - WHICH WON'T BE CHEAP. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM BEFORE PEOPLE GET KILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!! *TR
WHILE DRIVING DOWN BUSY ROAD, FOR NO REASON ENGINE POWER WAS SUDDENLY REDUCED WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. CALLED GM. NO RECALLS. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN INHERENT PROBLEM, NOT WEAR AND TEAR. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ASAP. *TR
I FILED COMPLAINT 10650327 YESTERDAY AFTER LOOSING BRAKING ABILITY BECAUSE OF A BRAKE LINE RUPTURE IN THE SEVERELY RUSTED BRAKE LINES OF MY TRUCK. MY TRUCK WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TODAY THEY TOLD ME THE HYDRAULIC MODULE THE BRAKE LINES CONNECT TO IS CRUMBLING APART WHEN THEY TRY TO UNSCREW THE LINE CONNECTIONS. THEY TO…
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I FILED COMPLAINT 10650327 YESTERDAY AFTER LOOSING BRAKING ABILITY BECAUSE OF A BRAKE LINE RUPTURE IN THE SEVERELY RUSTED BRAKE LINES OF MY TRUCK. MY TRUCK WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TODAY THEY TOLD ME THE HYDRAULIC MODULE THE BRAKE LINES CONNECT TO IS CRUMBLING APART WHEN THEY TRY TO UNSCREW THE LINE CONNECTIONS. THEY TOLD ME THE MODULE IS ALUMINUM AND THAT THE BRAKE LINES ARE STEEL WHICH IS AN APPARENT DESIGN FAILURE. WHAT APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING IS ACCELERATED DETERIORATION BETWEEN THE TWO METALS CAUSED BY GALVANIC CORROSION. SURELY THIS CONDITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED DURING ES TESTING IN THE PROTOTYPE STAGES OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND IS A DESIGN FLAW. IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT STEEL CONNECTED TO ALUMINUM ESPECIALLY IN THE PRESENCE OF WATER OR ESPECIALLY SALT WATER WILL EXPERIENCE RAPID AND ACCELERATED CORROSION AND POTENTIAL FAILURE. *TR
BRAKE LINE RUPTURE AND LOSS OF BRAKES. SEVERELY RUSTED BRAKE LINES, DRIVER SIDE ALONG FRAME AND LEADING TO ABS MODULE ARE SEVERELY RUSTED TO THE POINT OF DELAMINATION CAUSING ABRUPT LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND ANY ABILITY TO STOP. FORTUNATELY THIS RUPTURE HAPPENED WHILE MANEUVERING THE TRUCK IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT WHILE ON THE …
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BRAKE LINE RUPTURE AND LOSS OF BRAKES. SEVERELY RUSTED BRAKE LINES, DRIVER SIDE ALONG FRAME AND LEADING TO ABS MODULE ARE SEVERELY RUSTED TO THE POINT OF DELAMINATION CAUSING ABRUPT LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND ANY ABILITY TO STOP. FORTUNATELY THIS RUPTURE HAPPENED WHILE MANEUVERING THE TRUCK IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT WHILE ON THE ROAD AS THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR
I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 PULLING A 27 FOOT CAMPER TO A WEEKEND CAMPING DESTINATION ALONG WITH MY FAMILY INCLUDING TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. UPON OUR ARRIVAL AT THE CAMPGROUND, I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, AND MY FOOT AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT ENTIRELY TO THE FLOOR! I HAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WITH NO WARNI…
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I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 PULLING A 27 FOOT CAMPER TO A WEEKEND CAMPING DESTINATION ALONG WITH MY FAMILY INCLUDING TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. UPON OUR ARRIVAL AT THE CAMPGROUND, I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, AND MY FOOT AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT ENTIRELY TO THE FLOOR! I HAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WITH NO WARNING! I BELIEVE THE BRAKES ON MY TRAVEL TRAILER SOMEWHAT AIDED IN SLOWLY BRINGING MY TRUCK TO A STOP AS I PULLED INTO OUR WEEKEND CAMPING DESTINATION. UPON A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES, THE STEEL BRAKE LINES ARE ENTIRELY COATED WITH RUST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TRUCK. THE STEEL BRAKE LINE HAD RUPTURED DUE TO RUST WHICH CAUSED IMMEDIATE TOTAL LOSS OF MY TRUCKS BRAKING SYSTEM. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT DRIVING IN THE HILLS AT HIGHER SPEEDS WHILE PULLING MY 6000 LB CAMPER DURING OUR ROUTE TO OUR FAMILY CAMPING DESTINATION. I HAD YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR, AND ONE STRAPPED IN A CAR SEAT. THANK GOD THE TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE GOING DOWNHILL WITH PULLING THE CAMPER THROUGH SOME OF THE VERY STEEP HILLS OF SOUTHERN INDIANA! WHEN WILL G.M. ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE DANGEROUS STEEL BRAKE LINES THAT ARE ENTIRELY RUSTING THROUGH? CHILDREN AND MY FAMILY COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY BEEN INJURED OR DIED DURING A WEEKEND CAMPING TRIP DUE TO THIS TOTAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE! AT CURRENT TIME, I HAVE CONTACTED CHEVY DEALERSHIPS, THEY ESTIMATE A COST OF $1500 - $2000 TO REPLACE ALL THE RUSTY BRAKE LINES AND TO MAKE THIS TRUCK SAFE AGAIN! I CAN NOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THIS TRUCK AND PUT IT BACK INTO A WORKING SAFE DRIVING CONDITION AT THIS TIME. I CAN ONLY EXPRESS MY CONCERNS AND HOPE PEOPLE DO NOT GET INJURED OR DIE FROM A TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED BY G.M.S RUSTY BRAKE LINES ON AUTOMOBILES SIMILAR TO MINE. WHY CAN WE NOT GET G.M. TO RECALL THESE FAULTY BRAKE LINES OR PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE TO AID WITH REPLACEMENT COST TO MAKE THESE AUTOMOBILES SAFE AGAIN? *TR
APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN IT TURNED YELLOW, PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. TRUCK SLOWED A LITTLE, AND I ENDED UP COASTING THROUGH THE RED LIGHT. LUCKILY THE CROSS TRAFFIC HAD NOT MOVED YET WHEN I WENT THROUGH. GOT THE TRUCK STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WALKED AROUND TO INSPECT, FOUND BRAKE F…
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APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN IT TURNED YELLOW, PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. TRUCK SLOWED A LITTLE, AND I ENDED UP COASTING THROUGH THE RED LIGHT. LUCKILY THE CROSS TRAFFIC HAD NOT MOVED YET WHEN I WENT THROUGH. GOT THE TRUCK STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WALKED AROUND TO INSPECT, FOUND BRAKE FLUID ON LEFT REAR TIRE AND INSIDE WHEEL WELL. FLUID WAS DRIPPING FROM FRAME AND I COULD FEEL THE HOLE IN BRAKE LINE. MADE IT HOME BY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO SLOW AND STOP. *TR
WHILE DRIVING INTO WORK THIS MORNING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME HIT THERE BRAKES SUDDENLY AND I HIT MY BRAKES AND THE TRUCK BRAKES ACTED LIKE THERE WAS AN ABS EVENT AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY I HAD ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN US AND SWERVED TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND BARELY GOT…
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WHILE DRIVING INTO WORK THIS MORNING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME HIT THERE BRAKES SUDDENLY AND I HIT MY BRAKES AND THE TRUCK BRAKES ACTED LIKE THERE WAS AN ABS EVENT AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY I HAD ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN US AND SWERVED TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND BARELY GOT STOPPED. TRIED THE BRAKES AGAIN AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THEN A POP-UP IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER READ "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM". COMPLETELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND BEGAN LOOKING UNDER THE TRUCK AND YOU CAN SEE BRAKE FLUID IS DRIPPING UNDER THE DRIVERS FLOOR PANEL. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE GAUGES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO SEPARATE PRIVATE MECHANICS WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE GAUGES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO SEPARATE PRIVATE MECHANICS WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.
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.