IllustrationBRAKE LINES LEAK DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION. . ALL THE LINES HAVE BEEN REPLACED MONTHS AGO. THE TRUCK HAS LESS THAN 50 THOUSAND MILES. I FEEL THIS IS WAY TO SOON FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALER LAUGHED WHEN I ASKED IF THIS WAS A WARRANTY PROBLEM.
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
680–25K
15025–50K
17150–75K
14875–100K
118100–150K
45150K+
700 reports with mileage · 97 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 267 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 229 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 100 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
33 crash reports8 fire reports17 injury reports
Service Brakes complaints
229 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A FOUR FOOT TALL CURB AND THE TRANSMISSION PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM GOING OVER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A FOUR FOOT TALL CURB AND THE TRANSMISSION PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM GOING OVER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE CONTACT, WHO WAS AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. HE DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000.
UNWANTED ABS APPLICATION AT SLOW SPEEDS! SOMETIMES IT ACTIVATES, OTHER TIMES IT DOESNT. VERY UNPREDICTABLE & UNSAFE! THIS IS A REOCCURRING PROBLEM.
BRAKE LINES HAVE RUSTED AND RUPTURED ON 3 OCCASSIONS AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF THE BRAKE LINES. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON CITY STREET.
CAME UP TO A STOP SIGN GOING ABOUT 30MPH.BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR.HAD TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP THE TRUCK. MECHANIC SAYS I NEED TO HAVE ALL THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED. ALL THE LINES WERE RUSTED TO THE POINT ONE FAILED. THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM ON THIS TRUCK IS NOT DIVIDED, MEANING A HOLE IN ANY LINE YOU LOOSE A…
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CAME UP TO A STOP SIGN GOING ABOUT 30MPH.BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR.HAD TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP THE TRUCK. MECHANIC SAYS I NEED TO HAVE ALL THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED. ALL THE LINES WERE RUSTED TO THE POINT ONE FAILED. THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM ON THIS TRUCK IS NOT DIVIDED, MEANING A HOLE IN ANY LINE YOU LOOSE ALL BREAKS. TRUCK ONLY HAS 57000 MILES ON IT? I CAN'T BELIEVE A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. WHEN SOMEONE DIES I HOPE TO BE CALLED TO TESTIFY AGAINST GM.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS HAULING A TRAILER, THE BRAKE PEDAL LOST PRESSURE AND STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT THE VEHICLE, COAST ONTO THE ROAD SHOULDER, AND APPLY THE REAR BRAKE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS HAULING A TRAILER, THE BRAKE PEDAL LOST PRESSURE AND STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT THE VEHICLE, COAST ONTO THE ROAD SHOULDER, AND APPLY THE REAR BRAKE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND CAUSED THE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP AT RED LIGHT, BRAKE PADDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP TRUCK. NO WARNING, NO LIGHTS. BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED AND BROKE. HAD MY WIFE AND GRAND CHILDREN IN TRUCK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING, THE ABS, SERVICE ENGINE, AND AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED AND THEN REMAINED ILLUMINATED. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE DEALER RESET THE UNKNOWN CODES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WAS DISCONNECTED AND…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING, THE ABS, SERVICE ENGINE, AND AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED AND THEN REMAINED ILLUMINATED. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE DEALER RESET THE UNKNOWN CODES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WAS DISCONNECTED AND THAT THERE WAS AN INTERNAL DISCONNECTION FOR THE AIR BAGS TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 06V417000 (AIR BAGS), 06V289000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), 05V043000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND 04V045000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,502.
BRAKE LINE FAILURE
BRAKE LINES RUSTED AND RUPTURED. BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN NEAR ACCIDENT.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.