2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

STEEL BRAKE LINE FAILURE/RUPTURE UNDER LITTLE TO NO BRAKING. IN A PARKING LOT, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE BRAKE LINE CLUSTER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT, HEAVILY RUSTED ALONG THE FRAME RAIL. THIS IS WHERE THE RUPTURE OCCURRED. THANKFULLY I JUST DROPPED OFF MY THREE KIDS AND THIS HAPPENED BEFORE LOADING THE BED WITH A CORD OF OAK FIREWOOD. I'VE WORKED ON VEHICLES FOR 20+ YEARS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN BRAKE LINES RUST LIKE THIS. NORMAL ROAD SALT HAS NEVER IMPACTED ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED AND MAINTAINED OVER THE YEARS. I GUESS IT WAS CHEAPER FOR GM TO USE ALUMINIZED STEEL RATHER THAN STAINLESS AT THE FACTORY. IF MY TRUCK WAS LOADED WITH FIREWOOD, AND MY THREE KIDS, THE END RESULT WOULD HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

BRAKE LINES JUST WENT, LUCKILY THEY DID WHEN I FIRST STARTED TRUCK UP, THEY WERE RUSTED OUT. AS I HAVE COME TO LEARN, THERE HAS BEEN MANY CASES OF THIS PROBLEM, I KNOW OF MANY CARS AND TRUCKS THAT ARE 20 YEARS OLD THAT HAVEN'T HAD RUSTED BRAKE LINES. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS, BEFORE IT CREATES A MAJOR PROBLEM. IT ALSO COST 1000 DOLLARS TO REPAIR LINES, WHICH I THINK IS WAY TO MUCH. *TR

BRAKING DOWNHILL AT INTERSECTION RED LIGHT. THE REAR BRAKE LINE BURST DUE TO RUSTING. LUCKILY I SLOWED ENOUGH NOT TO REAR END THE VEHICLES STOP AT THE RED LIGHT. HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP. REPLACED ALL BRAKE LINES. CHECKED ONLINE AND SAW MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH GM PICKUP TRUCKS. GM NEVER ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

WAS DRIVING DOWN BUSY HIGHWAY WHEN I WENT TO SLOW DOWN TO STOP AT UPCOMING TRAFFIC STOP LIGHT. PUT FOOT ON BRAKES AND WENT TO FLOOR, NO BRAKES, NO WARNING. I WAS IN A HEAVILY CONGESTED TRAFFIC AREA AND IN THE MIDDLE OF A 4-WAY INTERSECTION THAT WAS GETTING READY TO GO DOWN A HILL, WAS ABLE TO TURN UP A STREET THAT WAS A HILL AND HAD TO HIT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO GET STOPPED. HAD TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED. THIS COULD OF BEEN A DEADLY CATASTROPHE CONSIDERING THE NATURE OF FAILED EQUIPMENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS VERY HEAVILY CONGESTED INTERSECTION. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED IT ON 04/25/2014. HAVE HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES FOR REPAIRS. IT SEEMS THE PROBLEMS NEVER STOP. *TR

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT IN MY 2004 SILVERADO 1500. I LOST CONTROL AND HIT A TREE ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DECLARED THE TRUCK A TOTAL LOSS. I KEPT THE TRUCK AND REPAIRED ALL DAMAGE. THE SERVICE SIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON. IT WAS NOT ON BEFORE THE WRECK. IT WAS ABOUT THE THIRD TIME CRANKING THE TRUCK BEFORE THE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE DASH. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. WE HAD AN AUTOMOTIVE MECHANIC CHECK IT OUT WITH AN AUTO SCANNER. IT SHOWED THE BOX THAT TELLS THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT SENT SIGNAL FOR AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY BUT THEY DID NOT. *TR

TRAVELING NORTH ON HWY 41 APPROACHING CONSTRUCTION ZONE NORTH OF NEW HIGH SCHOOL, SEMI TRUCK DECIDED TO CHANGE LANES TO AVOID CONGESTION AHEAD AND DID NOT CHECK FOR TRAFFIC IN THE LANE HE MOVED TO. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 4 CAR LENGTHS BEHIND HIM AND REQUIRED TO JAM ON BRAKES. PEDAL WENT NEARLY TO THE FLOOR AND VIRTUALLY NO BRAKING POWER WAS FELT. I PUMPED BREAKS BUT THE PEDAL CONSISTENTLY PUSHED TO ABOUT 1/2" FROM THE FLOOR. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO AVERT COLLISION BY SWITCHING LANES (SHOULDER) AND TURNED ON FLASHERS. I SLOWED TO ABOUT 25 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED OVER TO THE NEAREST SAFE SPOT. FIRST I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID - WHICH WAS DOWN FROM THE WEEKEND SIGNIFICANTLY. THEN I LOOKED AT THE WHEELS AND THEY LOOKED OK. CRAWLING UNDER THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS FLUID DRIPPING FROM THE GAS TANK AREA, FROM THE CABLES FOR THE EMERGENCY BREAK, SPRAY OVER THE SPARE TIRE AND SPRAY ON THE INSIDE OF THE PASSENGER REAR TIRE. ALL LIQUID (WHICH APPEARED TO BE BRAKE FLUID) WAS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN I ARRIVED HOME, I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK & INSPECTED MORE CLOSELY. THERE WERE APPARENTLY 2 SPOTS WHERE THE BRAKE LINES HAD CORRODED (ONE WAS NOT VISIBLE - ABOVE THE GAS TANK - BUT OBVIOUSLY THE MAJOR LEAK WAS THERE). THE SECOND LEAK WAS FROM THE STEEL LINE THAT JOINED NEAR THE RUBBER BRAKE LINE ON THE LEFT REAR WHEEL. TRUCK IS NOT DRIVABLE AT 41000 MILES. *TR

ANOTHER 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 EXT. CAB BRAKE LINE RUPTURE. THE LINE BROKE UNDER THE CAB BY THE DRIVERS DOOR, AND THIS LEFT ME WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKES. GENERAL MOTORS CLAIMS THERE WILL STILL BE LIMITED BRAKING FORCE, NOT SO! I WAS STOPPING AT A CROSSWALK PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AND I STARTED TO STOP, REDUCED SPEED TO ABOUT 10 MPH AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR, THERE WAS NO BRAKING FORCE LEFT AT ALL. I WENT THROUGH THE CROSS WALK AND STOPPED WITH THE PARKING BRAKE DOWN THE STREET. I HAD TO STEER INTO THE OTHER LANE TO AVOID THE PEDESTRIAN AND ANOTHER CAR. I LIVE IN ATLANTIC CANADA, SIMILAR CLIMATE TO NEW ENGLAND, I JUST THOUGH I WOULD ADD MY INCIDENT TO YOUR FILE AS THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS BY GM, I AM ALSO INFORMING TRANSPORT CANADA, AND GM CANADA. WE ALL KNOW BRAKE LINES CORRODE, BUT THE BRAKING SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE A REDUNDANCY, THIS IS THE ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES THE MASTER CYLINDER DOES NOT WORK THIS WAY. WE HAVE ANNUAL SAFETY INSPECTIONS IN NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA AND THIS WAS DONE AT THE GM DEALERSHIP IN MARCH, 2014, THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO IN THE GM DEALERSHIP IN SEPT., 2014 FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THE BRAKE LINE BROKE A FEW WEEKS LATER. I REALIZE THIS IS AN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION, BUT A LOT OF CANADIAN CARS ARE ON YOUR ROADS, I AM ADDING THIS INCIDENT TO THE FAILURE LIST, THE TRUCK WAS BUILT IN TEXAS. I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK AFTER THIS INCIDENT AND THE BRAKE LINES ARE ALL RUSTED OUT AND NEED REPLACEMENT BEFORE THIS TRUCK IS SAFE TO BE ON THE ROAD. I AM SURE THERE ALL LOTS OF THESE BRAKES LINES READY TO FAIL ON THESE TRUCKS. *TR