2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

THE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING, I.E., WERE OPERATING PERFECTLY FINE UP UNTIL THE FAILURE AND NO WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. HAD TRUCK TOWED TO OUR DEALERSHIP; ALL BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED AT A COST OF ALMOST $1500. REGULAR MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON TRUCK THROUGHOUT ITS LIFE BY THE SAME DEALERSHIP. GM REFUSES TO COVER COST. HAVE ANOTHER CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD, A 2004, AND WILL NEED TO HAVE DEALERSHIP CHECK THE BRAKE LINES ON THAT TRUCK AND POSSIBLY REPLACE THE LINES, FOR ADDITIONAL COST. COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED; COULD HAVE KILLED OTHERS. NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMMUNICATION FROM GM, CHEVROLET OR THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT I HAVE THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED OR INSPECTED. I AM IN A "SALT BELT" STATE. *TR

I FILED A COMPLAINT IN 2009 WITH THE NHTSA AND HAVE YET TO HEAR ANYTHING FROM THE AGENCY REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IN THE SAME YEAR AS THE COMPLAINT, I HAD MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACE A SECTION OF BRAKE LINE BY THE ABS MODULE THAT HAD FAILED DUE TO EXTREME CORROSION. THIS PAST WEEK I RETURNED TO THE SAME DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPAIR ANOTHER SECTION THAT HAD ALSO FAILED. I WAS TOLD THAT, DUE TO POSSIBLE LITIGATION THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE LINE AS THEY HAD IN THE PAST, BUT WOULD REPLACE THE ENTIRETY OF THE LINE FOR AN ESTIMATE OF $1200.00. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO STATED THAT FIGURE COULD GO HIGHER AS MORE WAS DISCOVERED. I CAN'T SEE PUTTING THIS KIND OF MONEY INTO THIS VEHICLE KNOWING THAT MORE FAILURES ARE SURE TO FOLLOW EVEN THOUGH THE TRUCK HAS ONLY 95,000 MILES ON IT NOW. GM KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM. THEY COULD CARE LESS AND THE CUSTOMER IS GOING TO FOOT THE BILL FOR THEIR MALFEASANCE AS USUAL. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES, FUEL LINES, FUEL STRAPS AND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WERE RUSTED AND CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND WHEN THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE MOST VEHICLES WITHIN THE EASTERN REGION EXPERIENCED THE SAME RUST FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

MY 2003 SILVERADO PICKUP TRUCK HAS BEEN FOUND TO HAVE A COMMON AND RECURRENT PROBLEM. EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS BREAK, AND ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR, THEY CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. A FEW MINUTES OF WEB SEARCHING ON THIS TOPIC PRODUCED A NUMBER OF RESULTS AND MY CONCLUSION IS THE ISSUE IS COMMON. THE ONLINE COMPLAINTS ALSO INDICATE THAT THE SUCCESS RATE FOR THE REPAIR IS NOT GOOD, WITH MANY REPAIRED VEHICLES HAVING SUBSEQUENT BOLT FAILURES. MY VEHICLE IS IN AN AUTHORIZED CHEVY SERVICE GARAGE HAVING THE BOLTS REPLACED. THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE WAS FOR $486, IF CYLINDER HEAD DID NOT NEED TO BE REMOVED. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN BROKE A TAP OFF IN THE REAR MOST BOLT LOCATION. I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAPPENED BEFORE HEAD REMOVAL OR AFTER. IT BECAME NECESSARY TO REMOVE THE CYLINDER HEAD AND WAS REQUOTED AT $1600. A CALL WAS MADE TO GM 3-6-12. THE RESPONSE WAS THAT MY TRUCK WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE FORE THEY COULD BE OF NO ASSISTANCE IN THE MATTER. I AM CERTAINLY AWARE OF THE WARRANTY TERMS. MY ISSUE IS WITH THE SCALE OF THIS ENGINEERING/MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THE COST TO THE OWNERS. THE ISSUE CAN CAUSE EMISSIONS PROBLEMS DUE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE AND FURTHER EXPENSE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER SILENT ARMOR TIRES, LINE SIZE: LT265/75/R16. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMAL VIBRATION IN THE STEERING. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE TREAD ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE HAD SEPARATED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE AND TOOK THE FAILED TIRE TO THE TIRE SHOP. THE TIRE SHOP REPLACED THE TIRE UNDER WARRANTY. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12T003000 (TIRES:TREAD/BELT) THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE TIRE SIZE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000. UPDATED 03/28/12*LJ UPDATED 03/29/12