Hydraboost piston blew out, lost brakes and steering. Almost wrecked vehicle.
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Silverado 2500 years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 81.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 2500 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
336 reports with mileage · 32 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 105 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 99 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 68 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes complaints
99 reportsI HAVE CHANGED ALL 4 NEW TIRES IN 4 DIFFERENT TIMES EVERY YRS NOT SURE IF THAT A WHEEL PROBLEM. AND ALSO FIX MY FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM THAT WAS GIVE ME A PROBLEM IN THE PAST. NOW I REPLACE ALL NEW ROTOR BRAKE DISCS AND PAD IN 30 MINUTES OUT FROM A MECHANICAL SHOP IT'S SHOW A ENGINE LIGHT NOW SAYING RANGE SHIFT INHIBITED ON MY DAS…
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I HAVE CHANGED ALL 4 NEW TIRES IN 4 DIFFERENT TIMES EVERY YRS NOT SURE IF THAT A WHEEL PROBLEM. AND ALSO FIX MY FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM THAT WAS GIVE ME A PROBLEM IN THE PAST. NOW I REPLACE ALL NEW ROTOR BRAKE DISCS AND PAD IN 30 MINUTES OUT FROM A MECHANICAL SHOP IT'S SHOW A ENGINE LIGHT NOW SAYING RANGE SHIFT INHIBITED ON MY DASHBOARD. AND WHEN I'M SHIFTING TO DRIVE IT JUST REVERSE INSTEAD OF DRIVE. NOW IS BACK IN THE SHOP FOR NOW PROBLEM TO COME. FROM GARDEN CITY KANSAS
BRAKE LINES FAILED AFTER HAVING ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. FACTORY LINES CORRODED THROUGH AND TRUCK WAS SCARY TO SLOW DOWN. WAS FORTUNATE TO BE GOING AT LOW SPEEDS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA - BUT GLAD THERE WERE NO KIDS AROUND AND I NEEDED TO BRAKE QUICKLY!
I HAVE HAD A COMPLETE BRAKE JOB BECAUSE ALL OF THE LINES RUSTED OUT AND FAILED AS I WAS DRIVING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP SAFELY. I SPENT ROUGH.Y $3,000 TO GET THIS REPAIRED. NOW THE FUEL LINES, FUEL COOLER AND EVERYTHING ATTACHED HAS RUSTED OUT TO THE POINT THAT IT IS GOING TO BE AN ADDITION…
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I HAVE HAD A COMPLETE BRAKE JOB BECAUSE ALL OF THE LINES RUSTED OUT AND FAILED AS I WAS DRIVING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP SAFELY. I SPENT ROUGH.Y $3,000 TO GET THIS REPAIRED. NOW THE FUEL LINES, FUEL COOLER AND EVERYTHING ATTACHED HAS RUSTED OUT TO THE POINT THAT IT IS GOING TO BE AN ADDITIONA $2,500 TO REPAIR THIS. ALSO, THE COMPLETE UNDER CARRIAGE AND REAR END HAS RUSTED TO THE POINT THAT I AM EXPECTING IT TO FAIL AT ANY TIME. THIS IS NOT ONLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION, BUT IS EXTREMELY COSTLY TO THE CONSUMER, ME. WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED, I WAS DRIVING ON A STREET APPROACHING A BUSY INTERSECTION. WITH NO WARNING AT ALL, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I HAD NO BRAKES. THE REPAIR FACILITY MECHANIC SAID HE HAS NEVER SEEN A SYSTEM SO BAD. I KEEP THE VEHICLE IN A GARAGE AND HAVE WASHED THE UNDER CARRIAGE IN THE WINTER TO KEEP ROAD SALT FROM ACCUMULATING.
TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SLOW/STOP VEHICLE TO MAKE A TURN. DROVE INTO PARKING LOT TO GET OFF OF ROADWAY, HIT SIGN, TREE, PARKED VEHICLE BEFORE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED.
ENGINE RUNS ROUGH AT IDLE.CK ENGINE LIGHT ON.
BRAKE LINES HAVE STARTED RUSTING OUT. ONLY 120K ON THE TRUCK. CALLED GM. GM WILL NOT HELP WITH THIS KNOWN ISSUE OF THE BRAKE LINES CORRODING. HAD 1LINE FIXED AFTER IT BLEW COMING TO A STOP BY MY HOUSE. SECOND LINE BLEW YESTERDAY SLOWING DOWN WHILE EXITING THE FREEWAY
BRAKE LINES AND RELATED CALIPERS CONTINUE TO RUST AND FAIL. HAVE NOW LOST BRAKES WHILE DRIVING DUE TO FAILURE OF VARIOUS BRAKE LINES THREE TIMES. TWICE I LOST THE BRAKES WHILE DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. ONCE WHILE BACKING SLOWLY DOWN A RAMP TO A DOCK. HAVE HAD LINES REPLACED 3 TIMES NOW. CALIPERS ALSO REPLACE. VEHICLE IN SH…
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BRAKE LINES AND RELATED CALIPERS CONTINUE TO RUST AND FAIL. HAVE NOW LOST BRAKES WHILE DRIVING DUE TO FAILURE OF VARIOUS BRAKE LINES THREE TIMES. TWICE I LOST THE BRAKES WHILE DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. ONCE WHILE BACKING SLOWLY DOWN A RAMP TO A DOCK. HAVE HAD LINES REPLACED 3 TIMES NOW. CALIPERS ALSO REPLACE. VEHICLE IN SHOP FOR EMERGENCY REPAIR NOW. PREVIOUS DEALERS HAVE SAID THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE NEW BRINE MATERIAL APPLIED TO ROADS BY DOT IN WINTER. NOTE THAT I DO CLEAN UNDERCARRIAGE TO REMOVE SALT. ALSO HAVE HAD SEVERAL OLDER VEHICLES OTHER MAKES/ MODELS DURING SAME TIME PERIOD AND HAVE NOT HAD THIS ISSUE. NEVER REPLACE BRAKE LINES ON OTHER VEHICLES. *TR
WHILE TRAVELING 50 MPH TOWING A BOAT APPLIED THE BRAKES , THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH THE UNITS FINALLY STOPPING . ALL BRAKE FAILURE WARNING LIGHTS LIGHT UP ON THE DASH AND UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DISCOVERED THE BRAKE LINE TO THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND BLEW OUT ALL THE BRAK…
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WHILE TRAVELING 50 MPH TOWING A BOAT APPLIED THE BRAKES , THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH THE UNITS FINALLY STOPPING . ALL BRAKE FAILURE WARNING LIGHTS LIGHT UP ON THE DASH AND UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DISCOVERED THE BRAKE LINE TO THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND BLEW OUT ALL THE BRAKE FLUID DIRECTLY UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR. ALL REMAINING BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY RUSTED AND APPEAR SWOLLEN AS TO BE READY TO BURST AS WELL UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR ALONG THE FRAME RAIL. VEHICLE HAS 2,760 ENGINE RUNNING HOURS ON IT WITH 82,500 MILES DRIVEN. ALL BRAKE LINES ARE ORIGINAL TO THE TRUCK .DEALER ESTIMATE TO REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINES WAS IN EXCESS OF $2,000. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND NEVER OFF ROAD. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS AND THIS VEHICLE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC BRAKE FAILURE WHICH THANKFULLY DID NOT END IN A CRASH. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION WITH OTHER SIMILAR TRUCK OWNERS I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON PROBLEM THAT IN NOW SURFACING AND MAY RESULT WITH TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES IF NOT ADDRESSED BY NHTSA AND GM IMMEDIATELY.
ON 4/28/2016 TRAVELING TO WORK FOLLOWING A TRACTOR TRAILER IN A 55 MPH ZONE, THE TRACTOR TRAILER ABRUPTLY MERGED INTO THE RIGHT TURN LANE AFTER A CURVE WITHOUT A SIGNAL LEAVING TWO STOPPED CARS IN MY TRAVEL LANE MAKING A LEFT TURN. I APPLIED HARD PRESSURE TO MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I IMPACTED AN AVALANCHE THAT…
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ON 4/28/2016 TRAVELING TO WORK FOLLOWING A TRACTOR TRAILER IN A 55 MPH ZONE, THE TRACTOR TRAILER ABRUPTLY MERGED INTO THE RIGHT TURN LANE AFTER A CURVE WITHOUT A SIGNAL LEAVING TWO STOPPED CARS IN MY TRAVEL LANE MAKING A LEFT TURN. I APPLIED HARD PRESSURE TO MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I IMPACTED AN AVALANCHE THAT WAS PUSHED INTO A SMALL COMPACT CAR CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE AND THE AVALANCHE. THE DRIVER OF THE AVALANCHE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES. WHILE AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE I NOTICED FLUID LEAKING UNDER MY TRUCK JUST BEHIND THE LEFT REAR TIRE. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE TO A BODY SHOP WHERE THEY DISCOVERED 2 RUPTURED BRAKE LINES IN BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND PROPORTIONING VALVE. ATTACHED PICTURES SHOW SEVERALLY RUSTED BRAKE LINES WITH NO OTHER RUST OR CORROSION ON PARTS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. INITIAL ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS ON MY TRUCK WERE $6,371 BEFORE TEAR DOWN.
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.
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