2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE STEERING BOX, PITMAN ARM, OUTER TIE ROD ON BOTH ENDS AND THE UPPER BALL JOINT. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE LEAKING. THE BRAKE LEAK FAILURE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

WHILE IN TRAFFIC I PUSHED MY BRAKE PEDAL DOWN HARD TO STOP AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR. SOME BRAKING RESISTANCE WAS FELT BY THE VEHICLE BUT I STILL HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THERE WAS ONLY A MINOR SCRATCH ON THE CAR I HIT BECAUSE I ALSO HIT THE PARKING BRAKE ONE THE BRAKE PEDAL DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT TO INDICATE A PROBLEM BUT WHEN I PULLED OFF THE ROAD THE BRAKE LINE GOING TO THE REAR BRAKES WAS SQUIRTING FLUID. ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES ON THE CAR SHOWED HEAVY SIGNS OF RUST. *TR

WHILE APPLYING MODERATE BRAKE PRESSURE IN HEAVY MORNING TRAFFIC ON CLEAN DRY PAVEMENT, THE BRAKE PEDAL COLLAPSED TO THE FLOOR, FOLLOWED BY REAR BRAKE LOCK-UP. I SWERVED TO AVOID A COLLISION. I WAS FORCED TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE TO MOVE TO SAFETY. INSPECTION REVEALED A METAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE. IN FACT, ALL BRAKE LINES WERE SEVERELY RUSTED. I THOUGHT THIS WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL. HOWEVER ONE WORK COLLEAGUE AND ONE NEIGHBOR IMMEDIATELY REVEALED THAT THEY HAD SUFFERED THE SAME FAILURE ON OTHER GM TRUCKS OF THAT AGE. MY MECHANIC REPORTED DOING SEVERAL DOZEN BRAKE LINE REPLACEMENTS ON GM TRUCKS IN THE 2000 TO 2006 ERA. SURELY THIS IS A MAJOR CLASS SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2004 CHEVY SILVERADO FROM MEDVED AND I FEEL IT HAS A PROBLEM AND GM SAYS IT'S WORKING AS DESIGNED. MY PROBLEM IS THE MESSAGE MODULE LED'S ARE SO DIM THEY CAN'T BE READ IN THE DAYLIGHT AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES BY MEDVED TO TRY AND FIX THE PROBLEM. THE P N R D D3 D2 LED"S ARE JUST FINE. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIX IT. I TOOK IT TO [XXX] AND A 18 YEAR SERVICE TECH SAID IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER AND GM SHOULD HAVE SENT OUT A RECALL BUT DIDN'T. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU CAN'T READ THE WARNINGS AND OTHER MESSAGES THAT APPEAR ON THE MODULE WHILE DRIVING. *TR

DRIVING HOME FROM MY WIFE'S PARENTS HOSE ON RT 40, THE TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGED. AND WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I STARTED TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND WAS LUCKY TO STOP MY TRUCK BEFORE I WENT THROUGHT THE LIGHT. I WAS ABLE TO NURSE MY TRUCK HOME. THE NEXT DAY I CALLED MY MECHANIC AND HAD THE PROBLEM TAKEN CARE OF. *JS

I WAS TRAVELING ON A TWO-LINE ROAD NEARING THE CITY AND NEAR THE TOP OF A HILL WHEN A LINE OF CARS SLOWED QUICKLY IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD TO GET ONTO THE BRAKES QUICKLY TO MAINTAIN A SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE, BUT WHEN I DID THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. HAVING VERY LITTLE TIME TO REACT, I NOTICED THE TRAFFIC IN THE ONCOMING LANE HAD STOPPED OR SLOWED GREATLY ABOUT 100 YARDS IN FRONT OF ME, SO I WAS ABLE TO SWERVE INTO THE LEFT LANE TO AVOID REAR ENDING AN ENTIRE LINE OF CARS WITH MY 6000LBS TRUCK. FORTUNATELY THE DRIVER AT THE FRONT OF THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC SAW ME AND STOPPED. I WAS THEN ABLE TO BARELY MANAGE MY WAY BACK INTO THE RIGHT LANE AS SOME OF THOSE CARS STARTED MOVING AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I WAS JUST CRESTING A LARGE HILL AT APPROXIMATELY 40MPH. A POLICE OFFICER IN THE ONCOMING LANE HAD ALREADY SEEN ME AND ACTIVATED HIS LIGHTS AND THEN STARTED WORKING TO TURN AROUND IN THE ROAD TO CHASE ME. WHEN I WAS BACK IN THE RIGHT LANE I FINALLY HAD A SECOND TO TRY TO LOCATE THE PARKING BRAKE, BUT ACTIVATING IT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT. I COASTED NEARLY 1/2 MILE DOWN THE ROAD AND FORCED THE TRUCK INTO A PARKING LOT, OVER A LARGE SET OF RAILROAD TIES AND INTO A YARD WITH AN UPSLOPED HILL. IF I COULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN IT STOPPED THERE I COULD HAVE COASTED DOWN AN EVEN STEEPER HILL AND INTO A VERY BUSY MULTI-LANE INTERSECTION AND KILLED SOMEONE. THE POLICE OFFICER ENDED UP BEING UNDERSTANDING OF MY SITUATION AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK FOR ME AND I HAD IT TOWED TO A SHOP. THE SHOP SAID THAT ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED OUT COMPLETELY AND BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR SETS OF LINES WERE LEAKING. I DID NOT HAVE ANY DASH LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE FLUID WAS SLOW EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE INCIDENT. THE SHOP OWNER ALSO TOLD ME THAT THESE TRUCKS DO NOT HAVE A PROPORTIONING VALVE IN ORDER TO ALLOW ONE OF THE FRONT OR REAR BRAKES TO CONTINUE WORKING IN THE EVENT OF A FAILURE. *TR

TO:[XXX], ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION PLEASE OPEN THE LINK- HTTP://WWW.WXYZ.COM/MONEY/AUTO-NEWS/RUSTY-BRAKE-LINES-CAUSE-CONCERN-FOR-GMC-CHEVY-TRUCK-DRIVERS I AM WRITING THIS EMAIL BECAUSE AFTER THE EXPERIENCE I HAD DRIVING MY 2004 CHEVROLET 2500 SILVERADO 4WD TRUCK TO WORK WITHOUT BRAKES DUE TO THE FACT THAT GENERAL MOTORS INSTALLED DEFECTIVE BRAKE LINES IN THEIR GMC AND CHEVY TRUCKS. (OPEN AND READ THE LINK ABOVE) THE LAST TIME I HAD DRIVEN MY 2004 CHEVROLET 2500 SILVERADO 4WD TRUCK, MY WIFE AND I HAD JUST RETURN FROM A HAGERSTOWN, MD CAMPGROUND TOWING OUR 5TH WHEEL RV TRAILER, I DISCONNECTED THE RV FROM THE TRUCK AND PARKED 10 FEET IN FRONT OF THE RV. THANK GOD, THAT THE BRAKE FAILURE DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE WE WERE DRIVING THE 2004 CHEVROLET 2500 SILVERADO 4WD TRUCK WHILE TOWING THE 5TH WHEEL RV TRAILER, IT MAY HAVE A CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT, AND POSSIBLE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. I WONDER HOW MANY AMERICAN FAMILIES SUFFERED WITH THE STRESS, INJURIES, OR EVEN DEATH DUE TO THE INDIFFERENCE FROM GENERAL MOTORS AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

RETURNING FROM PERFORMING A DRILL OPERATION AND TOWING OUR DRILL MACHINE BACK TO THE OFFICE. ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES AND ALL FAILED AT APPROX. 60MPH. I UTILIZED THE TRAILER BRAKES TO BRING THE TRUCK AND TRAILER TO A STOP WHERE I FOUND A MAIN BRAKE LINE HAD SPLIT. HAVING IT REPAIRED THE MECHANIC ADVISE ME THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM SHOULD BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION/RUST ON ALL LINES INCLUDING THE FUEL LINE WHICH COULD ALSO FAIL. IT WAS SO BAD THAT THEY DID NOT ATTEMPT TO BLEED THE LINES AS THE BLEEDER MAY BRAKE OFF. AFTER THAT THE TRUCK HAS BEEN STORED UNTIL IT CAN BE REPAIRED AT OVER $2100.00 FOR ONLY THE BRAKES AND DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FUEL LINE. *TR