2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

DRIVING THROUGH A RURAL TOWN GOING ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR, I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY WERE VERY SOFT, BRAKE PEDAL WENT NEAR THE FLOOR, EASED IT HOME ON FRONT BRAKES (AS REAR LINE HAD RUPTURED). UPON INSPECTION BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED IN TWO JUST BEHIND THE FUEL TANK (LONG SECTION HAD RUSTED AWAY). REPLACED LINE GOING TO REAR BRAKES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 4 MPH, THE CLUTCH PANEL ASSEMBLY FRACTURED INTO THE FLOORBOARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND A DEALER ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH PANEL FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BOTH TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,337.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT WAS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL INJECTOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,444.

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK IN THE MORNING ON 9/23/14 AND WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN WHILE DOWN SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION AND NARROWLY MISSING HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I PULLED OVER AND NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM BENEATH THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. I PURCHASED A LARGE BOTTLE OF BRAKE FLUID FROM A GAS STATION AND CONTINUED TO FILL THE BRAKE RESERVOIR UNTIL I MADE IT BACK TO MY LOCAL AUTO REPAIR FACILITY. DURING THE SHOP'S INVESTIGATION, THEY DISCOVERED THAT A STEEL BRAKE LINE HAD BURST DUE TO RUST. IN FURTHER INVESTIGATION THEY NOTICED THAT ALL STEEL BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NEARLY RUSTED THROUGH. I AUTHORIZED THE REPAIR AT A COST OF NEARLY $1000.00. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES THAT WERE MUCH OLDER THAN THIS TRUCK THAT NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH BRAKE LINE RUST OR FAILURE. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN DUE TO THE SUDDEN NATURE OF THE FAILURE. WITHOUT ANY WARNING THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY, BUT IF THIS IS NOT ADDRESSED IN THIS LINE OF GM TRUCKS SOMEONE COULD SERIOUSLY GET HURT OR WORSE. *TR

THANK GOD MY HUSBAND WAS WITH ME AND KNEW WHAT TO DO. I WAS DRIVING. AS WE WERE GOING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH WE HEAR A NOISE NOT HAVING A CLUE IN THE WORLD. HE SAID WE NEED TO FIND A PULL OFF AND SEE WHAT THAT COULD BE. AS I WENT TO EXIT OFF I DISCOVERED I HAD NO BRAKES. NONE WHATSOEVER. AS MY HUSBAND GETS IT TO A STOP WE DISCOVER BRAKE FLUID POURING OUT FROM BEHIND THE FUEL TANK AND BETWEEN THE CAB. I WAS PANICKING. MY HUSBAND CRAWLS UP UNDER IT TO DISCOVER ALL THE BRAKE LINES ARE RUSTED OUT AND BUSTED. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE THE FIRST OF MARCH 2014 FROM JERRY (TODD) HUNT AUTO SALE IN LEXINGTON NC. HOW COULD HE EVEN BE ALLOWED TO SELL SUCH AN UNSAFE VEHICLE? THAT WAS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. HOW CAN CHEVROLET EVEN PUT SUCH BRAKE LINES ON AS THAT? AS I CALLED CHEVROLET THEY DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING. I CALLED TODD HUNTS TO HAVE THE LADY YELLING AT ME! RUDE! THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT...I SEEN DEATH BEFORE MY EYES THAT DAY. I FOUND ON CONSUMER AGENCY WHERE OUT OF 473 COMPLAINTS 101 WAS THE SAME ISSUE AS MINE THE SAME TRUCKS THE YEARS 1999-2003. I ALSO FOUND IN NEW YORK TIMES WHERE GM ISN'T WANTING TO DO A RECALL CAUSE IT WAS GOING TO COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. SO NOW WHAT? WE ALL JUST GET KILLED BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED WITH NO WARNING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE ON A RESIDENTIAL ROAD AND UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE, NOTICED THERE WAS A LEAK UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND THAT THE BRAKE LINE HAD BURST. THE VEHICLE WAS SCHEDULED TO BE INSPECTED AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,938.

FIRST COMPLAINT FOR THIS PROBLEM WAS REPORTED ON 10/21/10. COMPLAINT #10361641. SAME PROBLEM AGAIN DTR LIGHT ON RIGHT SIDE OUT,SMELLED BURNING WIRE SAW THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. WIRES LEADING TO LIGHT ASSEMBLY MELTED AND ALSO MELTED THE SOCKET AGAIN. I THINK THIS COULD POSSIBLY LEAD TO SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I FIXED THE PROBLEM MYSELF THE FIRST TIME AND WILL DO SO THIS TIME. *JS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO RESET THE COMPUTER AND REPLACED THE FUEL TANK ALONG WITH THE FUEL TRANSFER PUMP. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,000.

FIRST FAILURE WAS THE DUAL BRAKING SYSTEM I WAS HOOKED UP TO A TRAILER AND STARTED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY (ABOUT 0.4MILE LONG) AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR BOARDS. THERE WAS NO STOPPING EFFORT FROM THE BRAKES. I USED THE MANUAL CONTROL OF THE TRAILER BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. BOTH BRAKE LINES UNDER THE CAB AREA HAD RUSTED OUT AND RUPTURED AT THE SAME TIME. HAD I BEEN ON THE ROAD AT SPEED THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A CRASH. THE DEALER WHO PICKED UP THE TRUCK COMMENTED THAT THIS HAPPENS "SOMETIMES". HE REPLECED THE LINES WITH NON-GM ONES SO THEY WOULD LAST LONGER. THIS WINTER I WAS HAVING TROUBLE STARTING THE TRUCK IN COLD WEATHER AND NOTED THAT I NEEDED TO OPERATE THE MANUAL FUEL PRIMING PUMP TO GET THE TRUCK STARTED. (TRUCK IS EQUIPPED WITH THE OPTIONAL DIESEL ENGINE. THE DEALER WHEN WORKING ON THIS NOTED THAT THE LINES WERE VERY RUSTY AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. MY SAFETY CONCERN THIS TIME WAS THE SMALL AMOUNTS OF FUEL WEEPING OUT OF THE RUSTED AREAS UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE EXHAUST. AND ONTO THE GROUND. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A GREAT AMOUNT OF RUST OCCURRING ON THE BRAKE AND FUEL LINES. THIS WORRIES ME AS THE TRUCK ONLY HAS ABOUT 36,000 MILES ON IT AND I LIVE IN A STATE (VERMONT) THAT USES SAND AND NOT SALT ON THE ROADS AND TRAVEL ONLY MINIMALLY IN SNOW WITH THE TRUCK. WHEN I WAS HAVING THE FUEL LINES REPLACED AND WHILE THERE THE OTHER TWO CUSTOMERS IN LINE WERE ALSO HAVING RUSTED BRAKE LINES REPLACED. SEEMS LIKE MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE. I HAVE REQUESTED THE RUSTED FUEL LINES FROM THE DEALER AND STILL HAVE THEM IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM.