Illustration161131 MILES FRAME RUSTED REAL BAD BODY LOOKS GREAT FOR THE YEAR I JUST BOUGHT THE TRUCK LOOKED REAL CLEAN INSIDE AND OUT FROM ORIGANAL OWNER PUT IT ON A LIFT AND THE FRAME IS SO RUSTED OUT DID SOME GOOGLEING AND FOUND THAT MOST ALL THESE TRUCKS WERE BUILT TO ROT OUT IN 3 YEARS
2002 GMC Sierra 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 GMC Sierra 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 181.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sierra 1500 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
80–25K
2425–50K
3750–75K
3275–100K
33100–150K
19150K+
153 reports with mileage · 13 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.
- Service Brakes. Review the 64 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports
Structure complaints
8 reportsSPARE TIRE FELL OFF FROM THE CABLE, UNKNOWN, I ALSO HAD A 2001 GMC YUKON AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, THIS IS UNSAFE AS IT COULD BECOME DETACHED WHILE MOVING AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED
FRAME IS COMPLETELY ROTTED & ANY SERVICE STATION I TAKE MY TRUCK TO FOR SERVICE OR INSPECTION REFUSES TO WORK ON MY TRUCK DUE TO SAFETY FROM ACCELERATED FRAME RUST & ROT. I FOUND UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THAT GM REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I NOW HAVE A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT ROAD WORTHY & UNSAFE EVEN THOU IT HAS LOW MILES & IS IN…
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FRAME IS COMPLETELY ROTTED & ANY SERVICE STATION I TAKE MY TRUCK TO FOR SERVICE OR INSPECTION REFUSES TO WORK ON MY TRUCK DUE TO SAFETY FROM ACCELERATED FRAME RUST & ROT. I FOUND UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THAT GM REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I NOW HAVE A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT ROAD WORTHY & UNSAFE EVEN THOU IT HAS LOW MILES & IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, I AM UNABLE TO GET A STATE INSPECTION ON THIS VEHICLE & I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE IN MY STATE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. *KB
I HAVE A 2002 GMC SIERRA Z71 4X4 TRUCK, REGULAR CAB WITH AN 8 FOOT BED. IT HAS 75000 MILES. THE PROBLEM I'M HAVING IS BOTH OF THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES STICK OPEN A LITTLE AFTER YOU PULL THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AND GET IN. NOW WHEN YOU PUT THE TRUCK IN GEAR, OR START MOVING THE DOORS LOCK AUTOMATICALLY. WHEN YOU STOP AND PUT …
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I HAVE A 2002 GMC SIERRA Z71 4X4 TRUCK, REGULAR CAB WITH AN 8 FOOT BED. IT HAS 75000 MILES. THE PROBLEM I'M HAVING IS BOTH OF THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES STICK OPEN A LITTLE AFTER YOU PULL THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AND GET IN. NOW WHEN YOU PUT THE TRUCK IN GEAR, OR START MOVING THE DOORS LOCK AUTOMATICALLY. WHEN YOU STOP AND PUT THE TRUCK IN PARK THE DOORS AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCK. NOW SINCE THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE IS STUCK SLIGHTLY OPEN THE DOOR WON'T UNLOCK OR OPEN WITH THE INSIDE HANDLE, YOU HAVE TO REACH OUTSIDE PUSH THE HANDLE IN THEN YOU CAN UNLOCK AND OPEN THE DOOR. I HAVE ELECTRIC WINDOWS, AND HAVE TO PUT THEM DOWN TO RESET THE OUTSIDE HANDLE. MY CONCERN IS, IF I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT, AND MY WINDOWS WERE UP, AND MY BATTERY WAS DAMAGED, AND THE TRUCK LOST ELECTRICAL POWER I CAN'T OPEN THE WINDOWS TO RESET THE HANDLE, SO THAT I CAN GET OUT? NOW I'M TRAPPED IN THE TRUCK!! *TR
DEAR SIR, I HAVE A 2002 GMC PICKUP THAT HAS HAD THE SPARE TIRE FALL OUT OF ITS MOUNT DUE TO SEVERE RUST OF THE FRAME. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION MY FRAME HAS SEVERE RUST IN SEVERAL OTHER AREAS. I HAVE CONTACTED GMC AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD TO HAVE A NICE DAY! I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW AND IT HAS 57,000 MILES TOTAL. MY BODY SHO…
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DEAR SIR, I HAVE A 2002 GMC PICKUP THAT HAS HAD THE SPARE TIRE FALL OUT OF ITS MOUNT DUE TO SEVERE RUST OF THE FRAME. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION MY FRAME HAS SEVERE RUST IN SEVERAL OTHER AREAS. I HAVE CONTACTED GMC AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD TO HAVE A NICE DAY! I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW AND IT HAS 57,000 MILES TOTAL. MY BODY SHOP TELLS ME THAT THE ONLY WAY TO REPAIR THIS FRAME IS TO REPLACE IT! I FIND IT APPALLING THAT GMC SELLS A $40,000.00 VEHICLE THAT HAS A LIFE CYCLE OF 8 YEARS. I CANNOT SELL THIS VEHICLE TO ANYONE AND TRADEIN WOULD BE A JOKE. IS THERE ANY WAY YOU COULD MAKE GMC FACE THIS PROBLEM AND RESOLVE IT? EITHER REPLACE THE PICKUP OR FRAME? ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
UNDER THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS THE BODY HAS RUSTED THROUGH. THIS IS THE ONLY SPOT ON THE ENTIRE TRUCK THAT HAS RUST. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THAT I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED IT FROM AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE IT HAD 103,000 MILES IN IT THEY WERE UNABLE TO HELP. *TR
2002 GMC SIERRA THE GALVANIZED STEEL SUPPORT CABLES THAT RETAIN THE TAILGATE IN THE OPEN POSITION CORRODE THROUGH AND BREAK WHERE CARGO OR PEOPLE ON THE TAILGATE MAY FALL. CARGO FALLING OF THE TAILGATE VERY NEARLY STRUCK A NEARBY PERSON AND INJURY WAS LUCKILY AVOIDED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE ON THE VEHICLE, THE FIRST TIME G…
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2002 GMC SIERRA THE GALVANIZED STEEL SUPPORT CABLES THAT RETAIN THE TAILGATE IN THE OPEN POSITION CORRODE THROUGH AND BREAK WHERE CARGO OR PEOPLE ON THE TAILGATE MAY FALL. CARGO FALLING OF THE TAILGATE VERY NEARLY STRUCK A NEARBY PERSON AND INJURY WAS LUCKILY AVOIDED. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE ON THE VEHICLE, THE FIRST TIME GMC REPLACED THE CABLES UNDER WARRANTY AND SUGGESTED THAT THIS WAS A RANDOM FAILURE. MOST RECENTLY THEY HAVE REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. GMC WAS NOTIFIED OF THIS AND REFUSED TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION.
I SAT ON MY TAIL GATE AND THE TAIL GATE FELL DOWN. WHEN I LOOKED I HAD ONE BROKE CABLE AND THE OTHER SIDE THE BOLT WAS MISSING. I BOUGHT TWO CABLES FROM ADVANCE AUTO REPLACED ONE SIDE BUT I COULD NOT GET THE BOLT BACK IN THE OTHER SIDE. I WAS PLANNING TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND FOR THE RECALL BUT THE G…
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I SAT ON MY TAIL GATE AND THE TAIL GATE FELL DOWN. WHEN I LOOKED I HAD ONE BROKE CABLE AND THE OTHER SIDE THE BOLT WAS MISSING. I BOUGHT TWO CABLES FROM ADVANCE AUTO REPLACED ONE SIDE BUT I COULD NOT GET THE BOLT BACK IN THE OTHER SIDE. I WAS PLANNING TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND FOR THE RECALL BUT THE GATE FELL OFF THE TRUCK AND I DID NOT KNOW IT HAD FELL OFF AND I DRAGGED IT DOWN A DIRT ROAD FOR ABOUT HALF MILE OR MORE. I TRIED TO GET GMC TO REPLACE THE TAIL GATE BUT THEY JUST WANTED TO REPLACE THE CABLE SAYING THAT THE CABLE DID NOT CAUSE THE TAIL GATE TO FALL OFF AND THE DAMAGE WAS NOT DUE TO THE CABLES. I FEEL THAT THE CABLE PROBLEM CAUSED THE TAIL GATE TO FALL OFF. *JB
Official recalls
104V562000 · Equipment Adaptive/mobility
Nov 26, 2004
ON CERTAIN VANS EQUIPPED WITH SURE-LOK WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT SYSTEMS, THE SPROCKET TEETH OF THE RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE WHEELCHAIR MAY NOT BE ADEQUATELY SECURED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO A WHEELCHAIR OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT RETRACTORS AS NECESSARY. SURE-LOK WILL HANDLE THE REPAIRS FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SURE-LOCK AT 1-908-231-1804 OR MOBILITYWORKS AT 1-800-769-8267.
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
2EA04011 · Parking Brake Failure
Opened Apr 9, 2004 · Closed May 10, 2005
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake; Parking Brake:conventional; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Additional source detail variants (4)
Parking Brake:conventional
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
Parking Brake
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.
PE03057 · Parking Brake Failure
Opened Dec 8, 2003 · Closed Apr 9, 2004
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake
ODI OPENED PE03-057 TO ASSESS PARKING BRAKE INEFFECTIVENESS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THESE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH FOUR WHEEL DISC BRAKES THAT INCORPORATE A SINGLE-SHOE DRUM-IN-HAT PARKING BRAKE INDEPENDENT OF THE SERVICE BRAKES.COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA INDICATE THAT THE PARKING BRAKE LININGS TEND TO WEAR OUT EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE (AT AN AVERAGE OF 24 MONTHS IN SERVICE), REDUCING THE PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM'S TORQUE BELOW THAT NEEDED TO IMMOBILIZE THE VEHICLE.GM HAS ATTRIBUTED THIS ACCELERATED WEAR TO FOREIGN MATERIAL INTRUSION AND A FAILURE OF THE BRAKE SHOE TO PROPERLY SELF-CENTER WITHIN ITS BRAKE DRUM.EFFECTIVE WITH THE START OF MY 2003 PRODUCTION, A NEWER REDUCED FORCE HOLD-DOWN CLIP WAS INTRODUCED TO FACILITATE BRAKE SHOE DISENGAGEMENT FROM THE DRUM SURFACE.THIS PART IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICE LEVEL FOR THE MY 1999-2002 VEHICLES.GM HAS INDICATED THAT THE PAKING BRAKE IS INTENDED TO OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRANSMISSION TO IMMOBILZE PARKED VEHICLES, AND THAT IN MANY CASES, ACCELERATED PARKING BRAKE LINING WEAR IS CAUSED BY ROUGH USE, VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS, AND DRIVING WITH THE PARKING ENGAGED. ODI HAS UPGRADED THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO GATHER FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING PARKING BRAKE USAGE FACTORS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE SEVENTEEN REPORTED VEHICLE CRASHES.