2004 GMC Sierra 1500

BRAKES WORKED PERFECTLY TO STOP VEHICLE ON A STEEP DOWNWARD HILL IN ORDER TO OPEN A GATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL OF MY DRIVEWAY. AFTER THE GATE WAS OPENED THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED DOWN THE HILL COASTING AND THERE WAS A TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WHEN TRYING TO SLOW DOWN. THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKES WHATSOEVER. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TREE TO AVOID GOING OVER A CLIFF. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED WITH NO WARNING OF BRAKE FAILURE. FRONT AND REAR BREAKS FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. NO WARNING BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR ON DASH EVER WENT ON. THIS OCCURRED ON MY PROPERTY AND DRIVER AND A PASSENGER WERE BOTH INJURED. BODY SHOP INDICATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES RUSTED OUT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATALITY IF THE FAILURE TOOK PLACE ON THE ROAD. *TR

THIS OCCURRED ON 8/13/2013 IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND THE TRUCK HAD 93461 MILES ON IT. WHILE MOVING MY 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500 TRUCK IN MY DRIVEWAY, MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR BECAUSE THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LINE HAD BURST. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT OR CHIME INDICATING A BRAKE SYSTEM ISSUE. THE DUAL MASTER CYLINDER SYSTEM ONLY PROVIDED ENOUGH BRAKING TO SLIGHTLY SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN AND THE PARKING BRAKE DIDN'T HELP MUCH. I HAD IT TOWED TO A SHOP AND THEY SAID IT WAS DUE TO A CORRODED STEEL BRAKE LINE. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THESE LINES FREQUENTLY IN A LARGE NUMBER OF CHEVROLET AND GMC PICKUP TRUCKS. THEY REPLACED THE LINE AND I HAD PLANNED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE OTHER LINES IN A FEW MONTHS. TWO WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS DONE AND APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES LATER, ANOTHER LINE FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. AGAIN, THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS OR CHIMES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I ESTIMATE THAT THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10% BRAKING POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE PARKING BRAKE DID HELP SOME BUT IS NO A SUBSTITUTE FOR A REAL EMERGENCY BRAKE THAT THE OLDER VEHICLES USED TO HAVE. ADDITIONALLY, IT IS NOT EASY TO LIFT YOUR FOOT UP TO IT AS THE PEDAL IS MOUNTED SOMEWHAT HIGH OFF THE FLOOR. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT THIS TIME IT WAS A STEEL LINE RUNNING TO THE MASTER CYLINDER AND COULD BE SEEN LEAKING FLUID FROM INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I HAD THEM REPLACE ALL THE LINES. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE NHTSA HASN'T DEMANDED A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES FOR THE CORRODED BRAKE LINES AND THE FAILURE OF THE DUAL MASTER CYLINDER SYSTEM TO OFFER ANY RELIABLE METHOD OF STOPPING THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES THAT ARE MUCH OLDER THAN THIS TRUCK AND THEIR LINES WERE ALWAYS RUST FREE AND NEVER FAILED. ALTHOUGH MOST ARE NOT RECORDED HERE, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF GM TRUCK OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS PARKING OUR 2004 GMC SIERRA PICK UP TRUCK WHEN MY FOOT WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE TRUCK, I NOTICED ALL THE BRAKE FLUID DRAINING OUT OF THE BRAKE LINE ON TO THE GROUND. WHEN OUR MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT, HE SAID ALL THE BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED OUT AND THAT THE WHOLE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE TRUCK WAS ENTIRELY RUSTED OUT. WHAT A DISGRACE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH UPHILL, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED WITHOUT ANY RESPONSE FROM THE VEHICLE. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ACCELERATING ANY FARTHER. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES LINES WERE COMPLETELY CORRODED DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST. IN ADDITION, BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,600.

INCIDENT #1 WHILE TRAVELING AT 50 MPH ON A COUNTRY ROAD I APPLIED BRAKES TO DECELERATE FOR A 75 DEGREE RIGHT HAND BEND IN THE ROAD. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I HAD TO COLUMN SHIFT DOWN THROUGH THIRD, SECOND, AND THEN TO FIRST GEAR, TO SLOW DOWN. I WAS UNABLE TO GET TO EMERGENCY BRAKE. FORTUNATELY IT WAS ON A LIGHTLY TRAVELED ROAD AND THERE WAS NO ON COMING TRAFFIC AS I HAD TO VEER INTO THAT LANE TO MAKE THE TURN. I WAS ABLE TO HOBBLE HOME, WITH HAZARDS ON, BY DOWNSHIFTING TO SLOW DOWN. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE REAR BRAKE LINES HAD FAILED AND WERE REPLACED. INCIDENT #2 WHILE TRAVELING AT 30 MPH TRAVELING DOWN HILL A RACCOON RAN ACROSS THE ROAD. I APPLIED BRAKES IN A DEFENSIVE MANNER AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I AGAIN HAD TO COLUMN SHIFT THROUGH THIRD, SECOND, AND THEN HOBBLE DOWN HILL IN FIRST GEAR. I WAS UNABLE TO ENGAGE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I WAS ABLE TO HOBBLE HOME DOWN SHIFTING THROUGH THE GEARS. THE TRUCK WAS AGAIN TO SAME SHOP AND I HAD THEM REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINES. *TR

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T STOP. I MANEUVERED PAST SEVERAL VEHICLES ALMOST STRIKING THEM. I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AFTER SOME DISTANCE PAST THE INTERSECTION. I AM A POLICE OFFICER WITH 25 YEARS ON THE JOB. I HAVE ATTENDING VARIOUS DRIVING COURSES RELATED TO MY PROFESSION. IF A LAY PERSON WAS IN THIS SITUATION A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. I BARELY ESCAPED THE ACCIDENT DUE IN PART TO TRAINING AND A LARGE AMOUNT OF LUCK. ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT THE VEHICLE HAD STOPPED NORMAL AT THREE PRIOR INTERSECTIONS WITHOUT GIVING ANY WARNING OF A POTENTIAL PROBLEM. I HAVE READ ON LINE THE THEORY ABOUT THE SALT CAUSING THE DAMAGE TO THE BRAKE LINES. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THIS VEHICLE IN THE SNOW SINCE IT IS A SPARE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS 72000 MILES A LARGE MAJORITY OF THOSE MILES DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY (SUMMER AND FALL). I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN 2004. THE COST TO REPAIR THE BRAKE LINES WAS $1,100 DOLLARS. A RECALL SHOULD BE MADE IN REGARDS TO THIS DEFECT BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I HAD A MECHANIC SHOP REPAIR THE VEHICLE SINCE THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THEY HAD NO OTHER REPORTED FAILURES ON THIS VEHICLE. A QUICK LOOK ON VARIOUS WEBSITES SHOWED THAT TO BE A FALSE CLAIM. ANYONE DRIVING THESE TYPES OF VEHICLES PLEASE HAVE YOUR BRAKE LINES INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE ABS SYSTEM ACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSED PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY DRIVER PRESSED BRAKE PEDAL WHICH SANK ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH APPROX 5 PERCENT BRAKING POWER. DRIVER LIFTED OFF AND REAPPLIED THE BRAKES IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIX PROBLEM AT THIS POINT A DASH LIGHT AND ALARM ILLUMINATED TO WARN OF BRAKE ISSUES; BRAKING POWER WAS STILL ONLY 5 PERCENT. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO STOP BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF LIGHT TRAFFIC AND PLENTY OF RUN OFF AREA. UPON INSPECTION OF VEHICLE IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THE BRAKE LINES HAD CORRODED AND RUPTURED UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP WHERE 6 BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACES DUE TO CORROSION. VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVEN IN NORTHERN WINTERS AND HAS NOT BEEN ON ANY BEACHES. *TR