NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
33 reportsClear category filter89,580 miles · Feb 9, 2011
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
I EXPERIENCED A BRAKE LINE FAILURE ON MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 4X4 WHILE VACATIONING IN FLORIDA. ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2011, I NOTED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL FEELY SPONGY. UPON INVESTIGATION, I NOTED A LEAKAGE BEHIND THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE. WHEN I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR IT WAS BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL. AN INSPE…
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I EXPERIENCED A BRAKE LINE FAILURE ON MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 4X4 WHILE VACATIONING IN FLORIDA. ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2011, I NOTED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL FEELY SPONGY. UPON INVESTIGATION, I NOTED A LEAKAGE BEHIND THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE. WHEN I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR IT WAS BELOW THE NORMAL LEVEL. AN INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES INDICATED SEVERE RUST AND CORROSION. I HAD TO DRIVE TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP AND RENT A CAR UNTIL THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETE. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10381302
125,000 miles · Jan 9, 2011
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
I WANTED TO ADD TO THE COMPLAINT ABOUT BRAKE EROSION ON 2002 CHEVY AVALANCHE. MY FRONT BRAKE LINE BLEW OUT WHEN BRAKING. I NEARLY MISSED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THAT WAS STOPPING WHEN I DROVE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I'VE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE NEARLY ALL MY BRAKE LINES DUE TO LEAKS. I LIVE IN UP-STATE NEW YORK. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10375295
93,000 miles · Oct 26, 2010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
RE: CHEVROLET AVALANCHE BRAKE FAILURES... THE BRAKE LINES ON CHEVROLET TRUCKS ARE MADE OF A MATERIAL THAT IS NOT RUST RESISTANT AND LEADS TO BRAKE FAILURES SUCH AS IT DID ON MY 2002 AVALANCHE... ALTHOUGH MY FAILURE HAPPENED AT LOW SPEED, IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY CONCERN FOR OWNERS OF THESE GM PRODUCTS. HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ARE …
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RE: CHEVROLET AVALANCHE BRAKE FAILURES... THE BRAKE LINES ON CHEVROLET TRUCKS ARE MADE OF A MATERIAL THAT IS NOT RUST RESISTANT AND LEADS TO BRAKE FAILURES SUCH AS IT DID ON MY 2002 AVALANCHE... ALTHOUGH MY FAILURE HAPPENED AT LOW SPEED, IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY CONCERN FOR OWNERS OF THESE GM PRODUCTS. HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ARE LISTED ON VARIOUS WEB SITES DETAILING THIS PROBLEM, ONE THAT GM WILL NOT HONE UP TO BECAUSE THE REPAIR BILL TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE BREAK LINE SYSTEM COSTS OWNERS OVER $800.00 AT A GM DEALER. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS GM FAILURE TO PUT RUST RESISTANT MATERIALS ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT PART OF ANY VEHICLE. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10362379
57,490 miles · Sep 23, 2010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
ON 07/27/2010 I WAS DRIVING MY CHEVY AVALANCHE, 2002, WITH 57000 MILES ON IT. I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND THE BRAKES FAILED. I INVESTIGATED AND THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR HARD BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED THROUGH. I REPLACED BOTH REAR LINES, BLED THE BRAKES DROVE THE TRUCK TO TEST THE BRAKES AND THE DRIVERS FRONT HARD LINE BLEW OUT, IT HAD AN…
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ON 07/27/2010 I WAS DRIVING MY CHEVY AVALANCHE, 2002, WITH 57000 MILES ON IT. I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND THE BRAKES FAILED. I INVESTIGATED AND THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR HARD BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED THROUGH. I REPLACED BOTH REAR LINES, BLED THE BRAKES DROVE THE TRUCK TO TEST THE BRAKES AND THE DRIVERS FRONT HARD LINE BLEW OUT, IT HAD AN 1/8 INCH HOLE RUSTED IN IT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10357170
120,000 miles · Sep 18, 2010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
THE BRAKE LINES ON MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE ARE SEVERELY CORRODED (RUSTED). I ALREADY HAD A TEN-FOOT SECTION OF THE TUBING REPLACED THIS SUMMER. SINCE A 'HARD STOP' LAST WEEK, MY BRAKE PEDAL NOW HAS A SOFT MUSHY FEEL, AND BRAKING DISTANCES ARE LONGER. ANOTHER SECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES SEEMS TO HAVE 'BURST' AND IS LEAKING …
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THE BRAKE LINES ON MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE ARE SEVERELY CORRODED (RUSTED). I ALREADY HAD A TEN-FOOT SECTION OF THE TUBING REPLACED THIS SUMMER. SINCE A 'HARD STOP' LAST WEEK, MY BRAKE PEDAL NOW HAS A SOFT MUSHY FEEL, AND BRAKING DISTANCES ARE LONGER. ANOTHER SECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES SEEMS TO HAVE 'BURST' AND IS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. I'M TAKING IT BACK TO THE SHOP TO HAVE THE ENTIRETY OF THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED. HOPING I'LL EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO GET THE COST OF THIS REPAIR COVERED BY GM, AS I DON'T THINK THESE SHOULD FAIL (EVER), EVEN AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10356241
105,500 miles · Aug 16, 2010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
TRUCK SITTING IN YARD AND BRAKE LINE FAILED. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10349548
48,000 miles · Aug 8, 2010
Service Brakes, HydraulicStructure
FRAME CORRODED/BUCKLED; BRAKE FAILURE(HAD A NEAR ACCIDENT) DUE TO RUST. 2002 CHEVY AVALANCHE, WELL CARED FOR 48,000 MILES. NEVER SEEN THIS ON ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED. $6,000 DOLLAR REPAIR. GM WON'T LOOK INTO/ADDRESS PROBLEM. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS MESSAGES ON THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH GM VEHICLES. IT IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCID…
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FRAME CORRODED/BUCKLED; BRAKE FAILURE(HAD A NEAR ACCIDENT) DUE TO RUST. 2002 CHEVY AVALANCHE, WELL CARED FOR 48,000 MILES. NEVER SEEN THIS ON ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED. $6,000 DOLLAR REPAIR. GM WON'T LOOK INTO/ADDRESS PROBLEM. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS MESSAGES ON THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH GM VEHICLES. IT IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. HAD TO REPLACE BRAKE LINES TWICE(RUST) AND NOW THE FRAME! *TR
NHTSA ODI #10347992
93,158 miles · Apr 21, 2010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
I AM CURRENTLY HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE AS TO UNWARRANTED ABS ACTIVATION. THE VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO STOP A LOW SPEEDS OR HESITATES AT 5 MPH COMING TO A STOP. I BEGAN TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ABOUT A WEEK AGO, ON OR ABOUT APRIL 14TH, 2010. I CONDUCTED A SEARCH OF YOUR WEB SITE AND SAW THAT THERE HAS BEEN PREVI…
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I AM CURRENTLY HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE AS TO UNWARRANTED ABS ACTIVATION. THE VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO STOP A LOW SPEEDS OR HESITATES AT 5 MPH COMING TO A STOP. I BEGAN TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ABOUT A WEEK AGO, ON OR ABOUT APRIL 14TH, 2010. I CONDUCTED A SEARCH OF YOUR WEB SITE AND SAW THAT THERE HAS BEEN PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS FROM 2005. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET AT THE NUMBER PROVIDED IN YOUR RECALL BULLETIN # 05V-379. WHEN I SPOKE TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THEY TOLD ME MY VIN # DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL. CHEVROLET WILL NOT HONOR ANY REPAIR TO THIS VEHICLE WHICH I BELIEVE CLEARLY FALLS WITHIN THE MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. I PLAN TO HAVE THE REPAIRS MADE, AND FILE SUIT AGAINST CHEVROLET FOR THE COST OF THOSE REPAIRS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10326840
59,000 miles · Apr 19, 2010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
BRAKE LINE BURST NEAR ABS MODULE UNDER TRUCK. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10326470
134,700 miles · Apr 12, 2010
Parking BrakeService Brakes, Hydraulic
AT THE END OF DECEMBER, WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. I REALIZED THAT I HAD NO BRAKES. I DOWN SHIFTED AND COASTED TO THE NEAREST GARAGE. AFTER A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDED …
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AT THE END OF DECEMBER, WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. I REALIZED THAT I HAD NO BRAKES. I DOWN SHIFTED AND COASTED TO THE NEAREST GARAGE. AFTER A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDED REPLACED. AT A HEFTY PRICE, I REPLACED IT ALL. THE OLD PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10325236
NHTSA investigations
1EA11001 · Brake Line Corrosion Failure
Opened Jan 5, 2011 · Closed Apr 8, 2015
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
Additional source detail variants (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
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