2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

RUSTY BRAKE LINES CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES. POOR DESIGN AND PRODUCT BY GM. WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP. BRAKE LINE BLEW.MY SON AND WIFE ALMOST DIED. THIS TRUCK IS A RUSTY CRAP TRUCK. THE ROCKER PANEL ARE RUSTED THRU. OH, AND GM DOES NOT MAKE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT BRAKE LINE REPLACEMENTS EITHER IN THE PARTS DEPARTMENT. SHAME ON YOU GM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND ABNORMALLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND THAT THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 152,000.

REPLACED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS. WHEN I TRIED TO GET BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE LEFT REAR WHEEL. I BRAKE LINE WAS BADLY CORRODED AND BROKE THROUGH. I HAD ZERO BRAKING ABILITY AND HAD TO BACK THE TRUCK OUT OF THE GARAGE USING ONLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF BROKEN BRAKE LINES DUE TO BAD CORROSION ON THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST INCIDENT ALSO RESULTED IN A BROKEN, BADLY CORRODED BRAKE LINE BREAKING AND LEAKING FLUID, AND RESULTED IN ZERO BRAKING ABILITY. I HAD TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED FOR REPAIR THAT TIME. NOT SURE HOW IM GOING TO GET IT FIXED THIS TIME. ALL REMAINING BRAKE LINES ARE ALSO BADLY RUSTED AND ARE SURE TO BRAKE SHORTLY IF NOT REPLACED. THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE TRUCK IS ALSO SEVERELY RUSTED TO A POINT THAT APPEARS THAT THE TRUCK IS 100+ YEARS OLD. THE FRAME IS NEARLY TO THE POINT OF BEING RUSTED THROUGH. THESE ARE SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS CONDITIONS WITH THESE TRUCKS THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY CHEVROLET. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS NEGLIGENCE BY USING INFERIOR MATERIAL FOR BRAKE LINES AND FRAME STEEL. *TR

AFTER DRIVING FOR AROUND 30 MILES I WAS PULLING UP TO THE GARAGE AT HOME SLOWING DOWN WHEN THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGED AT ABOUT 3 MILES PER HOUR. IN A PANIC, THE TRUCK KEPT MOVING WITHOUT STOPPING FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 4 FEET, THEN I PUT THE TRUCK IN PARK AND IT STOPPED. WITHOUT DOING THAT I WOULD HAVE HIT MY GARAGE DOOR, MISSING THE DOOR BY INCHES. THIS ISSUE IS STILL ONGOING AS OF 8/18/13. IN ORDER TO STOP, THE BRAKES HAVE TO BE PUMPED AT ALL TIMES WHEN TRYING TO STOP. THE ANTI-LOCK BAKE SYSTEM ACTIVATES AT 3 TO 4 MILES PER HOUR ALL THE TIME IF NOT PUMPED. I AM A MECHANIC AND STARTED SEARCHING THE INTERNET TO SEE WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM. UPON MY FINDING THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AS MINE. I HAVE NOT ADDRESSED THE ISSUE BECAUSE THE TRUCK ISN'T USED MUCH, ALTHOUGH IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS VERY SOON. I FEEL THAT THIS ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE AT MY EXPENSE WHEN THIS ISSUE IS MORE WIDE SPREAD THEN JUST MY TRUCK. SOME HAVE SAID THAT A EARLIER MODEL OF SUV HAD A RECALL WHEN THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM WOULD ACTIVATE AT 3 TO 10 MILES PER HOUR AND WAS A DESIGN FLAW. ON A LARGER NOTE, THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON EITHER. *TR

I OWN A YEAR 2000 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 PICKUP TRUCK. ON APRIL 15, 2013, WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM THE NEAREST VILLAGE, I LOST ALL POWER IN MY BRAKES. THE TRUCK WAS GOING DOWNHILL AND AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN SPEED. I WAS QUICKLY OVERTAKING A SLOWER PASSENGER CAR AHEAD OF ME, SO I HAD TO VEER OFF THE ROAD ONTO THE SHOULDER AND INTO A ROUGH RAVINE. EVENTUALLY I SLOWED TO A STOP. I GOT OUT AND EXAMINED THE BRAKE FLUID AND FOUND IT TO BE LESS THAN THE MINIMUM LEVEL. I ALSO SAW FLUID LEAKING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE REAR AXIAL. SINCE THE INCIDENT HAPPEN IN THE EVENING, I CALLED A FRIEND WHO HELPED ME BRING THE TRUCK TO MY HOME. THE FOLLOWING DAY I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE FAILED (RUSTED THROUGH) REAR BRAKE LINE. THE OTHER REAR BAKE LINES WERE EXTREMELY RUSTED AND AT THE SUGGESTION OF THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN, I HAD THEM ALL REPLACED. THE COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $1625. THE TRUCK HAD APPROXIMATELY 99,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF REPAIR AND WAS GARAGED DURING WINTER MONTHS SINCE IT IS PRIMARILY A FARM VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THAT THE BRAKE LINE WEAR AND RUST IS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THE TRUCK LOST ALL BRAKE POWER AND WAS INCREASING IN SPEED EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE BRAKE PEDAL FULLY ENGAGED. ONLY BY STEERING OFF THE ROAD AND DRIVING UP AN ELEVATED ROAD EMBANKMENT WAS I ABLE TO STOP THE TRUCK SAFELY. *TR

EACH OF THE 3 BRAKES LINES UNDER THE MASTER CYLINDER HAS FAILED ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS, FORTUNATELY ALL NOTICED WHEN BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. ON ALL 3 OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A NEAR TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. ALL THE LINE HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND REQUIRED REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. THE DUAL BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER DOES NOT PROVIDE ACCEPTABLE EMERGENCY BRAKING WITH A RUPTURED LINE. I AM REPORTING MY INCIDENTS FOLLOWING A REPORT ON THE LOCAL NEWS ABOUT THESE SAME FAILURES HAPPENING ON MANY GM TRUCKS. MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED WITH APPROXIMATELY 61,000 MILES ON IT. PREVIOUS HISTORY IS UNKNOWN. DATE OF ORIGINAL INCIDENT IS PROBABLY NOT ACCURATE. *TR

BRAKE FAILURE ON INTERSTATE 65 SB WHEN ATTEMPTING A PANIC STOP. A SEMI-TRUCK TRAILER BLEW A TIRE WHICH SENT SHRAPNEL/DEBRIS FLYING IN THE AIR. TRAFFIC IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE TRUCK AND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME PANICKED AND "SLAMMED" ON THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID THE FLYING OBJECTS. IN TURN, I HAD TO FULLY APPLY MY BRAKES TO THE POINT OF ABS INTERVENTION. THERE WAS ONE TO THREE CYCLES OF THE ABS BEFORE I LOST ALL BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE. AT THIS POINT I HAD TO SWERVE ONTO THE SHOULDER TO AVOID REAR ENDING THE CAR IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF ME. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM SHOWS THAT ONE OF THE THREE METAL BRAKE LINES RUNNING ALONG THE DRIVERS SIDE FRAME RAIL, UNDER THE CAB RUPTURED (HENCE LOSS OF PEDAL PRESSURE). THIS FAILURE OCCURRED WHERE THE BRAKE LINES TRANSITION FROM ABOVE THE FRAME RAIL TO ALONG SIDE THE FRAME RAIL. ALL THREE BRAKE LINES IN THIS AREA ARE CORRODED BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO VISUALLY TELL THE SEVERITY OF THE CORROSION DUE TO A SPIRAL SHIELDING THAT IS WRAPPED AROUND THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF BRAKE LINE. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE; HOWEVER HAD THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A VERY BAD ACCIDENT. *TR

DURING A SCHEDULED MAINT./REPAIR VISIT AT A MAJOR CHEVY DEALERSHIP, THEY ADVISED THE SHOCK ABSORBERS COULDN'T BE REPLACED; THE UPPER MOUNTS FOR BOTH REAR SHOCKS WERE GONE. THE DEALER SUGGESTED I TAKE THE TRUCK TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP FOR THE NEEDED RESTORATION WORK, THEN RETURN. I LATER INSPECTED THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF MY TRUCK AND FOUND EXTENSIVE ROT AND RUST ON MAJOR FRAME STRUCTURES. BOTH UPPER SHOCK MOUNTS APPEAR TO HAVE ROTTED AWAY. BOTH FRAME SPREADER TUBES, TO WHICH THE UPPER SHOCK MOUNTS AND THE REAR FUEL TANK SUPPORT STRAP ARE ATTACHED, HAVE LOST MOST OF THEIR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. I ALSO NOTED MOST MAIN FASTENER BOLTS APPEAR TO HAVE LOST THEIR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY,DUE TO ROT AND RUST. IN DECEMBER OF 2009, I REPLACED THE FUEL STRAPS. ONE BRAKE LINE FAILED (ROTTED OPEN), CAUSING BRAKE LOSS, AS I WAS DEPARTING THE SERVICE VISIT. ALL THE BRAKE LINES HAD DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT REPLACEMENT WAS NECESSARY. IN JULY OF 2011, I HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR ROTTED OUT BUMPER. I AM NOW SEEING ROT AND RUST BREAKING THROUGH THE FRONT BUMPER OF MY TRUCK. IN LIGHT OF THE MAJOR RUST AND STRUCTURAL FAILURES I HAVE EXPERIENCED RECENTLY, I STARTED RESEARCHING NHTSA'S DATA BASE TO SEE IF OTHERS WERE EXPERIENCING THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR SILVERADO, OR IF THIS WAS AN ANOMALY. I WAS QUITE STARTLED TO FIND NUMEROUS REPORTS BEING CITED FOR IDENTICAL PROBLEMS AND FAILURES FOR THIS VEHICLE. TWO ISSUES CONCERN ME: FIRST, MAJOR RUST & ROT HAS BEEN REPORTED ON THIS MODEL AND LATER ONES FOR OVER A PERIOD OF 10-13 YEARS. SECOND, DO, OR SHOULD SERVICE SHOPS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ADVISE WHEN SIGNS OF MAJOR DETERIORATION OCCUR, SO WE CAN MAKE REPAIR/INVESTMENT CHOICES? I'VE OWNED SEVERAL TRUCKS, KEEP THEM FOR 8-10 YEARS, THEN REPLACE THEM. I'VE SEEN SURFACE RUST OVER THE YEARS, BUT NOT THIS KIND OF FRAME/UNDERCARRIAGE DETERIORATION OVER A RELATIVELY SHORT TRUCK LIFE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND ABNORMALLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE REDUCED SPEED ONLY SLIGHTLY. THE CONTACT THEN APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT THE SHIFT LEVER BECAME FRACTURED AND EXHIBITED AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN ENGAGED. THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH WAS THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT BOTH OF THE BRAKE LINES AND CABLES WERE FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.