2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

GOING TO WORK THE FIRST TIME DOING ABOUT 45 M.P.H. THERE WAS A CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I DID NOT HIT IT WENT AROUND THE CAR GOOD THING. THERE WAS NOT A CAR IN THE OTHER LANE. NEXT WEEK IM GOING ON VAC, I PULL A BOAT THAT IS 2000 POUNDS IF THE BRAKE LINE WOULD HAVE BLOWN OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BAD. I'M JUST GLAD IT BLEW OUT BEFORE I HOOKED UP THE BOAT. I HAVE IT IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW ,THE TECH SAID ALL THE BRAKE LINES ARE BAD.HE SAID THIS JOB IS GOING TO COST ME 400 TO 500 DOLLARS. I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME OUT WITH THIS PROBLEM ! IT IS STILL A GOOD RUNNING TRUCK IF I CAN GET THIS BRAKE PROBLEM TAKING CARE OF , I CANT AFFORD TO KEEP REPLACING BRAKE LINES. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED , MAYBE THE THIRD TIME WILL BE MY CHARM . THANKS

STEEL BRAKE LINE FAILURE WHERE LINES RUN BETWEEN FRAME AND FRONT DRIVERS SIDE CAB MOUNT. FROM THE DEALER THAT REPLACED THE LINES, THERE WAS A PIN HOLE IN THE LINE. I HAVE THE PARTS. WENT TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A 6 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY AT 5:15PM. THE LIGHT CHANGED AND I BRAKED HARD FROM 50 MPH. JUST BEFORE THE TRUCK WAS TO STOP AT THE STOP LINE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE TRUCK CONTINUED THROUGH THE RED LIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP. I WAS THE FIRST VEHICLE AT THE LIGHT, THERE WAS ONE CAR TO MY RIGHT IN THE RIGHT LANE AND TWO CARS SIDE BY SIDE AT THE JUG HANDLE TO MY RIGHT WAITING TO CROSS THE SIX LANE STATE HIGHWAY. IT WAS JUST DUMB LUCK THERE WASN'T A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. TWO SECONDS LATER THE CROSS TRAFFIC WOULD HAVE BROADSIDED ME AND ANOTHER SECOND LATER I WOULD HAVE BROADSIDED THE CROSS TRAFFIC. THIS STATE HIGHWAY IS INFAMOUS IN THE COUNTY FOR PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS OF THE FAILURE AND NO BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH. I MOVED THE TRUCK THROUGH THE RED LIGHT AND OVER TO THE FAR RIGHT LANE AND TESTED THE BRAKING. I HAD VERY MINIMAL BRAKING. I HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES BEFORE THIS HAPPENED WITH TWO INCIDENTS OF HARD BRAKING WITH NO ISSUES. I WAS LESS THAN A 1/4 MILE FROM MY HOME. LIMPED HOME AT LOW SPEED WITH MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON. HAD TRUCK TOWED FROM MY HOME TO THE CHEVROLET DEALER FOR REPAIR. RECOMMENDED REPLACING ALL STEEL BRAKE LINES DUE TO THE FAILURE AND RUST ON THE LINES. $1300 FOR COATED STEEL BRAKE LINE REPLACEMENTS PLUS TWO FRONT CALIPERS BECAUSE THE HEX ON THE BLEED SCREWS WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED AWAY. LAST SERVICED AT THE DEALER ON 4/8/14 AND ONLY DRIVEN 1763 MILES SINCE THAT SERVICE. ON THE INSPECTION REPORT THE DEALER HAD CHECKED THE YELLOW WARNING ON BRAKE SYSTEM AND JUST NOTED BRAKES HAVE RUST BUILDUP, NO LEAKS.

@00 MILES AFTER COMPLETE BRAKE JOB NEW PADS AND ROTORS STATE INSPECTION STEEL BRAKE LINE FROM ABS UNIT TO RF CALIBER FAILED. THREE DAYS LATER STEEL LINE FROM ABS TO MASTER AND FRONT BRAKES FAILED. THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY RECALL PEOPLE WILL BE KILLED. WHY ARE OTHER MANUFACTURES HAVING THIS PROBLEM? HIGHER QUALITY MATERIAL MAYBE. THE PROBLEM IS SO COMMON GM HAS DEVELOPED A KIT WITH ALL NEW BRAKE LINES. INSTALLATION IS ON YOU PRICES RANGE FROM 1000-4000 DOLLARS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. (NOTE BETTER QUALITY BRAKE LINES ARE USED IN THE KIT.)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT NOTICED SEVERE CORROSION NEAR THE ABS CONTROL BOX ON A BRAKE LINE, WHICH RESULTED IN EXCESS FLUID LEAKING FROM THE BRAKE LINE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000. MA 10/14 *CN

BACKED OUT OF GARAGE DRIVE WITH A DOWNWARD SLOPE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. STOPPED THE TRUCK USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER THE INCIDENT, NOT BEFORE. CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR, FLUID LEVEL WAS BELOW MINIMUM. UNDER THE VEHICLE, THE PROBLEM WAS APPARENT. NEAR THE ABS CONTROL UNIT IT LOOKED LIKE THE METAL LINE(S) HAD EXPLODED AND BRAKE FLUID WAS ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRUCK AND DRIPPING DOWN THE FRAME RAIL. CHECKING THE VEHICLE, I FOUND ALL THE METAL BRAKE LINES, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE ABS UNIT, WERE BADLY RUSTED. TWO PROBLEMS: 1. THE FAILURE WAS CATASTROPHIC WITHOUT WARNING. WHILE THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER THE BRAKE LINE FAILURE, IT PROVIDED NO PRIOR INDICATION OF PROBLEMS. BRAKE FLUID WAS OK PRIOR TO THE LINE FAILURE (NO BRAKE SERVICE LIGHT) AND THE BRAKE FLUID LOSS WAS THE RESULT OF THE BRAKE LINE RUPTURE. THE BRAKE LINE, WEAKENED BY RUST, FAILED WITH THE INCREASED PRESSURE WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED. 2. THERE WAS NO RESIDUAL OR BACK-UP BRAKING AVAILABLE EVEN WITH FULLY DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL. I'VE READ GM'S STATEMENT THAT THE BRAKE SERVICE LIGHT WOULD PROVIDE ADVANCE WARNING AND THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE BRAKING (WITH LONGER STOPPING DISTANCES) SHOULD THERE BE FAILURES IN THE SYSTEM. UNFORTUNATELY, IN CATASTROPHIC BRAKE LINE FAILURES THERE WERE NO WARNINGS; THE WARNING LIGHT WAS DELAYED AFTER THE FACT. FROM AN ENGINEER'S PERSPECTIVE, DID THE METALLURGICAL CONTENT OF THE BRAKE LINES CHANGE IN 1999 OR PERHAPS THAT WAS WHEN THE ABS HOUSING CHANGED TO ALUMINUM? THE GALVANIC NATURE OF THE STEEL BRAKE LINES CONNECTING TO ALUMINUM IN THE PRESENCE OF SALT WATER WILL CERTAINLY RESULT IN THE INCREASED CORROSION OF THE BRAKE LINES. SUMMARY: THE NHTSA NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL (REGARDLESS WHETHER GM IS HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MONETARY COSTS OF REPAIR) TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS. *TR

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY GOING 60 MPH, THE CAR AHEAD OF US MADE A SUDDEN, DRASTIC SLOW DOWN. AS WE PRESSED THE BRAKES, THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND WE CONTINUED TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND STOPPED INCHES BEFORE HITTING THE CAR AHEAD OF US. THANKFULLY WE HAD AT LEAST 5 CAR LENGTHS BETWEEN US. HAD BREAK LINE REPAIRED. MECHANIC SAID IT HAD RUSTED THROUGH. FEBRUARY 28, 2015 PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT WITH CARS AHEAD OF US, MOVING 4-5 MPH. CAR IN FRONT OF US SUDDENLY STOPS, WE GO TO BRAKE AND HEARD A NOISE, BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR AND WE HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF US.( WE WERE A 1/2 CAR LENGTH BEHIND THE CAR.) DUE TO MOVING AT A SLOW SPEED, THERE WAS NO DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE OCCUPANTS OF BOTH CARS BEING JERKED. TOOK TO A MECHANIC AND ABS SENSORS WERE RUSTED OUT AS WELL AS THE HUBS ETC... HE THEN TOLD US HE CANNOT BELIEVE THE AMOUNT OF RUST AND CORROSION WE HAVE ON THE ENTIRE UNDERSIDE. HE STATED IT LOOKED LIKE A 50 YEAR OLD VEHICLE THAT SAT IN A FIELD FOR YEARS. HE ADVISED US TO GET THE REST OF THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED AS WELL AS WATCH THE FRAMING ETC.. FOR CRACKING. WE DO NOT FEEL SAFE ANYMORE! THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY CARED FOR AND KEPT WASHED EVEN DURING WINTERS. *TR