2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

WHILE BACKING MY BOAT UP A SMALL GRADE IN MY DRIVEWAY, ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES BROKE CAUSING ME TO LOOSE COMPLETE BRAKING SYSTEM. NO BRAKES AT ALL. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE BOAT INTO THE GARAGE DUE TO THE FACT I WAS PUSHING IT UP A SMALL GRADE. I HAD JUST COME OFF OF THE FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. HAD THE LINE BROKE WHILE TRYING TO STOP ON THE HIGHWAY THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT DUE TO COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. AFTER INSPECTING THE BRAKE LINES THEY WERE ALL FOUND TO BE COVERED WITH RUST AND HAD TO BE ALL REPLACES. HAD OVER A $600.00 REPAIR BILL. *TR

YET ANOTHER BRAKE LINE STORY TO THROW ON THE HEAP. FULL DISCLOSURE, I DO MECHANIC WORK ON MY OWN CARS AND PERIODIC INSPECTIONS AS A RESULT. THE AREAS OF THE FAILURES, INCLUDING MINE, ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE WHEN INSPECTING. ANYWAY, ON THE HIGHWAY DOING ABOUT 65 WENT TO START SLOWING DOWN FOR MY EXIT AND THE PEDAL JUST KEPT GOING. I FEVERISHLY PUMPED THE BRAKES AND STARTED GEARING DOWN AND TRYING THE EBRAKE. NO EBRAKE, WHICH I THOUGH WAS ODD BECAUSE ITS MECHANICAL AND IT WORKED JUST FINE BEFORE. NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO INDICATION OF THE BRAKES GOING BAD AND NARROWLY MISSED VEHICLES AS I BROUGHT IT TO A STOP. THE BRAKES THAT YOU DO HAVE ARE SO MINIMAL, THEIR JUST ABOUT USELESS. IT WAS THE MAIN FEEDER LINE TO THE REAR BRAKES, BEFORE THE RUBBER FLEX LINE TO THE AXLE, RIGHT ON A BEND. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, 12" AWAY FROM THE SIGNIFICANT BLOW OUT, NOT A PIN HOLE, IT WAS STILL HAVE WAY DECENT TO USE A COMPRESSION FITTING FOR A TEMPORARY FIX. WHY ARE COMPANIES ALLOWED TO USE STEEL FOR BRAKE LINES IN THE FIRST PLACE, EVEN COATED, ONCE IT SCRATCHES THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE BEGINNING OF THE END. BOTH FUEL AND BRAKE LINES SHOULD HAVE TO MADE FROM THAT WILL NOT RUST, ALONG WITH THE FITTINGS. I UNDERSTAND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, BUT BRAKE LINES ARE IN NO WAY ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. I ACTUALLY CONTACTED CHEVY ABOUT THIS MATTER AND BASICALLY GOT NOWHERE, THE SENIOR ADVISER, [XXX], JUST KEPT TELLING ME THINGS I ALREADY KNEW AND STATING THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. JUST TALKING IN CIRCLES AND TOWING THE COMPANY LINE. NO ASSISTANCE AND REALLY COULD CARE LESS. I WASN'T LOOKING FOR A HANDOUT, JUST SOME HELP WITH A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE THAT I DID NOT ANTICIPATE HAVING TO PAY. DEALER SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE $1400 PARTS AND LABOR. I REALLY HOPE IT DOES NOT TAKE PEOPLE DYING TO TAKE ACTION, I TOLD THEM HOW ABOUT BEING PROACTIVE FOR A CHANGE, IT FELL ON DEAF EARS. THANK YOU INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE BRAKES ON ALL FOUR WHEELS, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V379000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

OUR TRUCK WAS BEING PAINTED AT AAMCO. WE GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE AAMCO THAT THE BRAKES HAD FAILED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN THEIR POSSESSION. WE HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT ALL BRAKE LINES ON THE TRUCK HAS RUSTED THROUGH COMPLETELY. THEY ALSO STATED THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN ISSUE AMONGST CHEVROLET TRUCKS, AND THEY SEE THIS TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THE COST OF OUR REPAIR WAS APPROX. $1450.00. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT NO ONE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME. SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY INJURED OR EVEN KILLED. IF THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH CHEVROLET TRUCKS, THEN CHEVROLET SHOULD RECALL THE TRUCKS AND PERFORM A PROACTIVE REPAIR. *TR

MY FIANCEE WAS ON WAY HOME FROM WORK AND WAS CAUGHT IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC (THANK GOD SHE WASN'T GOING SPEED LIMIT) AND THE BRAKES WENT COMPLETELY OUT. WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND BUMPED A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER 3 TIMES BEFORE SHE GOT IT TO STOP. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE AND SHE WAS OK. HAD THE TRUCK TOWED HOME AND PULLED INTO MY GARAGE TO FIND THE BRAKE LINES UNDER THE CAB WAS SEVERELY RUSTED AND 1 LINE HAD A STREAM OF BRAKE FLUID SPRAYING OUT FROM IT. NOW I WILL BE SPENDING THE NEXT FEW DAYS REPLACING NEW LINES THREW THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM FRONT TO BACK. *TR

I BROUGHT MY 2001 CHEVROLET TO GET NEW BRAKES ON THE REAR. AFTER THE TECH INSTALLED THEM HE TOOK THE TRUCK FOR A TEST RUN. HE SAID THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND HE DIDN'T HAVE BRAKES. HE STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED THROUGH. HE SAID THAT ALL 4 NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID THAT THESE GM PICK-UPS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. WE WALKED OUT WITH A HUGE BILL. LUCKILY THEY DIDN'T FAIL WHILE I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH OR WHILE TOWING OUR CAMPER! *TR

COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE, COMING TO STOP SIGN AT INTERSECTION. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR WITHOUT WARNING OR NOTICE OF A PROBLEM FROM DASH. COASTED TO STOP AND PUT TRANSMISSION INTO PARK TO COMPLETE THE STOP. INSPECTION AFTER THE INCIDENT, FOUND MAJOR BRAKE LINE CORROSION (STEEL AND RUBBER ) THROUGH OUT THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS ON IT'S WAY TO THE TURNPIKE, FOR THE TRIP HOME JUST PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *TR

I STARTED NOTICING RUST SPOTS ON THE BODY OF THE TRUCK. THEN I REALIZED IT WAS RUSTING OUT HOLES IN THE TRUCK IN CERTAIN AREAS. AFTER I STARTED NOTICING THESE SPOTS, I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD TOWING MY LAWN EQUIPMENT AND HEADING TO MY NEXT JOBSITE. WHEN ALL THE SUDDEN I WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE TRUCK WOULD NOT STOP AT ALL AND COURSE I WAS GOING DOWN HILL. SO I STARTED TO TRY AND SLOW DOWN THE TRUCK BY DOWNSHIFTING TO A LOWER GEAR AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN A FEW MILES PER HOUR BUT NOT NEAR ENOUGH. AS I WAS COMING AROUND A CURVE NOT LONG AFTER THE BRAKES STARTED FAILING. NOT TO FAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS STOPPED TRAFFIC. I TRIED TO DO EVERYTHING I COULD TO STOP BUT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH. I ONLY SLOWED DOWN TO 45 MPH BEFORE I WAS ABOUT TO HIT THE BACK OF A CAR HEAD ON. SO I DID THE ONLY OTHER THING I COULD TO MAYBE MAKE IT OUT WITHOUT A FATAL CRASH. I WENT OFF THE ROAD AROUND THE CAR AND HIT THE PARKING BRAKE AND NOTHING HAPPENED BECAUSE IT FAILED AS WELL. SO I TURNED THE TRUCK REAL SHARP TO DODGE THE TREES AND SLID SIDEWAYS FOR A WHILE AND THE TRUCK FINALLY CAME TO A STOP AND I WAS SO SICK I HAD A BAD PANIC ATTACK AND STARTED THROWING UP AND MY HEART FELT LIKE IT WAS BEING HIT BY A HAMMER AND MY BODY HURT SO BAD FROM THE TRUCK COMING TO A STOP AND ME SLAMMING INTO THE ARM REST AND THE SEAT BELT CUT MY NECK STOMACH AND CHEST. I GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT MY TRUCK AND NOTICED I HIT A PILE OF LOGS AND DAMAGED MY TIRES AND THE BODY OF MY TRUCK IN THE SEVERAL PLACES. THEN I TOOK IT TO A AUTO SHOP AND THEY FOUND OUT CHEVY DIDN'T PUT ANY CORROSIVE PROTECTION UNDER THE TRUCK OR ON PARTS. THE BRAKE LINES HAD BLEW OUT CAUSE OF THE RUST. ALL THE BRAKE LINES WERE SHOT ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER BRAKE PARTS AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING UNDER THE TRUCK AND OUTSIDE THE TRUCK IS SOLID RUST. I COULD HAVE GOT KILLED IF I DIDN'T REACT WELL. NOW I PAY FOR A TRUCK I CAN'T DRIVE. *TR