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2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

726 reports with mileage · 79 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 273 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 195 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 151 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

26 crash reports7 fire reports8 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

195 reports
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93,000 miles · Mar 12, 2009
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER ON 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION AND THEN STOPPED WORKING. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 97,000 WHICH IS OVER THE MILEAGE FOR THE CURRENT WARRANTY REPAIR. COMMON AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM IN GM VEHICLES AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED WITHOUT MILEAGE LIMITATIONS. OWNER ALSO NOT SENT NOTIFICATION OF PROBLEM NOR WAS I…

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SPEEDOMETER ON 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION AND THEN STOPPED WORKING. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 97,000 WHICH IS OVER THE MILEAGE FOR THE CURRENT WARRANTY REPAIR. COMMON AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM IN GM VEHICLES AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED WITHOUT MILEAGE LIMITATIONS. OWNER ALSO NOT SENT NOTIFICATION OF PROBLEM NOR WAS IT ON THE CARFAX REPORT WHEN VEHICLE PURCHASED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10261607

113,500 miles · Feb 16, 2009
Electrical System

MY INSTRUMENT PANEL QUIT READING ACTUALLY SPEED. IT ONLY DOES IT EVERY ONCE IN WHILE. IT ALWAYS READS SLOWER THEN WHAT THE ACTUAL SPEED IS. AFTER THE TRUCK IS SHUT OFF AWHILE IT READS RIGHT AFTER THE TRUCK IS RESTARTED. THE PRICE IS AROUND 500 TO REPLACE. MY TRUCK I BOUGHT USED WITH 100000 MILES ON IT. IT GOT 114000 NOW SO I WIL…

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MY INSTRUMENT PANEL QUIT READING ACTUALLY SPEED. IT ONLY DOES IT EVERY ONCE IN WHILE. IT ALWAYS READS SLOWER THEN WHAT THE ACTUAL SPEED IS. AFTER THE TRUCK IS SHUT OFF AWHILE IT READS RIGHT AFTER THE TRUCK IS RESTARTED. THE PRICE IS AROUND 500 TO REPLACE. MY TRUCK I BOUGHT USED WITH 100000 MILES ON IT. IT GOT 114000 NOW SO I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IT UNLESS A TOTAL RECALL IS DONE ON IT TO REPLACE ALL INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS FOR ALL WITH MORE THEN 70000 MILES ON IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10258875

102,000 miles · Feb 9, 2009
Electrical System

ON DECEMBER 21, 2008, MY SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. THE SPEEDOMETER CAN INTERMITTENTLY READ ANYTHING FROM "ZERO" (WHEN I AM ACTUALLY DOING MORE THAN 50 MPH) TO 110 (WHEN I AM ACTUALLY DOING ABOUT 60 MPH). WHEN THE SYMPTOMS BEGAN TO OCCUR, I CALLED MY LOCAL GM DEALER TO SEE ABOUT REPAIRS, AND I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS "OUT…

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ON DECEMBER 21, 2008, MY SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. THE SPEEDOMETER CAN INTERMITTENTLY READ ANYTHING FROM "ZERO" (WHEN I AM ACTUALLY DOING MORE THAN 50 MPH) TO 110 (WHEN I AM ACTUALLY DOING ABOUT 60 MPH). WHEN THE SYMPTOMS BEGAN TO OCCUR, I CALLED MY LOCAL GM DEALER TO SEE ABOUT REPAIRS, AND I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS "OUTSIDE OF THE REPAIR WINDOW" FOR THE COURTESY REPAIR, AND WHEN I ASKED HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO REPAIR IT ON MY OWN, I WAS TOLD "ABOUT $500". SINCE THE PROBLEM IS (SO FAR) VERY INTERMITTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE, AND SINCE I DON'T HAPPEN TO HAVE A SPARE $500 TO SPEND ON A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH GM HAS APPARENTLY KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME AND REFUSES TO ADDRESS BEYOND A VERY LIMITED SCOPE, I ELECTED TO "WAIT AND SEE". BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE NO ACCURATE SPEEDOMETER READING, AND MUST ATTEMPT TO GAUGE MY SPEED BY THAT OF THE OTHER VEHICLES SURROUNDING ME AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THIS IS HARDLY AN ACCEPTABLE SITUATION. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES OVER MY LIFETIME (I AM 60 YEARS OLD), AND I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY WITH INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10258043

90,000 miles · Jan 22, 2009
Electrical System

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 SILVERADO STARTED ACTING ERRATIC. AT FIRST THE VEHICLE SPEEDS WERE HIGHLY INACCURATE, I.E. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY USING A GPS UNIT THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWED BETWEEN 100 AND 110 MPH. SHORTLY AFTER THE HAND WENT TO BOTTOM HORIZONTAL POSITION AND RENDERED THE SPEEDOMETER USELESS. I UNDERSTAND FR…

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THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 SILVERADO STARTED ACTING ERRATIC. AT FIRST THE VEHICLE SPEEDS WERE HIGHLY INACCURATE, I.E. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY USING A GPS UNIT THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWED BETWEEN 100 AND 110 MPH. SHORTLY AFTER THE HAND WENT TO BOTTOM HORIZONTAL POSITION AND RENDERED THE SPEEDOMETER USELESS. I UNDERSTAND FROM DISCUSSION FORUMS ON THE INTERNET THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT IS RESOLVED THROUGH THE REPLACEMENT OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. POSSIBILITY OF INADVERTENT WRONG CHOICE OF SPEED COULD BECOME DANGEROUS FOR VEHICLE OPERATOR AND BYSTANDERS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10256009

125,000 miles · Jan 21, 2009
Electrical System

DURING OCTOBER OF 2008, I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GENERAL MOTORS INFORMING ME THAT MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO WAS AMONG A GROUP OF VEHICLES AFFECTED BY POTENTIAL INSTRUMENT GAUGE PROBLEMS, AND THAT I SHOULD ONLY BRING MY VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR EVALUATION IF I WAS ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE …

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DURING OCTOBER OF 2008, I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GENERAL MOTORS INFORMING ME THAT MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO WAS AMONG A GROUP OF VEHICLES AFFECTED BY POTENTIAL INSTRUMENT GAUGE PROBLEMS, AND THAT I SHOULD ONLY BRING MY VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR EVALUATION IF I WAS ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE LETTER WENT ON TO STATE THAT THE VEHICLE WARRANTY ON THIS ISSUE WAS BEING EXTENDED TO 70,000 MILES OR 7 YEARS, WHICHEVER CAME FIRST. WELL, AT THE TIME I RECEIVED THE NOTICE, MY TRUCK HAD APPROXIMATELY 110,000 MILES ON IT, SO I WAS BASICALLY "OUT OF LUCK" AS FAR AS GM WAS CONCERNED. AT THAT TIME, MY VEHICLE WAS NOT EXHIBITING ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER. HOWEVER, SHORTLY AFTER CHRISTMAS, 2008, MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DID BEGIN TO MALFUNCTION. BEGINNING WITH THE TACHOMETER NOT READING AT ALL, THE SYMPTOMS PROGRESSED TO SPORADIC TACHOMETER READINGS, AND THEN THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO BE AFFECTED. RIGHT NOW, THE SPEEDOMETER CAN INTERMITTENTLY READ ANYTHING FROM "ZERO" (WHEN I AM ACTUALLY DOING MORE THAN 50 MPH) TO 110 (WHEN I AM ACTUALLY DOING ABOUT 60 MPH). WHEN THE SYMPTOMS BEGAN TO OCCUR, I CALLED MY LOCAL GM DEALER TO SEE ABOUT REPAIRS, AND I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS "OUTSIDE OF THE REPAIR WINDOW" FOR THE COURTESY REPAIR, AND WHEN I ASKED HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO REPAIR IT ON MY OWN, I WAS TOLD "ABOUT $500". SINCE THE PROBLEM IS (SO FAR) VERY INTERMITTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE, AND SINCE I DON'T HAPPEN TO HAVE A SPARE $500 TO SPEND ON A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH GM HAS APPARENTLY KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME AND REFUSES TO ADDRESS BEYOND A VERY LIMITED SCOPE, I ELECTED TO "WAIT AND SEE". BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I HAVE NO ACCURATE SPEEDOMETER READING, AND MUST ATTEMPT TO GAUGE MY SPEED BY THAT OF THE OTHER VEHICLES SURROUNDING ME AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THIS IS HARDLY AN ACCEPTABLE SITUATION. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES OVER MY LIFETIME (I AM 60 YEARS OLD), AND I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY WITH INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURES. SHAME, SHAME, GM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255810

79,000 miles · Jan 20, 2009
Electrical SystemFire

I STARTED MY 2003 CHEVY TO LET IT WARM UP AND WENT BACK IN THE HOUSE THEN CAME BACK OUT FIND THE WIRING FOR THE HEATER UNDER THE PASSENGER DASH WAS ON FIRE. THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDETERMINED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255762

130,000 miles · Jan 14, 2009
Electrical System

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SOME OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS WERE NOT ILLUMINATED. ONLY THE MILEAGE AND GEAR SHIFTER AREAS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE RPM, SPEEDOMETER, GASOLINE, AND BATTERY GAUGES WERE ALL MALFUNCTIONING. ALL OF THE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE VEHIC…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SOME OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS WERE NOT ILLUMINATED. ONLY THE MILEAGE AND GEAR SHIFTER AREAS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE RPM, SPEEDOMETER, GASOLINE, AND BATTERY GAUGES WERE ALL MALFUNCTIONING. ALL OF THE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE EXCEEDED THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT. THE MANUFACTURER FURTHER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. HE BELIEVES THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN BECAUSE HE CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT SPEED HE IS TRAVELING. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #10254944

56,000 miles · Dec 31, 2008
Electrical System

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES MALFUNCTION AND DISPLAY INACCURATE READINGS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE OIL SEMI-UNIT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES MALFUNCTION AND DISPLAY INACCURATE READINGS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE OIL SEMI-UNIT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $500. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000.

NHTSA ODI #10253362

44,886 miles · Dec 29, 2008
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER INDICATOR DOES NOT GO TO ZERO, STARTS AT 65 MPH AND GOES OVER 120 MPH. IMMEDIATE FAILURE. SO FAR CHECKED TO SEE IF A RECALL, NOTED THAT YOUR WEBSITE HAD OVER 35 COMPLAINTS ABOVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10253078

67,000 miles · Dec 11, 2008
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER STICKS AT 30MPH, WILL NOT RESET TO ZERO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10251456

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

3

EA11001 · 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

EA04011 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Apr 9, 2004 · Closed May 10, 2005

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake; Parking Brake:conventional; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Parking Brake:conventional

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

PE03057 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Dec 8, 2003 · Closed Apr 9, 2004

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake

ODI OPENED PE03-057 TO ASSESS PARKING BRAKE INEFFECTIVENESS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THESE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH FOUR WHEEL DISC BRAKES THAT INCORPORATE A SINGLE-SHOE DRUM-IN-HAT PARKING BRAKE INDEPENDENT OF THE SERVICE BRAKES.COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA INDICATE THAT THE PARKING BRAKE LININGS TEND TO WEAR OUT EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE (AT AN AVERAGE OF 24 MONTHS IN SERVICE), REDUCING THE PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM'S TORQUE BELOW THAT NEEDED TO IMMOBILIZE THE VEHICLE.GM HAS ATTRIBUTED THIS ACCELERATED WEAR TO FOREIGN MATERIAL INTRUSION AND A FAILURE OF THE BRAKE SHOE TO PROPERLY SELF-CENTER WITHIN ITS BRAKE DRUM.EFFECTIVE WITH THE START OF MY 2003 PRODUCTION, A NEWER REDUCED FORCE HOLD-DOWN CLIP WAS INTRODUCED TO FACILITATE BRAKE SHOE DISENGAGEMENT FROM THE DRUM SURFACE.THIS PART IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICE LEVEL FOR THE MY 1999-2002 VEHICLES.GM HAS INDICATED THAT THE PAKING BRAKE IS INTENDED TO OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRANSMISSION TO IMMOBILZE PARKED VEHICLES, AND THAT IN MANY CASES, ACCELERATED PARKING BRAKE LINING WEAR IS CAUSED BY ROUGH USE, VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS, AND DRIVING WITH THE PARKING ENGAGED. ODI HAS UPGRADED THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO GATHER FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING PARKING BRAKE USAGE FACTORS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE SEVENTEEN REPORTED VEHICLE CRASHES.