NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
20 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Nov 14, 2007
Engine And Engine Cooling
FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON I BEGAN LOSING COOLANT FLUID FROM MY SILVERADO TRUCK, BUT IT WAS NOT LEAKING OUT UPON THE GROUND. AFTER A MONTH OF THIS PROCESS, AND HAVING TO CONTINUALLY ADD COOLANT TO MY ENGINE, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC I HAVE KNOWN FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THINKING IT WAS MOST LIKELY A BAD HEAD GASKET (WHICH I FOUN…
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FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON I BEGAN LOSING COOLANT FLUID FROM MY SILVERADO TRUCK, BUT IT WAS NOT LEAKING OUT UPON THE GROUND. AFTER A MONTH OF THIS PROCESS, AND HAVING TO CONTINUALLY ADD COOLANT TO MY ENGINE, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC I HAVE KNOWN FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THINKING IT WAS MOST LIKELY A BAD HEAD GASKET (WHICH I FOUND OUT WERE BEING ERODED AWAY FROM THE "COOLANT "ITSELF), WE REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET. LESS THAN ONE WEEK LATER, I AGAIN HAD TO ADD MORE COOLANT. AGAIN WE REMOVED THE HEADS AND INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM. WHEN WE SEARCHED ONLINE MECHANICAL DATA BASES, WE DISCOVERED THAT MY TRUCK HAD BEEN FITTED WITH DEFECTIVE HEADS, PRODUCED FROM A PLANT IN MEXICO. WE EVEN DISCOVERED A GENERAL MOTORS MEMO REGARDING THE PROBLEM. THIS PLANT PRODUCED OVER 1.5 MILLION HEADS FOR VARIOUS VEHICLES. IT SEEMS THAT INFERIOR METAL PRODUCTS WERE THE REASON THE HEADS THEMSELVES WERE ALLOWING COOLANT TO BE SUCKED INTO THE CRANKCASE, COMPROMISING THE OIL, AND DAMAGING OR SEIZING UP THE ENGINE. I HAVE TALKED WITH SEVERAL SERVICE SHOPS,(GREASE MONKEY, JIFFY LUBE), AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS AN EVER GROWING PROBLEM, THE ONLY REMEDY OF WHICH IS TO TOTALLY REPLACE THE HEADS. THE EXPENSE TO THE CONSUMER,WHO DIDN'T INTEND TO PURCHASE A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE, RANGES FROM $1,800 TO $9,000 IN REPAIRS, AND MAY WELL EFFECT SOME SIX TO 800,000 VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. I SPOKE TO ONE WOMAN WHO WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY WHEN HER ENGINE SEIZED UP. IT WAS A MIRACLE SHE DID NOT LOSE CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS REGARDING SOME FORM OF COMPENSATION FOR MY EXPENSES, AND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, THEY JUST BLEW ME OFF AND TOLD ME NO RECALL WAS BEING CONSIDERED. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS PLANT IN MEXICO IS PART OF THE NAFTA PROGRAM, BUT IT SURE SEEMS STRANGE THAT GM WANTS TO KEEP SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE SO QUIET, AND REMAIN SO UNCONCERNED OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EXPENSE. I WOULD THINK A RECALL TO CURB THESE FAILURES WOULD BE THE VERY LEAST GM SHOULD OFFER. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10208889
40,000 miles · Jul 10, 2007
Engine And Engine Cooling
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND LOSES POWER. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HE SHOULD HAVE PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE CONTACT PLANS TO CALL THE CHEVROLET DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 40,000.
NHTSA ODI #10195979
80,317 miles · May 8, 2007
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train
JUST 100 MILES AFTER PCM WAS REPLACED , OUT OF WARRANTY, ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. SINCE UNABLE TO GET TO DEALERSHIP FAST ENOUGH I DID SOME RESEARCH IN MY MANUAL, WHICH STATED THAT IF I SHUT DOWN VEHICLE AND LIGHT GOES OFF THEN PROBABLY NOTHING MAJOR TO WORRY ABOUT. INTERMITTENTLY THE LIGHT HAS CAME ON, THEN GONE OFF FOR T…
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JUST 100 MILES AFTER PCM WAS REPLACED , OUT OF WARRANTY, ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. SINCE UNABLE TO GET TO DEALERSHIP FAST ENOUGH I DID SOME RESEARCH IN MY MANUAL, WHICH STATED THAT IF I SHUT DOWN VEHICLE AND LIGHT GOES OFF THEN PROBABLY NOTHING MAJOR TO WORRY ABOUT. INTERMITTENTLY THE LIGHT HAS CAME ON, THEN GONE OFF FOR THE PAST 4000 MILES. SO WITH MY OIL CHANGE, HAD DEALERSHIP RUN TEST ON DIAGNOSTICS, FOUND BAD CATALYTIC CONVERTER. COST OF REPAIR, $ 862. WELL, I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY JUST FLOATING AROUND. THEREFORE, I COULDN'T GET IT DONE THIS TIME AROUND. SO I DON'T HAVE THAT FIXED. I WAS TOLD GM GIVES UP TO 80,000 WARRANTY ON THE PCM MODULE AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. STRANGE HOW THE LIGHT CAME ON JUST 100 MILES OVER THE LAST WORK DONE. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME AND MY TRUCK? *AK
NHTSA ODI #10190099
53,451 miles · Dec 19, 2006
Engine And Engine Cooling
VEHICLE WAS IDLING POORLY, IT HAD A ROUGH IDLE THAT WOULD SHAKE THE VEHICLE. THIS CAME AND WENT, IT WAS NOT A CONSTANT PROBLEM BUT SLOWLY GREW WORSE. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT 4 OF THE EIGHT CYLINDERS, ONE ENTIRE BANK, WAS MISFIRING. THE TROUBLE WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY OXYGEN SENSOR THAT WAS DUMPING 50% MORE FUEL THAN NEEDED INTO THE…
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VEHICLE WAS IDLING POORLY, IT HAD A ROUGH IDLE THAT WOULD SHAKE THE VEHICLE. THIS CAME AND WENT, IT WAS NOT A CONSTANT PROBLEM BUT SLOWLY GREW WORSE. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT 4 OF THE EIGHT CYLINDERS, ONE ENTIRE BANK, WAS MISFIRING. THE TROUBLE WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY OXYGEN SENSOR THAT WAS DUMPING 50% MORE FUEL THAN NEEDED INTO THESE CYLINDERS. THE SENSOR WAS REPLACED AS WAS THE SPARK PLUGS WHICH HAD BECOME FOULED. *NM
NHTSA ODI #10176549
40,000 miles · Apr 5, 2005
Engine And Engine CoolingService Brakes, AirVisibility
MY COMPLAINT IS THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 EXTENDED CAB, 4X4 TRUCK. THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS FELT SPONGY. AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT THE "LOW" BRAKE PEDAL, MY DEALER ADVISED THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE MY REAR ROTORS REPAIRED & THE REAR BRAKE SHOES REPLACED., SO I HAD THE WORK DONE. ONE WEEK LATER, I AGAIN COMPL…
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MY COMPLAINT IS THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 EXTENDED CAB, 4X4 TRUCK. THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS FELT SPONGY. AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT THE "LOW" BRAKE PEDAL, MY DEALER ADVISED THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE MY REAR ROTORS REPAIRED & THE REAR BRAKE SHOES REPLACED., SO I HAD THE WORK DONE. ONE WEEK LATER, I AGAIN COMPLAINED THAT NOW WHEN I'M STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD GO EVEN LOWER. THE BRAKING SYSTEM WAS CHECKED OUT, THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS CHECKED, & I WAS TOLD EVERYTHING WAS OK, THERE WERE NO LEAKS. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS TRUCK. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF OWNING THE VEHICLE, THE WIPER BLADE WAS DEFECTIVE, THUS SCRATCHING THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD TO COMPLAIN TO GET THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED & THE WIPER REPAIRED. ALSO WITHING THE FIRST FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING, THE 4X4 SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE TRUCK WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 4 WHEEL DRIVE LOW. ANOTHER COMPLAINT THAT THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WAS THE WIND NOISE DUE TO A FAULTY DOOR GASKET ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THIS WAS NOT REPLACED, ONLY TEMPORARILY FIXED, WHICH ONLY CORRECTED THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT WHILE. RECENTLY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE O2 OXYGEN SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. WITHIN A MONTH, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, THIS TIME IT IS A STUCK OPEN VALVE SOLONOID DEALING WITH THE EMMISSION SYSTEM OF WHICH I WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATE OF 364.00 TO REAPAIR, THIS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OF THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD, & I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO TAKE THE TIME TO GET IT TO THE DEALER'S FOR REPAIRS. *AK
NHTSA ODI #10116382
51,000 miles · Feb 4, 2005
Engine And Engine Cooling
MAJOR REPAIRS FIRST THE AXLE SEAL STARTED LEAKING 24000 MILES,ALSO NOTIFIED MANUFACTURER DIDN'T GET REPAIR UNTIL , RETURN FOR CHECK AT 36000 ,I FIXED THE TRUCK MYSELF BECAUSE WASN'T GETTING SERVICE FROM DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY TRUCK,FLOW CHEVROLET,OF WINSTON SALEM. NOW I HAD NOTICED TICKING WHEN I WOULD START THE ENGINE …
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MAJOR REPAIRS FIRST THE AXLE SEAL STARTED LEAKING 24000 MILES,ALSO NOTIFIED MANUFACTURER DIDN'T GET REPAIR UNTIL , RETURN FOR CHECK AT 36000 ,I FIXED THE TRUCK MYSELF BECAUSE WASN'T GETTING SERVICE FROM DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY TRUCK,FLOW CHEVROLET,OF WINSTON SALEM. NOW I HAD NOTICED TICKING WHEN I WOULD START THE ENGINE COLD AND HAVE BEEN LEFT TO SETTLE WITH HAVING THE TRUCK REPAIRED WITH IT COSTING ME THE CONSUMER, EVEN IF ,THE DEALERSHIP I WORKING WITH ME. BUT AT 51000 OR BETTER I SHOULDN'T BEHAVING THESE TYPE OF REPAIRS. *JB
NHTSA ODI #10109818
5,000 miles · Dec 1, 2003
Engine And Engine CoolingEquipmentFire
2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 (V6) WAS APPARENTLY DESIGNED WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER EVAPORATOR COIL SITUATED OVER THE DISTRIBUTOR AND POINTS. THE CONDENSOR COIL DRIPS MOISTURE ONTO AND INTO THE DISTRIBUTOR CAUSING CORROSION. THIS CORROSION CAUSES THE ENGINE TO HESITATE AND VIBRATES EXCESSIVELY AT ACCELERATION TO 45 MPH. MY NEW…
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2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 (V6) WAS APPARENTLY DESIGNED WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER EVAPORATOR COIL SITUATED OVER THE DISTRIBUTOR AND POINTS. THE CONDENSOR COIL DRIPS MOISTURE ONTO AND INTO THE DISTRIBUTOR CAUSING CORROSION. THIS CORROSION CAUSES THE ENGINE TO HESITATE AND VIBRATES EXCESSIVELY AT ACCELERATION TO 45 MPH. MY NEW VEHICLE HAS ALREADY HAD THE DISTRIBUTOR AND POINTS REPLACED TO "REMEDY" THE SITUATION. THE DEALERSHIP WAS SUPPOSED TO WRAP THE CONDENSOR COIL WITH TAPE WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE CONDENSATE TO DRIP FURTHER INTO THE ENGINE BUT AS IT TURNS OUT THEY DIDN'T "GET AROUND" TO WRAPPING THE COILS. AS A RESULT, AFTER RUNNING THE A/C, THE ENGINE IS HESITATING AFTER ONLY 20 MILES OF DRIVING. THEY STATED THE FIX IS GOOD FOR AS LONG AS THE TAPE HOLDS UP. AFTER THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE MY PROBLEM TO PAY TO REPLACE THE DISTRIBUTOR EVERY 5 OR 10 THOUSAND MILES WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE. SO FAR, I HAVE CONTACTED 4 DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE HOUSTON AREA. EVERY SERVICE MANAGER HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM EXISTS ON ALL V6 ENGINES FOR THIS TRUCK FOR YEARS 2002 AND 2003. THE SALES STAFF WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THEY EVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM. I AM AWARE OF 3 OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM BUT THEIR DEALERS WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEM EXISTS.*AK
NHTSA ODI #10049016
Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling
VEHICLE STALLS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND THE AIR FLOW CONTROL SENSOR, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*AK
NHTSA ODI #10042424
Mileage unknown · Apr 1, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling
2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO GOES INTO "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" MODE. THE TRUCK HAS DONE THIS 3 TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK. IF IT HAPPENS WHILE TRYING TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD RESULT. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT THE REAL CONCERN IS TO HAVE A COMPUTER ABLE TO CONTROL THE ENGINE SPEED IS DANGEROUS. A…
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2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO GOES INTO "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" MODE. THE TRUCK HAS DONE THIS 3 TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK. IF IT HAPPENS WHILE TRYING TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD RESULT. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT THE REAL CONCERN IS TO HAVE A COMPUTER ABLE TO CONTROL THE ENGINE SPEED IS DANGEROUS. AT ANY TIME IT COULD REDUCE ENGINE POWER WITHOUT THE DRIVER HAVING ANY CONTROL.*JB
NHTSA ODI #10013763
Mileage unknown · Feb 28, 2003
Engine And Engine CoolingVehicle Speed Control
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE, AND NOT STARTING AT TIMES.*JB
NHTSA ODI #10009582
NHTSA investigations
3EA11001 · 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.
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