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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

Power Train complaints

26 reports
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84,000 miles · Jul 23, 2009
Power Train

I WAS HEADING DOWN INTERSTATE RUNNING AROUND 70 MPH. NEXT THING I KNEW I WAS RED LINE ON MY RPM AND WAS SLOWING DOWN. HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK CAUSE TRANSMISSION WAS TORE SLAP OUT. I MOSTLY DRIVE ABOUT 70 MILES ROUND TRIP 5 DAYS A WEEK TO MY JOB OTHER THAN IT SETS IN THE DRIVE WAY. AFTER A BIG TOW BILL TO HOME I HAVE TO PAY AGAI…

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I WAS HEADING DOWN INTERSTATE RUNNING AROUND 70 MPH. NEXT THING I KNEW I WAS RED LINE ON MY RPM AND WAS SLOWING DOWN. HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK CAUSE TRANSMISSION WAS TORE SLAP OUT. I MOSTLY DRIVE ABOUT 70 MILES ROUND TRIP 5 DAYS A WEEK TO MY JOB OTHER THAN IT SETS IN THE DRIVE WAY. AFTER A BIG TOW BILL TO HOME I HAVE TO PAY AGAIN TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE SHOP AND FIND OUT IT WILL BE A $1800 REPAIR. I HAVE BEEN A CHEVY OWNER ALL MY LIFE. HAD A 98 MODEL TRUCK JUST LIKE IT WENT TILL I ROLLED 250,000 ON IT WITH ONLY MINOR PROBLEMS. AND THIS ONE DOESN'T EVEN MAKE 85,000. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278069

75,123 miles · May 18, 2009
Power Train

NOTICED ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO THAT WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE ACCESSORY POSITION THAT I CAN SLIP THE GEAR SHAFT INTO DRIVE, REVERSE, WHATEVER, WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. ALSO HAVE NOTICED THIS ON MULTIPLE 2006-2007 CHEVY EXPRESS VANS. WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE START POSITION OR ENGINE IS STARTED THAT THE BRAKE NEEDS TO…

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NOTICED ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO THAT WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE ACCESSORY POSITION THAT I CAN SLIP THE GEAR SHAFT INTO DRIVE, REVERSE, WHATEVER, WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. ALSO HAVE NOTICED THIS ON MULTIPLE 2006-2007 CHEVY EXPRESS VANS. WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE START POSITION OR ENGINE IS STARTED THAT THE BRAKE NEEDS TO BE DEPRESSED TO PLACE INTO GEAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10269293

45,000 miles · Feb 20, 2009
Power Train

THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT ONLY 45,000 MILES. HAD TRUCK TOWED TO DEALER. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE A BROKEN FORWARD CLUTCH. VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (6 YRS OLD), SO WE CONTACTED GM DIRECTLY FOR ASSISTANCE. THEY REFUSED ASSISTANCE, DUE TO AGE OF THE VEHICLE, IGNORING THE FACT THAT IT ONLY HAD 45,000 MILES ON IT. TH…

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THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT ONLY 45,000 MILES. HAD TRUCK TOWED TO DEALER. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE A BROKEN FORWARD CLUTCH. VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (6 YRS OLD), SO WE CONTACTED GM DIRECTLY FOR ASSISTANCE. THEY REFUSED ASSISTANCE, DUE TO AGE OF THE VEHICLE, IGNORING THE FACT THAT IT ONLY HAD 45,000 MILES ON IT. THE REPAIRS COST NEARLY $2,000. GM ALSO REFUSED TO WARRANTY THE LABOR COSTS OF THE JOB. THE WARRANTY AFTER THE REPAIR JOB ONLY COVERS PARTS FOR 12 MTHS / 12,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10259436

Mileage unknown · Feb 1, 2009
Power Train

THE TRANSMISSION/DRIVE LINE SHIFTS HARD AND SEEMS TO BE IN A BIND DURING SHIFTING OPERATIONS. THERE ARE LOUD BANGING NOISES COMING FROM THE DRIVELINE/AXLES. THERE ALSO NOW SEEMS TO BE FLUID LEAKAGE FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AXLE HOUSING. I CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL AND HAD TO ADD ONE PINT OF AXLE OIL TO THE AXLE UNIT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10257082

120,835 miles · Aug 18, 2008
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

THE TRUCK WAS PURCHASED THE 17TH OF JUNE AND TWO WKS LATER THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ITS WAS REAL HARD TO GET IN 2ND GEAR. WE TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT OUT FOR US. THE PROBLEMS ARE THERE IS NO CAT CONVERTER,TWO SEALS AND A SENSOR THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. NOT TO MENTION 2ND GEAR IS MESSED .T…

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THE TRUCK WAS PURCHASED THE 17TH OF JUNE AND TWO WKS LATER THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ITS WAS REAL HARD TO GET IN 2ND GEAR. WE TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND THEY CHECKED IT OUT FOR US. THE PROBLEMS ARE THERE IS NO CAT CONVERTER,TWO SEALS AND A SENSOR THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. NOT TO MENTION 2ND GEAR IS MESSED .THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD US AND GAVE US THE LIST OF THINGS WRONG AND THEY ARE THE 2ND GEAR ,THE SYNCHRONI,3ND GEAR,SYNCHRONI AND THE RING IN FIRST. ALL THIS IS TO DO WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND THE CAT CONVERTER. A AND Z AUTOS GOT MAD THAT WE TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER. THEY KEEP GIVING US THE RUN AROUND AND HAVE NOT FIXED THE TRUCK YET AND THEY STILL HAVE IT AT THEIR SHOP. THEY WILL NOT RETURN OUR CALLS . *TR

NHTSA ODI #10238794

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2007
Power Train

AT APPROXIMATELY 50000 MILES I NOTICED AN OIL LEAK FROM THE TRANSFER CASE IN THE 2003 SILVERADO Z71. I TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER IN MY AREA, WHO DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAULTY TOP SEAL ON THE TRANSFER CASE, AND CHARGED ME $500 FOR THE REPAIR AS THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. TWO WEEKS LATER AND LESS THAN 1000 MILES …

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AT APPROXIMATELY 50000 MILES I NOTICED AN OIL LEAK FROM THE TRANSFER CASE IN THE 2003 SILVERADO Z71. I TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER IN MY AREA, WHO DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAULTY TOP SEAL ON THE TRANSFER CASE, AND CHARGED ME $500 FOR THE REPAIR AS THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. TWO WEEKS LATER AND LESS THAN 1000 MILES I NOTICED THE SAME AREA WAS LEAKING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER, AND THE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME YOU HAVE PIN HOLES IN THE SIDE OF YOUR CASE. IT' WAS LIKE A FLAW IN THE CASTING. THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD CLEAN IT OFF AND APPLY A LAYER OF JB WELD EPOXY TO IT TO SEAL IT UP. HOWEVER, 3000 MILES LATER WAS STILL WAS LEAKING. AFTER A WEEK OF WAITING AND MISSING PHONE CALLS GM CUSTOMER CARE AND THE DEALER TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSFER CASE AND THEY WOULD GLADLY PAY HALF OF THE REPAIR, $875 WOULD BE MY HALF AS THE TRUCK WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10196559

126,000 miles · Jul 5, 2007
Electrical SystemPower Train

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WITH THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION, A PASSENGER TURNED THE KEYS ONE NOTCH. THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION, WHICH CAUSED IT TO ROLL FORWARD. THE PASSENGER DID NOT HAVE HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AT ANY POINT. THE SERVICE MANAGE…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WITH THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION, A PASSENGER TURNED THE KEYS ONE NOTCH. THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION, WHICH CAUSED IT TO ROLL FORWARD. THE PASSENGER DID NOT HAVE HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AT ANY POINT. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IS ABLE TO DO THAT FOR TOWING PURPOSES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 126,000. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN PURCHASING THE VEHICLE HE WAS INFORMED YOU WOULD HAVE TO PUSH ON THE BRAKE IN ORDER TO TRANSMISSION OUT OF BRAKE POSITION AND WAS ALARMED TO FIND THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS THE ONLY VEHICLE THAT HAS THE DEFECT. THE CONSUMER STATED WOULD LIKE THE DANGEROUS DEFECT INVESTIGATE IT AS IT IS UNSAFE FOR NOT ONLY HIM BUT ALSO CHILDREN THAT COULD EASILY GET INTO THE VEHICLE AND MOVE THE IT. UPDATED 08/24/07 *TR

NHTSA ODI #10195436

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

80,217 miles · May 7, 2007
Power TrainStructure

TRUCK DIED. LOST DASHBOARD FUNCTIONS, NO ENGINE CRANK, PCM FAILURE. HAD TO HAVE TOWED FROM SIDE OF EXPRESSWAY TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. FOUND OUT PCM WAS BAD ,AND HAD TO REPLACED. RARITY, BUT COINCIDENTAL WHEN IT HAPPENED JUST 217 MILES OVER THE 80,000 MILE GM WARRANTY TIME FRAME. IT WAS ALMOST A $800 BILL THAT …

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TRUCK DIED. LOST DASHBOARD FUNCTIONS, NO ENGINE CRANK, PCM FAILURE. HAD TO HAVE TOWED FROM SIDE OF EXPRESSWAY TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. FOUND OUT PCM WAS BAD ,AND HAD TO REPLACED. RARITY, BUT COINCIDENTAL WHEN IT HAPPENED JUST 217 MILES OVER THE 80,000 MILE GM WARRANTY TIME FRAME. IT WAS ALMOST A $800 BILL THAT I HAD TO FORK OUT SINCE THERE WAS NO MORE WARRANTY.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10190097

39,990 miles · Feb 16, 2007
Power Train

SERVICE 4WD MESSAGE COMES ON, LOOSE ALL 4WD CAPABILITY. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING TO WORK IN SNOW, THUS CAUSING A SAFETY CONCERN. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10182773

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.