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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

Service Brakes complaints

273 reports
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71,415 miles · Aug 24, 2014
Service Brakes

I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN IN A PARKING LOT. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I WENT THROUGH THE STOP SIGN. ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD TO SLAM ON ITS BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS USELESS FOR STOPPING THE VEHICLE IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION BECAUSE ITS FOOT PEDAL IS POSITIONED SO HIGH YOU CANNOT ST…

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I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN IN A PARKING LOT. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I WENT THROUGH THE STOP SIGN. ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD TO SLAM ON ITS BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS USELESS FOR STOPPING THE VEHICLE IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION BECAUSE ITS FOOT PEDAL IS POSITIONED SO HIGH YOU CANNOT STEP ON IT IN TIME. THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY FAILURE OF A RUSTED THROUGH STEEL BRAKE LINE THAT RAN FROM THE ABS MODULE TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. IT PROVIDED THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE FOR BOTH REAR BRAKES.THE POINT WHERE IT RUSTED THROUGH IS ABOVE THE GAS TANK COVER AND NOT VISIBLE FOR INSPECTION. I REALIZE THAT THE TRUCK IS 11 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN USED IN THE NORTHEAST BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY SERIOUS BODY RUST AND HAS RECEIVED REASONABLE CARE. IT ALSO HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE. THE "DUAL DIAGONAL BRAKE SYSTEM" DID NOT FUNCTION TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE BRAKING ACTION. IT PROVIDED NO NOTICEABLE BRAKING ACTION. THIS IS ABOUT AS SERIOUS A SAFETY DEFECT AS I CAN IMAGINE. I AM LUCKY IT HAPPENED AT LOW SPEED AND I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A COLLISION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10627910

91,122 miles · Aug 24, 2014
Service Brakes

I WAS TRAVELING EAST ON A ROADWAY IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE I LIVE, AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. WHEN I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 PICK-UP TRUCK AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND " I HAD NO BRAKES!" I NEARLY CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS TRAVELING THRU THE INTERSECTION. I WAS …

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I WAS TRAVELING EAST ON A ROADWAY IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE I LIVE, AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. WHEN I WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES ON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 PICK-UP TRUCK AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND " I HAD NO BRAKES!" I NEARLY CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS TRAVELING THRU THE INTERSECTION. I WAS NEAR MY HOME AND WAS ABLE TO TRAVEL SLOWLY HOME AND DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LINE, NEAR THE REAR (BED AREA) OF THE TRUCK HAD EXPLODED DUE TO A HIGH VOLUME OF RUST IN WHICH I DISCOVERED THAT ENTIRE BRAKE LINE WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. BRAKE FLUID HAD SPEWED EVERYWHERE. I FEEL THAT THIS DEFINITELY IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT PEOPLE COULD BE INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO THE ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH AND HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS BECOMING A HUGE ISSUE WITH GM TRUCKS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A "NORMAL WEAR ISSUE" FOR A 2003 MODEL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10627887

300,000 miles · Aug 20, 2014
Service Brakes

I WAS APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION AND THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND MY BRAKES WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR NOT ABLE TO A STOP, I SPEED UP LITTLE TO MAKE IT THRU THE LIGHT AND PULLED OVER IN TO A VACANT LOT TO I CAME TO A STOP. THEN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND SERVICE BRAKES SYSTEM POPPED UP. I GOT OUT MY TRUCK WA…

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I WAS APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION AND THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND MY BRAKES WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR NOT ABLE TO A STOP, I SPEED UP LITTLE TO MAKE IT THRU THE LIGHT AND PULLED OVER IN TO A VACANT LOT TO I CAME TO A STOP. THEN THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND SERVICE BRAKES SYSTEM POPPED UP. I GOT OUT MY TRUCK WAS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID FROM DRIVER SIDE UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT. BRAKE LINES BUSTED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10626921

169,000 miles · Aug 18, 2014
Service Brakes

I WAS APPROACHING MD HIGHWAY 97 ON NICODEMUS ROAD WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING EFFECT. FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLE WAS COMING AS I COULD NOT STOP. THE PARKING BRAKE WAS INSUFFICENT FOR STOPPING THE TRUCK. I FINALLY HAD TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE TO STOP. ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES …

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I WAS APPROACHING MD HIGHWAY 97 ON NICODEMUS ROAD WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO BRAKING EFFECT. FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLE WAS COMING AS I COULD NOT STOP. THE PARKING BRAKE WAS INSUFFICENT FOR STOPPING THE TRUCK. I FINALLY HAD TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE TO STOP. ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES NEAR THE ABS UNIT HAD BURST DUE TO RUST. ALL OF THE LINES AT THAT LOCATION WERE RUSTY. I REPLACED ALL LINES WITH STAINLESS STEEL LINES FROM AN AFTER-MARKET SUPPLIER. I SEE THAT THE FUEL LINES NEAR THAT LOCATION ARE ALSO RUSTY AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI #10625959

80,000 miles · Aug 15, 2014
Service Brakes

TRAVELING AT ABOUT 20 MPH INTO A CONGESTED INTERSECTION APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL GAVE NORMAL RESISTANCE, THE ABOUT A SECOND LATER WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THINKING MY BRAKE FLUID WAS LOW, I ADDED 12 OZ OF DOT 3 FLUID, PUMPED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES AND DISCOVERE…

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TRAVELING AT ABOUT 20 MPH INTO A CONGESTED INTERSECTION APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL GAVE NORMAL RESISTANCE, THE ABOUT A SECOND LATER WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THINKING MY BRAKE FLUID WAS LOW, I ADDED 12 OZ OF DOT 3 FLUID, PUMPED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES AND DISCOVERED THAT ALL THE FLUID WAS POURING OUT OF THE REAR BRAKE LINES. HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO GET IT HOME. UPON DAYLIGHT INSPECTION FOUND THAT ALL OF THE REAR LINES ON THE TRUCK WERE IN A RUSTED CONDITION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10622553

110,000 miles · Aug 13, 2014
Service Brakes

RUSTED BRAKE LINES CAUSED BRAKE LINE TO BURST AND NO LONGER FUNCTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10622141

76,112 miles · Aug 13, 2014
Service Brakes

I WAS GETTING READY TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT WHEN THE BRAKES ON THE TRUCK FAILED. THE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR WHEN PRESSED. AFTER PARKING THE TRUCK AND LOOKING AT THE BRAKE LINE (METAL LINE) ABOVE THE REAR-END HAD RUSTED CAUSING THE TUBE TO WEAKEN AND CRACK. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10622019

65,000 miles · Aug 13, 2014
Service Brakes

THE BRAKES WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING ALL BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10622003

81,000 miles · Aug 12, 2014
Service Brakes

MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME AND I WAS TOWING MY BROTHER IN LAWS SMALL TRACTOR ON MY DAD'S TANDEM AXLE TRAILER. WE HAD ALREADY DROVE ABOUT 20 MILES AND COMING UP TO THEIR HOUSE TURN OFF. I TURNED INTO THERE DRIVEWAY AND STARTED TO TURN SO WE COULD THEN BACK UP THE TRAILER TO HIS BARN TO UNLOAD HIS TRACTOR. THE TRUCK STOPPED …

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MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME AND I WAS TOWING MY BROTHER IN LAWS SMALL TRACTOR ON MY DAD'S TANDEM AXLE TRAILER. WE HAD ALREADY DROVE ABOUT 20 MILES AND COMING UP TO THEIR HOUSE TURN OFF. I TURNED INTO THERE DRIVEWAY AND STARTED TO TURN SO WE COULD THEN BACK UP THE TRAILER TO HIS BARN TO UNLOAD HIS TRACTOR. THE TRUCK STOPPED PERFECTLY BUT THE BRAKES FELT WEIRD AT THAT POINT SO WHEN COMPLETELY STOPPED I PUT INTO PARK THEN WE GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK AND UNLOADED THE TRACTOR AND WHEN WE WAS UNLOADING THE TRACTOR I WENT UP TO THE CAB OF THE TRUCK AND OPENED THE DOOR BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL SO THE FRONT BRAKES WOULD HELP HOLD MY TRUCK IN PLACE WHEN THE WEIGHT OF THE TRACTOR HIT THE BACK OF THE TRAILER WHICH IN TURN WOULD MAKE THE REAR OF MY TRUCK REALLY LIGHT. WHEN I HIT THE PEDAL IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR ABSOLUTELY NO PEDAL AT ALL. THEN I NOTICED THE SMELL OF BRAKE FLUID THEN LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK AND SURE ENOUGH BRAKE FLUID EVERYWHERE RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. I CRAWLED UNDER THE EDGE OF THE TRUCK JUST A BIT AND NOTICE ALL THE BRAKE LINES RIGHT THERE IN ONE AREA BUT THE ONE HAD BUSTED/SPLIT. SO I KIND OF NOTICE ALL THE OTHER ONES ALL IN THAT AREA WERE REALLY RUSTED UP SOME AS WELL. IT ALMOST IN THAT AREA ONLY LOOKED AS IF THE TRUCK HAD 200,000 MILES ON IT BUT JUST ON THE BRAKE LINES NOTHING ELSE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I ONLY HAVE TWO VEHICLES AND I WORKED IN TWO DAYS SO I WENT TO MY LOCAL AUTOPARTS STORE AND BOUGHT WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO FIX THE TRUCK. GOT HOME AND STARTED IN ON IT. AND REALIZED I DIDN'T HAVE ONE FITTING I NEEDED SO LUCKILY FOR ME MY DAD WAS ALREADY OUT AND HE PICKED UP WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE PART. NEEDLESS TO SAY WHEN HE GOT TO MY PLACE THE PARTS THEY GAVE HIM WASN'T THE CORRECT PARTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10621895

38,000 miles · Aug 1, 2014
Parking BrakeService Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKES FAILED INCREASING THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT, THE FRONT AND THE REAR BRAKE LINES WAS CORRODED AND RUSTED. …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKES FAILED INCREASING THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT, THE FRONT AND THE REAR BRAKE LINES WAS CORRODED AND RUSTED. IN ADDITION, THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ACTUATOR WAS RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

NHTSA ODI #10618214

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.