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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

805 reports
103,000 miles · Aug 1, 2014
Service Brakes

WITHOUT WARNING, LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY, MY HUSBAND WAS ON HIS WAY TO PICK OUR 2 YEAR OLD UP FROM THE BABYSITTER AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. A WARNING ALARM SIMULTANEOUSLY ALERTED ME OF THE BRAKE FAILURE. THANKFULLY, THIS HAPPENED IN OUR DRIVEWAY ON THE WAY TO PICK UP OUR CHILD! I CAN'T IMAGINE THE POTENTIAL TRAGEDY H…

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WITHOUT WARNING, LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY, MY HUSBAND WAS ON HIS WAY TO PICK OUR 2 YEAR OLD UP FROM THE BABYSITTER AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. A WARNING ALARM SIMULTANEOUSLY ALERTED ME OF THE BRAKE FAILURE. THANKFULLY, THIS HAPPENED IN OUR DRIVEWAY ON THE WAY TO PICK UP OUR CHILD! I CAN'T IMAGINE THE POTENTIAL TRAGEDY HAD IT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD. UPON INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES, THEY WERE SERIOUSLY RUSTED AND PRACTICALLY CRUMBLED IN MY HUSBAND'S HANDS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10618138

160,000 miles · Jul 30, 2014
StructureTires

ON FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2014 WHILE ON A FRIENDS PROPERTY IN PLACERVILLE, CA, MY SPARE TIRE FELL OFF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BED OF MY TRUCK. I'D BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW IN 2003 AND DON'T RECALL EVER HAVING USED THE TIRE SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW. I WAS ABLE TO FIND A COUPLE OF THE PARTS THAT SECURED THE SPARE UNDER THE BED OF THE TRUCK. IN ON…

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ON FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2014 WHILE ON A FRIENDS PROPERTY IN PLACERVILLE, CA, MY SPARE TIRE FELL OFF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BED OF MY TRUCK. I'D BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW IN 2003 AND DON'T RECALL EVER HAVING USED THE TIRE SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW. I WAS ABLE TO FIND A COUPLE OF THE PARTS THAT SECURED THE SPARE UNDER THE BED OF THE TRUCK. IN ONE SENSE, I WAS GLAD IT DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE ON A FREEWAY DOING 65 MPH. WHAT A CATASTROPHE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR OTHER DRIVERS BEHIND ME. THE VEHICLE IS NOT USED FOR OFF-ROAD PURPOSES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10617769

195,828 miles · Jul 28, 2014
Service Brakes

WHILE APPROACHING A LEFT TURN AND APPLYING THE BRAKES TO SLOW FROM 45 MPH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH LITTLE FORCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BRAKING PROCESS. THE VEHICLE WAS ROLLING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND SHIFTING…

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WHILE APPROACHING A LEFT TURN AND APPLYING THE BRAKES TO SLOW FROM 45 MPH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH LITTLE FORCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BRAKING PROCESS. THE VEHICLE WAS ROLLING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND SHIFTING INTO PARK. AFTER INSPECTION OF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE THERE WAS A SMALL HOLE IN THE REAR DRIVERS BRAKE LINE APPROXIMATELY 3 INCHES AHEAD OF THE UNION JOINT JOINING THE FLEXIBLE BRAKE LINE T TO THE STEEL BRAKE LINE RUNNING FROM THE ABS UNIT. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE LINE AS WELL AS THE REMAINING BRAKE LINES APPEARED TO BE SEVERELY CORRODED AND IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10616794

70,000 miles · Jul 25, 2014
Service Brakes

DRIVING TRUCK OUT OF PARKING AREA AT HOUSE ENTERING STREET AND BOTH BRAKE LINES SUPPLY TO ABS BROKE. THIS LEFT ME WITH NO BRAKES TO FRONT OR BACK. JUST ENOUGH BRAKE FLUID TO SLOW DOWN TO MAKE THE TURN BACK INTO PARKING AREA BEHIND MY HOUSE. HAD TO USE PARKING BRAKE TO FULLY STOP TRUCK. CALLED FOR A FLAT BED TRUCK TO HAUL MY …

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DRIVING TRUCK OUT OF PARKING AREA AT HOUSE ENTERING STREET AND BOTH BRAKE LINES SUPPLY TO ABS BROKE. THIS LEFT ME WITH NO BRAKES TO FRONT OR BACK. JUST ENOUGH BRAKE FLUID TO SLOW DOWN TO MAKE THE TURN BACK INTO PARKING AREA BEHIND MY HOUSE. HAD TO USE PARKING BRAKE TO FULLY STOP TRUCK. CALLED FOR A FLAT BED TRUCK TO HAUL MY TRUCK TO LOCAL AUTO SHOP TO HAVE BRAKES REPAIRED. THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM LINES HAD TO BE REPLACED ,CORROSION PROBLEM !. $1000 BRAKE LINE REPAIR. COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS TIME IF I WAS ON THE BUSY STREET ONE MORE BLOCK FARTHER IN MY TRAVEL.SECOND TIME BRAKE LINE BROKE ON THIS TRUCK. ^ MONTHS AGO REPLACED ONE LINE ON BACK BRAKE, SAME PROBLEM.NOW LINES UNDER DRIVERS CAB BOTH BROKE UNDER PEDAL STRESS. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN ON BOTH LINES. HAD MANY OTHER TRUCKS AND CARS AND NEVER SAW SUCH POOR QUALITY BRAKE LINES. IF THIS HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TELL ABOUT IT.WIFE WAS IN TRUCK ALSO AND PULLING A 14FT BOAT.ANY DAMAGES OR BODILY INJURY WOULD BE PUT ON GM AND THEIR FAULTY PRODUCT SELECTION OF BRAKE LINES. SHOULD BE A RECALL YEARS AGO. THOUSANDS OF GM TRUCK OWNERS HAVE PROBLEMS. MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY HAVE HAD SAME BRAKE LINE PROBLEMS. ONLY 70,000 MILES ON TRUCK. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10616188

148,591 miles · Jul 18, 2014
Electrical SystemEngineVisibility

I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH ON A SMOOTH PAVED COUNTY ROAD WITH MY A/C ON. IT WAS ABOUT 78 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I HAD THE A/C RUNNING ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE AIR JUST TURNED WARM. I TRIED 3 TIMES TURNING OFF THE A/C AND BACK ON, AND THE AIR FAILED TO COOL. I STOPPED THE TRUCK, TURNED THE A/C ON, GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT T…

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I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH ON A SMOOTH PAVED COUNTY ROAD WITH MY A/C ON. IT WAS ABOUT 78 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I HAD THE A/C RUNNING ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE AIR JUST TURNED WARM. I TRIED 3 TIMES TURNING OFF THE A/C AND BACK ON, AND THE AIR FAILED TO COOL. I STOPPED THE TRUCK, TURNED THE A/C ON, GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT THE A/C COMPRESSOR. THE A/C COMPRESSOR WAS NOT ENGAGING. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS UNDETERMINED. 2 OTHER MECHANICS FAILED TO FIND THE PROBLEM AS WELL. THE SYSTEM WAS CHARGED CORRECTLY, NOT LEAKING, AND EVEN REPLACED THE HVAC CONTROL MODULE AND THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED. THERE ARE MANY OTHER CASES JUST LIKE MINE AND I WOULD LIKE GM TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM. I AM PROUD TO BE A GM CUSTOMER AND HAVE ALWAYS LIKED MY GM PICKUPS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10614631

124,000 miles · Jul 17, 2014
Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE.…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000. ..UPDATED 08-28-14 *BF UPDATED 09/16/2014 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10611225

27,000 miles · Jul 16, 2014
Service BrakesService Brakes, Hydraulic

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL SANK INTO THE FLOORBOARD. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE LINE CORRODED AND LEAKED BRAKE FLUID. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE BEFORE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL SANK INTO THE FLOORBOARD. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE LINE CORRODED AND LEAKED BRAKE FLUID. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE BEFORE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 27,000.

NHTSA ODI #10610985

32,000 miles · Jul 15, 2014
Parking BrakeService Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BACKING PLATE FOR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. AS A RESULT, THE BACKING PLATE, BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED BUT THE FAILU…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BACKING PLATE FOR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. AS A RESULT, THE BACKING PLATE, BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL ABNORMALLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND THAT THE BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED AND FRACTURED CAUSING AN EXTENSIVE LEAK. AS A RESULT, THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V045000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V161000 (PARKING BRAKE). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

NHTSA ODI #10610680

109,428 miles · Jul 15, 2014
Service Brakes

TRAVELING NORTH ON 95 JUST OUTSIDE OF WILMINGTON DELAWARE IN MIDDLE TRAVEL LANES WHEN STOPPING FOR TRAFFIC AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO FLOOR. HAD TO VEER TO THE LEFT AND TRAVEL ONTO MEDIUM TO AVOID ACCIDENT. I CHECKED UNDER TRUCK AND OBSERVED BRAKE LINE LEAKING FLUID UNDER DRIVERS SIDE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10610646

114,000 miles · Jul 15, 2014
Service Brakes

HAD TO MAKE QUICK STOP AND REQUIRED ME TO STEP ON BRAKES FAIRLY HARD. BLEW A BRAKE LINE AND LOST ALL BRAKES. WAS ABLE TO SERVE TO AVOID ACCIDENT, AND THEN USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP MYSELF. HAD TRUCK TAKEN TO SHOP, ALL BRAKE LINES WERE EXTREMELY RUSTED AND REQUIRED REPLACING. $1000+ JOB. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10610593

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.