2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

TRAVELING NORTH ON HWY 41 APPROACHING CONSTRUCTION ZONE NORTH OF NEW HIGH SCHOOL, SEMI TRUCK DECIDED TO CHANGE LANES TO AVOID CONGESTION AHEAD AND DID NOT CHECK FOR TRAFFIC IN THE LANE HE MOVED TO. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 4 CAR LENGTHS BEHIND HIM AND REQUIRED TO JAM ON BRAKES. PEDAL WENT NEARLY TO THE FLOOR AND VIRTUALLY NO BRAKING POWER WAS FELT. I PUMPED BREAKS BUT THE PEDAL CONSISTENTLY PUSHED TO ABOUT 1/2" FROM THE FLOOR. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO AVERT COLLISION BY SWITCHING LANES (SHOULDER) AND TURNED ON FLASHERS. I SLOWED TO ABOUT 25 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED OVER TO THE NEAREST SAFE SPOT. FIRST I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID - WHICH WAS DOWN FROM THE WEEKEND SIGNIFICANTLY. THEN I LOOKED AT THE WHEELS AND THEY LOOKED OK. CRAWLING UNDER THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS FLUID DRIPPING FROM THE GAS TANK AREA, FROM THE CABLES FOR THE EMERGENCY BREAK, SPRAY OVER THE SPARE TIRE AND SPRAY ON THE INSIDE OF THE PASSENGER REAR TIRE. ALL LIQUID (WHICH APPEARED TO BE BRAKE FLUID) WAS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN I ARRIVED HOME, I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK & INSPECTED MORE CLOSELY. THERE WERE APPARENTLY 2 SPOTS WHERE THE BRAKE LINES HAD CORRODED (ONE WAS NOT VISIBLE - ABOVE THE GAS TANK - BUT OBVIOUSLY THE MAJOR LEAK WAS THERE). THE SECOND LEAK WAS FROM THE STEEL LINE THAT JOINED NEAR THE RUBBER BRAKE LINE ON THE LEFT REAR WHEEL. TRUCK IS NOT DRIVABLE AT 41000 MILES. *TR

ANOTHER 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 EXT. CAB BRAKE LINE RUPTURE. THE LINE BROKE UNDER THE CAB BY THE DRIVERS DOOR, AND THIS LEFT ME WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKES. GENERAL MOTORS CLAIMS THERE WILL STILL BE LIMITED BRAKING FORCE, NOT SO! I WAS STOPPING AT A CROSSWALK PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AND I STARTED TO STOP, REDUCED SPEED TO ABOUT 10 MPH AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR, THERE WAS NO BRAKING FORCE LEFT AT ALL. I WENT THROUGH THE CROSS WALK AND STOPPED WITH THE PARKING BRAKE DOWN THE STREET. I HAD TO STEER INTO THE OTHER LANE TO AVOID THE PEDESTRIAN AND ANOTHER CAR. I LIVE IN ATLANTIC CANADA, SIMILAR CLIMATE TO NEW ENGLAND, I JUST THOUGH I WOULD ADD MY INCIDENT TO YOUR FILE AS THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS BY GM, I AM ALSO INFORMING TRANSPORT CANADA, AND GM CANADA. WE ALL KNOW BRAKE LINES CORRODE, BUT THE BRAKING SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE A REDUNDANCY, THIS IS THE ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES THE MASTER CYLINDER DOES NOT WORK THIS WAY. WE HAVE ANNUAL SAFETY INSPECTIONS IN NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA AND THIS WAS DONE AT THE GM DEALERSHIP IN MARCH, 2014, THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO IN THE GM DEALERSHIP IN SEPT., 2014 FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THE BRAKE LINE BROKE A FEW WEEKS LATER. I REALIZE THIS IS AN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION, BUT A LOT OF CANADIAN CARS ARE ON YOUR ROADS, I AM ADDING THIS INCIDENT TO THE FAILURE LIST, THE TRUCK WAS BUILT IN TEXAS. I CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK AFTER THIS INCIDENT AND THE BRAKE LINES ARE ALL RUSTED OUT AND NEED REPLACEMENT BEFORE THIS TRUCK IS SAFE TO BE ON THE ROAD. I AM SURE THERE ALL LOTS OF THESE BRAKES LINES READY TO FAIL ON THESE TRUCKS. *TR

APPROACHING A RED LIGHT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCK HAD IT THAT I PROCEEDED THROUGH THE RED LIGHT AND THE INTERSECTION WITHOUT BEING INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. UPON INSPECTION, BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING BEHIND THE FRONT WHEEL DRIVER SIDE. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRUCK IS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH THE EXCEPTION FOR THE BRAKE LINES. ALL THE BRAKE LINES WERE EXTREMELY CORRODED. IT IS OBVIOUS IN THE APPEARANCE, THAT THE MATERIAL USED TO MAKE THE BRAKE LINES WERE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE CORROSION RESISTANCE OF THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKE LINE FAILED TO THE FRONT BRAKES. THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH REMAINING BRAKING BY THE REAR BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE VEHICLE HAD SAT OVERNIGHT AND I STARTED IT TO DRIVE IT TO WORK THE NEXT MORNING. AS I WAS SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE, THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO GO DOWN FARTHER THAN USUAL BUT ALLOWED ME TO SHIFT AS EXPECTED. AS I STARTED MOVING BACKWARDS, AFTER TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND WERE NOT WORKING. THE SERVICE LIGHTS APPEARED AND I BELIEVE THE CHIME SOUNDED. I DID NOT HAVE ANY BRAKING ABILITY SO I APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. IT WAS DISCOVERED ONE OF THE METAL LINES ON THE REAR HAD RUPTURED/FAILED DUE TO CORROSION AND ALL OF THE FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT. I FEEL EXTREMELY LUCKY THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN BUSY TRAFFIC OR APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WITH STOPPED VEHICLES AND TAVELING AT A MUCH HIGHER SPEED BECAUSE I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP OR REACT QUICK ENOUGH TO APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND EVEN IF I HAD ATTEMPTED IT, I DOUBT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN TIME. *TR

ALL THE TRUCK BRAKE LINES ARE RUSTED AND A LEAK SPRUNG UP ON THE SECTION UNDER THE RADIATOR FEEDING THE PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL. HAVE LOOKED THE ENTIRE US FOR PARTS AND GM HAS A IMPROVED NYLON COATED PART NUMBER 22932587 THEY HAVE APPARENTLY DISCONTINUED. NUMEROUS SITES POINT TO AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION OF SUCH VEHICLES WITH A DOCUMENTED FAILURE RATE OF 1:1000. THE QUESTION...IF THE FAILURE RATE IS THIS HIGH, AND IT HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2010 - WHY IS GM NOT BEING PRESSURED TO MAKE THIS RIGHT WITH CUSTOMERS? THIS REPAIR MAY COST ME APPROX $1800.00 AND THAT IS A LOT CONSIDERING THE DEFECT IS SO WIDELY KNOWN. *TR

AFTER RUNNING ERRANDS I WAS RETURNING HOME AND WHEN I CAME DOWN MY STREET THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK.THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY I WAS TRAVELING SLOW AND WAS ABLE TO STOP WITH MY E-BRAKE. I LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK AND FOUND BRAKE FLUID DRIPPING UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR. THE BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED . I GOT THE TRUCK TO A BRAKE SHOP WHERE THEY FOUND ALL OF MY BRAKE LINES WERE BADLY RUSTED AND IT COST APPROX. $1000.00 TO REPAIR.I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY CHEVROLET WOULD MAKE STAINLESS STEEL EXHAUST BUT NOT STAINLESS STEEL BRAKE LINES. THIS TRUCK HAS ONLY 27000 MILES ON IT. *TR