2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

OCCASIONALLY, THE BRAKE WERE WOULD BECOME SPONGY AND DEPRESS LOWER. THERE WAS NEVER ANY WARNING LIGHTS. ON THE 15TH OF SEPTEMBER 2013, I WENT TO PICK UP MY BOAT FOR A DAY AT A LAKE. THE SPEED LIMIT IS 70MPH ALONG THE STRETCH OF INTERSTATE TO THE LAKE. I STOPPED BY THE STORAGE OFFICE THEN PROCEEDED TO BACK UP TO GO TO THE STORAGE YARDS ENTRANCE GATE. THE BRAKES DID THEIR USUAL RANDOM LOWER THAN USUAL DEPRESSION. JUST AS I ROLLED UP TO THE SECURITY KEYPAD THE BRAKES FAILED. AT THIS POINT ALL THE BRAKE AND THE SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHTS CAME ON. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I DO THANK ABOVE I BECAME ILL THAT WEEKEND AND SKIPPED THE BOAT FISHING TOURNAMENT TO LAKE HURON HOURS AWAY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTROUS AND TAKEN MY LIFE!!! I PUT FLUID IN IT BUT IT DID NOT HELP. I MADE IT 1/2 MILE DOWN THE ROAD TO THE AUTO STORE FOR MORE FLUID. IT DID NOT HELP. I MADE IT ANOTHER 1/2 MILE HOME BY USING THE POORLY ADJUSTED EMERGENCY BRAKE (PREVIOUS OWNERS NEGLECT PROBABLY) AND THE 1 INCH OF BRAKE PRESSURE LEFT IN THE REGULAR BRAKES. I WAS IN UTTER SHOCK TO SEE THE AMOUNT OF RUST. NOT ONLY THE BRAKE LINE BUT THE OTHER LINES, ALSO. THAT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE EVEN FOR A 2004 TRUCK. I HAVE OLDER VEHICLES THAN THIS WITH VERY LITTLE OR NO RUST ON COMPONENT LINES. THIS WAS INTENTIONAL BY GM? MAYBE TO MAKE SURE TO MAKE SERVICE MONEY ON SUCH A DEPENDABLE VEHICLE? I CAN NOT MAKE UP EXCUSES OR THINK OF ONE GOOD REASON TO JEOPARDIZE CONSUMERS LIVES THIS WAY. AN INCH OF BRAKE USE IS NOT GOING TO STOP THE TRUCK AT REGULAR SPEEDS LET ALONE A TRUCK WITH A PAYLOAD OR A TRAILER. I USUALLY THINK PEOPLE WHO SUE OTHERS ARE OUT FOR MONEY. NOW I AM THINKING OF SUING GM FOR ENDANGERING MY LIFE. THAT SHOULD WAKE THEM UP TO THIS SITUATION. THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD CLASS ACTION LAWYERS OUT OF TENNESSEE THAT SUCCESSFULLY FILED AGAINST A MAJOR DRUG STORE CHAIN. I AM CALLING THEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, HE ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL SUNK INTO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINES, BRAKES PADS AND ROTORS WERE CORRODED. AS A RESULT, THE ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 31,000.

WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY, IN TRAFFIC, I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HEARD A POPPING SOUND WHICH APPEARED TO BE IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE AREA OF THE VEHICLE. ON THE NEXT OCCASION THAT I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE DID SLOW DOWN AND DID STOP, BUT I WAS ONLY TRAVELING AT 5 MPH. AT THIS POINT I WAS USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE TRUCK. BEING CLOSE TO HOME, I USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO GET BACK TO MY HOME. UPON INSPECTION IT APPEARS A BRAKE LINE DRIVER SIDE, JUST BEHIND THE DRIVER HAD RUSTED AND FAILED, EMPTYING ALL THE BRAKE FLUID ON THE GROUND. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE HAD I BEEN TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE. I AM QUITE A GOOD MECHANIC BUT THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT FIX AS WELL. THIS TRUCK IS A 2004 AND VERY WELL MAINTAINED. I'VE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH THE BRAKE DISCS WARPING WHICH IS ANOTHER CHEVY SILVERADO PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM AN ERRAND AND WHEN I SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE A TURN I NOTICED THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DOWN MORE THAN USEALL. I CONTINUED TO TRAVEL HOME AND WHEN I STOPPED FOR AN INTERSECTION THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR, BUT STILL STOPPED THE VEHICLE SO I CAREFULLY CONTINUED HOME AND PARKED IN MY GARAGE. WHEN I CAME BACK OUT LATTER TO HAVE A LOOK I NOTICED BRAKE FLUID ALL OVER THE GARAGE FLOOR. I OPENED THE HOOD AND SEEN TWO BRAKE LINES ALL CORRODED AND ONE HAD BURST RIGHT NEST TO LEFT FRONT WHEEL UNDER THE MASTER CYLINDER. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY REPLACED TWO SECTIONS OF BRAKE LINES AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON SILVERADO TRUCKS, BUT NO KNOWN RECALLS. *TR

I ENTERED THE TRUCK DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STARTED THE VEHICLE AS I ALWAYS DO. THE PEDAL THEN WENT TO THE FLOOR. I TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKE AGAIN AND PRESSED IT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR, AT THAT POINT THE SERVICE BRAKES LIGHT CAME ON SO I SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND INSPECTED IT. I NOTICED BRAKE FLUID COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR AREA. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION I NOTICED A CLUSTER OF BRAKE LINES THAT ALL APPEAR VERY RUSTY AND IN VERY BAD SHAPE. AT LEAST ONE OF THESE LINES IS LEAKING. THANKFULLY I WAS PARKED. *TR

WHILE APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION OF A STATE HIGHWAY, I WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. ONLY BY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND BY GOING AT A SLOWER SPEED WAS I ABLE TO STOP. THE FRONT BRAKE LINE FROM THE PROPORTIONING VALVE TO THE MODULE HAD BLOWN AND THE SECOND BRAKE LINE WAS RUSTED OUT. THE REMAINING LINES SHOW SOME RUST AND WILL NEED REPLACING IN THE FUTURE. ALSO THE O2 SENSOR WENT AT THE SAME TIME, TOTAL COST ALMOST $600.00. NOT BAD FOR A TRUCK WITH ONLY 37K MILES ON IT, RIGHT? *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 4X4 AROUND TOWN I ENCOUNTERED MY FIRST EVER BRAKE FAILURE. FORTUNATELY, NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. I WAS IN TRAFFIC, NEEDING TO APPLY BRAKING. THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT NORMAL AT FIRST AND THEN SUDDENLY IT, THE PEDAL, BEGAN SOFTLY AND MUSHINGLY HEADED TOWARD THE FLOORBOARD. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE TRUCK DOWN EVENTUALLY BUT THE DISTANCE REQUIRED FOR BREAKING HAD NOW TRIPLED OR QUADRUPLED. DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. THEN, LOW AND BEHOLD, AND JUST A BIT TOO LATE THERE CAME THE IDIOT LIGHT TELLING ME TO CHECK THE BRAKES. IMPERFECT TIMING TO SAY THE LEAST. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND INTO AN AUTO SHOP. THANKFULLY, THE SHOP HAD LOTS OF CHEVY EXPERIENCE AND WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT CHEVROLET IS AWARE OF THE RUSTED BRAKE LINE PROBLEM AS IT IS BEEN IN THE INVESTIGATION PIPELINE FOR A WHILE. *TR