2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND FAILED TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED AND WAS TOWED TO WIESNER OF HUNTSVILLE (230 I-45, HUNTSVILLE, TX 77320, (936) 291-7500). THE DEALER WAS CURRENTLY REPAIRING THE VACUUM BRAKES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,325. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

THE TRUCK HAS LESS THAN 100 MILES ON IT. I HAD BEEN DRIVING AT 55 AND ENTERING TOWN. SLOWED TO 45, THEN 35, THEN 25 MPH. HAD A SLOW COAST DOWN HILL APPROX 200 YDS AT 25MPH WHILE LIGHTLY ON THE BRAKES. I ATTEMPTED TO STOP AS I WAS APPROACHING A STOPSIGN. THE BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED DEEPER THAN USUAL, WAS VERY HARD, AND I DID NOT HAVE MUCH STOPPING FORCE. I HAD TO STAND VERY HARD ON THE PEDAL TO GET IT STOPPED AND MY STOPPING DISTANCE WAS GREATER THAN USUAL. HAD THERE BEEN A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING THE STREET THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A BIG PROBLEM. AS A LET OFF THE PEDAL TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION, THERE WAS A SURGE LIKE THE ENGINE WAS STUCK ON FAST IDLE OR LIKE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A LOW RPM BRAKE STAND. AFTER THAT SHORT INCIDENT, BRAKE FUNCTION WAS BACK TO NORMAL AND I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME WITHOUT ANOTHER ISSUE.

DRIVING IN STRAIGHT LINE AT 5MPH WITH HILL DECENT ACTIVATED. BRAKE PEDAL BEGAN TO PULSATE, WHICH WAS FELT IN THE PEDAL AND IT WAS MAKING AN ODD AUDIBLE PULSATING NOISE FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL NON-STOP AS IF ABS WAS CONSTANTLY ENGAGING. BRAKES SUDDENLY DISENGAGED AND TRUCK STARTED PICKING UP SPEED. ERROR DISPLAYED ON DASH WHICH SAID SERVICE STABILITRAK SYSTEM. I BELIEVE ANOTHER ERROR WAS DISPLAYED BUT I DIDN'T SEE IT. I ATTEMPTED TO MANUALLY APPLY BRAKES, HOWEVER PEDAL WAS EXTREMELY STIFF/HARD AND I WAS UNABLE TO PRESS BRAKE PEDAL DOWN, AND THE TRUCK DID NOT SLOW. THE PEDAL WAS HARD FOR 1 SECOND THEN THE POWER BRAKES RETURNED, AND I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. ALL ERROR SYMBOLS DISAPPEARED FROM THE DISPLAY. A NEW TICKING TYPE NOISE JUST STARTED FROM THE DRIVER SIDE LOWER ENGINE AREA. I LATER RECEIVED TWO ONSTAR EMAILS WHICH STATED; -'AN ISSUE WITH THE ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM IN YOUR 2018 CHEVROLET SILVERADO HAS BEEN DETECTED. PLEASE SERVICE YOUR VEHICLE WITHIN 7 DAYS.' -'AN ISSUE WITH THE STABILITRAK STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM IN YOUR 2018 CHEVROLET SILVERADO HAS BEEN DETECTED. PLEASE SERVICE YOUR VEHICLE WITHIN 7 DAYS.' VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A CHEVROLET DEALER WHO SAID THE VACUUM PUMP HAD FAILED. PER MY ONLINE SEARCH THE PROBLEM IS DESCRIBED IN GM BULLETIN #PIT5361B. VACUUM PUMP WAS REPLACED BY DEALER UNDER WARRANTY.

IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE I WAS THE AT FAULT DRIVER, I WAS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT AND DID NOT NOTICE THE RED LIGHT NOR THE CAR STOPPED UNTIL APPROXIMATELY THREE SECONDS BEFORE IMPACT. ONCE I RECOGNIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING, I IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED ON THE BREAKS. I HIT THE OTHER DRIVER IN THE REAR OF HIS VEHICLE. AS STATED ABOVE, I HIT MY BREAKS ABOUT 3 SECONDS BEFORE IMPACT, BUT MY ABS DID NOT ACTIVATE; INSTEAD MY BREAKS LOCKED AND I SLID 15-30 FEET INTO THE OTHER VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, SINCE MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, A TOW TRUCK WAS REQUIRED TO TOW MY TRUCK. UPON ARRIVAL OF THE TOW, MY TRUCK WOULD NOT START, SO HE NEEDED TO PULL IT UP ONTO THE BED OF HIS TOW TRUCK WITH CHAINS. ONCE HOOKED UP, HE BEGAN TO DRAG THE TRUCK UP. THE TOW DRIVER ASKED ME IF THE TRUCK WAS 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND WHETHER I HAD BEEN DRIVING IN 4 WHEEL. I INDICATED IT DID, BUT I WAS NOT DRIVING IN 4 WHEEL MODE. I ASKED WHY HE HAD ASKED, AND HE SAID THAT IT WHILE PULLING THE TRUCK UP, ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE LOCKED. HE SAID THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN NORMALLY. I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW THE MECHANICS OF ABS WORK, BUT I HAVE FELT ABS ENGAGE MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE ATTENDING DRIVERS TRAINING FOR WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS. MY ABS DID NOT ACTIVATE; THERE WAS NO STUTTER OF THE BREAKS, ONLY A STABLE PRESS WITH NO ACTIVE RESPONSE OTHER THAN LOCKED BREAKS AND A LONG SKID.

THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT SOLID HARD AND LOSS OF BRAKING HAPPENED WHILE BACKING A BOAT TRAILER DOWN A BOAT LAUNCH RAMP. WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED THE DASH FLASHED SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST. LOSS OF POWER BRAKES CAUSED THE TRUCK TO NOT STOP EVEN WITH PUSHING DOWN ON THE PEDDLE AS HARD AS POSSIBLE. THIS OCCURRED WHILE COASTING IN REVERSE OFF OF THE THROTTLE USING THE BRAKE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE AND BOAT DOWN WHILE GOING DOWN THE LAUNCH RAMP IN REVERSE. SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. I MANAGED TO STOP THE VEHICLE AT THE WATER LINE BY APPLYING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED REPLACED THE VACUUM PUMP UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO WEAK VACUUM. I LOST POWER BRAKES AGAIN ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP WHEN BACKING DOWN AN INCLINE ON MY DRIVEWAY AT LOW SPEED. THE DASH FLASHED SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST AGAIN. RETURNED TRUCK TO DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING AND TOOK A TECHNICIAN ON A TEST DRIVE WITH ME. SHOWED TECHNICIAN LOSS OF POWER BRAKES AND SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST MESSAGE ON DASH WHEN BRAKING IN REVERSE ON AN INCLINE. CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CONTACTED CHEVROLET TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND REPLACED BRAKE BOOSTER AND REPLACED VACUUM PUMP FOR THE SECOND TIME. THIS IS ON A 2018 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 LT1 WITH THE 6.2L ENGINE AND 42,155 MILES.