2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 3 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO SEVERAL BUSHES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000. UPDATED 11/24/14*LJ UPDATED 02/03/15*JB

WHILE PULLING A 30 BOAT THIS WEEKEND MY BRAKES FAILED. PEDAL DROPPED TO THE FLOOR . PULLED MY 2004 2500HD TRUCK INTO THE SHOP AFTER USING THE E-BRAKE AND WHAT REMAINED OF MY BRAKES TO GET 4 MILES HOME. ADDED BRAKE FLUID AND WHEN I PRESSED THE PEDDLE A SHOWER OF FLUID SPRAYED ALL OVER THE GROUND. MY UNDERCARRIAGE IS CLEAN. REMOVED THE FUEL TANK TO FIND THE BRAKE LINE COMPLETE DETERIORATED. I LIVE IN TN AND SALT IS NOT A MAJOR USES HERE. *TR

PULLING MY BOAT ON SECONDARY ROAD TOWARD HIGHWAY, PUSHED BRAKES TO STOP FOR STOP SIGN, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO WARNING OR TROUBLE LIGHT. HAD ENOUGH BRAKING FORCE TO STOP AFTER ROLLING APPROX 100 FT. CAUTIOUSLY DROVE TO GAS STATION/PARKED VEHICLE AND CALLED A WRECKER TO TAKE TRUCK 65 MILES TO MY HOME. ON INSPECTION I DISCOVERED CORRODED BRAKE LINE(STEEL) HAD RUPTURED ALONG ROUTING TO BACK BRAKE. LOTS OF CORROSION VISIBLE ON MULTIPLE STEEL LINES. I WAS INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO NOT BE TRAVELING FASTER AND IN AN EMERGENCY BRAKING SITUATION. *TR

I HAD JUST RETURNED HOME WITH A FULL LOAD (2 YARDS) OF MULCH AND PARKED THE TRUCK TO UNLOAD. THE TRUCK WAS PERFECTLY FINE. WHEN I FINISHED UNLOADING I WENT TO MOVE THE TRUCK AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER INDICATED "LOW COOLANT LEVEL". WHEN I CHECKED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG, I FOUND TWO BRAKE LINES SEVERELY RUSTED WITH ONE LEAKING LOCATED UNDER DRIVER'S SEAT AREA WHERE THE LINES CROSS OVER TOP OF THE FRAME. THAT IS THE ONLY AREA THAT RUSTED THAT I SAW SO FAR. THERE IS NO OTHER RUST UNDERNEATH ON THE REST OF THE LINES. MY TRUCK DOES NOT GET HEAVY USE, IS FREQUENTLY HOUSED IN A GARAGE AND RARELY DRIVEN IN SNOW/ICE CONDITIONS (I'M RETIRED). IN ADDITION THE TRUCK IS WELL MAINTAINED AND KEPT CLEAN. IN ADDITION, THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL I BELIEVE IS A COMPUTER GLITCH AS THE LEVEL IS FINE AND UNCHANGED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INCIDENT. IN MY OPINION THE TRUCK'S COMPUTER IS SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE FOR A DEFECT IN THE PRIMARY BRAKING SYSTEM. *TR

AS I WAS BACKING UP THE TRUCK TO HOOK UP OUR HORSE TRAILER I EXPERIENCE A SUDDEN LOSS OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND THE BREAK PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE TRUCK BEFORE IT HIT THE TRAILER OR MY DAUGHTER WHO WAS DIRECTING ME. I NOTICED A PUDDLE OF FLUID ON THE GROUND UNDER THE TRUCK JUST BELOW THE DRIVER SEAT AND TRACED IT TO A CRACK IN A CORRODED BRAKE LINE. WE WERE VERY LUCKY THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN IT DID. HAD THE BRAKE FAILURE HAPPENED 10 MINUTES LATER, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAVELING ON I95 IN VERY CROWDED CONDITIONS WITH A HORSE IN TOW. THERE HAD BEEN NO INDICATION THAT THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS AT RISK OF FAILURE. WE HAD USED THE TRUCK THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND TO TRAILER OUR HORSE TO A SHOW AND THE BRAKES WORKED FINE. *TR

MY WIFE, DAUGHTER, AND I WERE TRAVELING DOWN A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AT THE 55 MPH SPEED LIMIT. A ONCOMING VEHICLE PULLED OUT TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO AVOID A COLLISION, THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THANKFULLY, THE ONCOMING VEHICLE WENT BACK TO THEIR LANE AND WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP. UPON EXAMINATION, ALL FOUR BRAKE LINES ON THE FRONT HALF OF THE TRUCK WERE BADLY RUSTED AND LEAKING. THE UNDERCARRIAGE ON OUR 2004 CHEVY SILVERADO IS EXTREMELY RUSTED. FUEL LINES. TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES, BRAKE LINES, FRAME, BODY PANELS ALL HAVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF RUST. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW IN 2004. IT HAS NEVER BEEN IN A FLOOD. *TR

COMING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 1200 FEET LONG, I HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR, WITHOUT EVEN SLOWING THE TRUCK FROM 15 MPH (IT IS VERY SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL NEAR THE VERY END). I CROSSED THE ROAD AND WAS HIT BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE APPROACHING MY DRIVEWAY. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE WAS A FRIEND SLOWING TO ENTER MY DRIVEWAY AND THE COLLISION WAS MINOR. DESTROYED MY REAR BUMPER AND DAMAGED THE LEFT REAR QUARTER PANEL. HAD THE ONCOMING VEHICLE BEEN TRAVELING AT A NORMAL RATE OF SPEED FOR THIS ROAD, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. LIKELY WITH INJURIES. IT IS A RURAL ROAD WITH A 35 MPH SPEED LIMIT AND PEOPLE GENERALLY DRIVE IT AT 40-45 MPH. *TR

JUST FINISHED A 300 MILE TRIP TOWING A 24 FOOT RACE TRAILER. NEXT MORNING LEFT TO PUT THE TRAILER IN STORAGE AND THE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR ON THE WAY OUT OF THE SUBDIVISION. LUCKILY THE SPEED WAS SLOW AND THE TRAILER HAD BRAKES SO I COULD GET STOPPED BY USING THE OMG SWITCH ON THE BRAKE CONTROLLER. THERE WAS CROSS TRAFFIC THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A BAD ACCIDENT HAD I ENTERED THE INTERSECTION. JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS OF RUSTED BRAKE LINES ON THIS VEHICLE IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE SHOWS THAT ALL THE LINES NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS TRUCK IS MAINTAINED IN LIKE NEW CONDITION AND BRAKE LINES SHOULD GO MANY MORE YEARS THAN THIS. *TR

ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 I EXPERIENCED A BRAKE FAILURE. AFTER LOOKING UNDERNEATH MY 2004 CHEVY SILVERADO 2500HD BRAKE FLUID WAS DRIPPING FROM A RUSTY BRAKE LINE BELOW THE DRIVER SEAT AREA. IT APPEARED I LOST THE REAR BRAKES SO I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TRUCK TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP THE FOLLOWING MONDAY AUGUST 13, 2012. THIS TRUCK ONLY HAD 49,364 MILES ON IT AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 YEARS OLD. THE CHEVY DEALER LATER CALLED ME WITH THE BAD NEWS THAT ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES WERE BAD AND NEEDED REPLACED. THEY ALSO DISCOVERED THE FUEL LINES WERE RUSTY AND NEEDED REPLACED TOO. THEY LATER NOTIFIED ME THE CALIPERS WERE RUSTY AS THEY COULD NOT BLEED THE BRAKES PROPERLY SO THESE ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE TOTAL OF THIS AUGUST 21, 2012 INVOICE WAS $2,772.28 AND THIS WAS WITH A 10% DISCOUNT. PLEASE NOTE THE REAR BRAKES WERE JUST REPLACED 1207 MILES EARLIER ON APRIL 30, 2012 FOR MY REQUIRED STATE VEHICLE INSPECTION. DURING THIS STATE INSPECTION (MILEAGE 48,157) IN APRIL 2012 THEY ALSO HAD TO REPLACE A SPEED SENSOR AS THE TRUCK WAS GOING INTO ABS AT LOW SPEEDS. THE INVOICE STATES THIS SENSOR ?CAME APART? AND THEY ALSO HAD TO CLEAN THE OTHER ONE. THERE IS WAS NO INDICATION OF RUSTY BRAKE LINES OR FUEL LINES BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION DURING THE APRIL 2012 STATE INSPECTION AND ON AUGUST 11, 2012, JUST OVER THREE MONTHS LATER I EXPERIENCED TOTAL REAR BRAKE FAILURE. I CERTAINLY FEEL THIS WAS A SUDDEN LOSS AND COULD CERTAINLY LEAD TO FUTURE COLLISIONS, INJURY OR POTENTIALLY DEATH IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE TO TRY TO CORRECT THIS BRAKE LINE CORROSION PROBLEM. I AM THANKFUL I WAS NOT TOWING A HEAVY TRAILER WHEN THIS OCCURRED AND THAT NO ONE GOT HURT BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. I?M GLAD THEY FOUND THE FUEL LINE PROBLEM AS THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A VEHICLE FIRE OR A HOUSE FIRE IF THE TRUCK WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE IF THIS FUEL LINE CORROSION WAS NOT CORRECTED. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. *TR