2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE STARTED THE VEHICLE AND WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED IT WAS INOPERABLE. THE BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED. THE BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT ON JANUARY 8, 2013 HE STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE BRAKES HYDRO BOOST SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO SOLUTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

AFTER PLACING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO SHIFT INTO GEAR THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I GOT A BRAKE WARNING LIGHT. I OPENED THE MASTER CYLINDER CAP AND SAW NO BRAKE FLUID. I FILLED IT UP AND THE LEVEL KEPT DROPPING SO I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND SAW A PUDDLE OF FLUID. I TRACED THE FLUID TO THE METAL BRAKE LINES AND NOTICED THAT THEY WERE ALL MASSIVELY CORRODED TO THE POINT OF HAVING FLAKES OF METAL PEELING OFF THE LINES. ONE OF THE LINES HAD RUPTURED AND WAS SPRAYING FLUID ONTO THE ENGINE MAKING SMOKE AND CONTINUED TO DRIP EVEN WITHOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING PRESSED. *TR

MY TRUCK WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP WHILE IN DRIVE; AT IDLE; WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING FORWARD. WITHOUT WARNING, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND THE TRUCK BEGAN MOVING FORWARD. REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT ON STOPPING THE TRUCK. AS THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD, I PUSHED DOWN ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE PEDAL WHICH DID BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE, I OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE BRAKE FLUID DRIPPING FROM UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER SIDE WHERE 2 BRAKE LINES ARE LOCATED ALONG THE TRUCK'S FRAME. THE LEAK OF BRAKE FLUID IS COMING FROM THE BRAKE LINES WHICH ARE SEVERELY RUSTED. DOING A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALS THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON, PERVASIVE AND PERSISTENT ISSUE WITH GM PICKUP TRUCKS SINCE 1999, WITH SOME REPORTS INDICATING IT HAS CONTINUED TO AFFECT MODEL YEARS ANNUALLY THROUGH THE 2009 MODEL. THE REPAIR COST APPEARS TO BE RUNNING CLOSE TO $2000 TO REPLACE THE OEM LINES WITH STAINLESS STEEL. WHY GM AND NHTSA HAVE ALLOWED SUCH A DANGEROUS SITUATION TO CONTINUE FOR SO LONG, WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS, IS SIMPLY REMARKABLE. *TR

I GOT IN THE TRUCK TO LEAVE MY HOUSE. AFTER STARTING THE TRUCK AND PUTTING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL I SHIFTED INTO REVERSE TO LEAVE MY DRIVEWAY. AT THAT TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT BACK TO PARK AS I HAD NOT RELEASE THE PARKING BRAKE YET. I OPENED THE HOOD AND THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS EMPTY. AFTER LOOKING UNDER THE TRUCK, DRIVERS SIDE INSIDE FRAME RAIL, I DISCOVERED A BURST BRAKE LINE WHERE IT LEADS INTO THE ABS MODULE. ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES WERE EXTREMELY CORRODED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH STAINLESS STEEL AT A CHEVY DEALER. I HAD THE DEALER PERFORM OTHER ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ITEMS AT THAT TIME AS WELL. THEY DISCOVERED THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE A CHAIN GUIDE IN MY TRANSFER CASE, AND REPAIR A HOLE THAT THE LOOSE CHAIN HAD CAUSED. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT CHEVY USED STAINLESS STEEL FOR THE EXHAUST SYSTEM, WHICH LOOKS GREAT AFTER ALMOST 10 YEARS, YET THEY USED PLAIN STEEL FOR THE BRAKE LINES. I WAS LUCKY THIS OCCURRED IN MY DRIVEWAY, AND NOT WHILE I WAS TOWING MY BOAT ON THE HIGHWAY. THE TRANSFER CASE PROBLEM ALSO SEEMS LIKE AN ENGINEERING FAILURE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I SAW A DEER, IT STARTED TOWARD THE ROAD I WAS TRAVELING AT 50MPH THE DEER STARTED TO RUN TO CROSS MY PATH. I APPLIED MY BRAKES (I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IN PLENTY OF TIME BUT....) THE PEDAL WENT DOWN APPROXIMATELY HALFWAY AS NORMAL AND HELD FIRM, THEN THE PEDAL CONTINUED TO THE FLOOR, THE BRAKES NO LONGER SLOWED MY TRUCK IMPACTING THE DEER. A SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENED TWO WEEKS PRIOR. THE FIRST TIME THE LEFT REAR BRAKE LINE FAILED OVER THE FUEL TANK. THE INSTANT INCIDENT THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE LINE FAILED TWO INCHES FROM THE WHEEL FLEXIBLE BRAKE LINE JOINT. AN AUTOMOBILE THAT IS 9 YEARS OLD SHOULD NOT HAVE BRAKE LINES FAILING, THIS VEHICLE HAS JUST RECENTLY ROLLED OVER 100,000 MILES MARK AND IS USED TO PULL THE FAMILY RVS IT IS NOT A DAILY DRIVER. WHY IS STEEL USED FOR BRAKE LINES? IT RUSTS! WHY IS IT NOT COATED? WHY NOT STAINLESS STEEL? WHY PUT PEOPLE'S LIVES AT RISK USING CHEAP MATERIALS THAT RUST IN A VITAL SAFETY COMPONENT SUCH AS BRAKES. *TR

OIL PRESSURE GAUGE QUIT WORKING IN ABOUT 2009. TOOK INTO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD WE WERE 4,000 MILES PAST THE RECALL OF THE CLUSTER. VERY EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT!! SINCE THAT TIME THE SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING, THE TACHOMETER QUIT WORKING. VERY SCARY TO BE HAVING TO RELY ON TEMPERATURE GAUGES THAT I HOPE ARE WORKING CORRECTLY STILL, AND A GAS GAUGE THAT HOPEFULLY IS ALSO WORKING CORRECTLY. I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY DID NOT SUBMIT A FULL RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF THIS INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WITHOUT AN EXPIRATION ON IT. SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE TO ME TO HAVE NON WORKING GAUGES DUE TO A FACTORY DEFECT!! *TR