2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE ENGINE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL INJECTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 157,000. UPDATED 02/24/17*LJ UPDATED 7/11/18*JB *TR

BRAKE LINES AND RELATED CALIPERS CONTINUE TO RUST AND FAIL. HAVE NOW LOST BRAKES WHILE DRIVING DUE TO FAILURE OF VARIOUS BRAKE LINES THREE TIMES. TWICE I LOST THE BRAKES WHILE DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. ONCE WHILE BACKING SLOWLY DOWN A RAMP TO A DOCK. HAVE HAD LINES REPLACED 3 TIMES NOW. CALIPERS ALSO REPLACE. VEHICLE IN SHOP FOR EMERGENCY REPAIR NOW. PREVIOUS DEALERS HAVE SAID THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE NEW BRINE MATERIAL APPLIED TO ROADS BY DOT IN WINTER. NOTE THAT I DO CLEAN UNDERCARRIAGE TO REMOVE SALT. ALSO HAVE HAD SEVERAL OLDER VEHICLES OTHER MAKES/ MODELS DURING SAME TIME PERIOD AND HAVE NOT HAD THIS ISSUE. NEVER REPLACE BRAKE LINES ON OTHER VEHICLES. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING 50 MPH TOWING A BOAT APPLIED THE BRAKES , THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH THE UNITS FINALLY STOPPING . ALL BRAKE FAILURE WARNING LIGHTS LIGHT UP ON THE DASH AND UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DISCOVERED THE BRAKE LINE TO THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND BLEW OUT ALL THE BRAKE FLUID DIRECTLY UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR. ALL REMAINING BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY RUSTED AND APPEAR SWOLLEN AS TO BE READY TO BURST AS WELL UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR ALONG THE FRAME RAIL. VEHICLE HAS 2,760 ENGINE RUNNING HOURS ON IT WITH 82,500 MILES DRIVEN. ALL BRAKE LINES ARE ORIGINAL TO THE TRUCK .DEALER ESTIMATE TO REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINES WAS IN EXCESS OF $2,000. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND NEVER OFF ROAD. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS AND THIS VEHICLE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC BRAKE FAILURE WHICH THANKFULLY DID NOT END IN A CRASH. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION WITH OTHER SIMILAR TRUCK OWNERS I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON PROBLEM THAT IN NOW SURFACING AND MAY RESULT WITH TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES IF NOT ADDRESSED BY NHTSA AND GM IMMEDIATELY.

PASSENGER SIDE EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS RUST AND BREAK OFF ON ALL GM FULL SIZE TRUCKS. I HAVE 2004 SILVERADO 2500 HD WITH 61K MILES, PROBLEM STARTED AT 56K MILES AS A MILD TICK THAT WENT AWAY WHEN ENGINE WARMED UP AND PROGRESSED TO CONSTANT LEAK WHEN ENGINE WAS UNDER LOAD , TWO REAR EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS BROKE OFF CAUSING EXHAUST LEAK. SEEMS ALL TRUCK ENGINES HAVE THIS PROBLEM FROM 1999 -2007. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY GM .

ON 4/28/2016 TRAVELING TO WORK FOLLOWING A TRACTOR TRAILER IN A 55 MPH ZONE, THE TRACTOR TRAILER ABRUPTLY MERGED INTO THE RIGHT TURN LANE AFTER A CURVE WITHOUT A SIGNAL LEAVING TWO STOPPED CARS IN MY TRAVEL LANE MAKING A LEFT TURN. I APPLIED HARD PRESSURE TO MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I IMPACTED AN AVALANCHE THAT WAS PUSHED INTO A SMALL COMPACT CAR CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE AND THE AVALANCHE. THE DRIVER OF THE AVALANCHE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH MINOR INJURIES. WHILE AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE I NOTICED FLUID LEAKING UNDER MY TRUCK JUST BEHIND THE LEFT REAR TIRE. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE TO A BODY SHOP WHERE THEY DISCOVERED 2 RUPTURED BRAKE LINES IN BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND PROPORTIONING VALVE. ATTACHED PICTURES SHOW SEVERALLY RUSTED BRAKE LINES WITH NO OTHER RUST OR CORROSION ON PARTS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA. INITIAL ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS ON MY TRUCK WERE $6,371 BEFORE TEAR DOWN.

GOING DOWN EXIT RAMP BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. HAD I NOT MANAGED TO GET VEHICLE STOPPED WITH AGGRESSIVELY PUMPING BRAKE PEDAL WHILE READY ON PARKING BRAKE WE WOULD HAVE GONE INTO THREE LANES OF CROSS TRAFFIC GOT VEHICLE HOME AND FOUND EXTREMELY CORRODED BRAKE LINES UNDERNEATH DRIVER SIDE WITH ONE LEAKING OVER THE YEARS I'VE WORKED AROUND EQUIPMENT AND NEVER SEEN ANYTHING THIS BAD ON A PASSENGER VEHICLE OF ANY KIND. WE LIVE IN THE SOUTH AND THIS VEHICLE IS NOT AFFECTED BY EXTREME WINTER CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESPOND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 05/31/2016*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE APPROACHED A STOP SIGN, HE PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR. HE PUMPED THE BRAKE AND EVENTUALLY STOPPED THE VEHICLE SAFELY. IT WAS DETERMINED, THE BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED THROUGH. UPDATED 06/09/16.*JB

ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE RUSTED BRAKE LINES ON MY TRUCK FAILED. SADLY, GM HAS KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT THESE LINES WERE MADE POORLY AND THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE. YET THEY HAVE FAILED TO NOTIFY CONSUMERS OR VOLUNTARILY REPLACE THESE PARTS WITH SOME OF HIGHER QUALITY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE NHTSA ISN'T ANY BETTER, AS THEY HAVE BEEN "INVESTIGATING" THIS ISSUE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BUT HAVE YET TO FORCE THE AUTO MAKER TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. CLEARLY NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM THIS ISSUE TO MERIT THEM WORKING IN THE PUBLICS BEST INTEREST AND NOT BE IN THE AUTO MAKERS BACK POCKET.