2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

FIRST FAILURE WAS THE DUAL BRAKING SYSTEM I WAS HOOKED UP TO A TRAILER AND STARTED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY (ABOUT 0.4MILE LONG) AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR BOARDS. THERE WAS NO STOPPING EFFORT FROM THE BRAKES. I USED THE MANUAL CONTROL OF THE TRAILER BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. BOTH BRAKE LINES UNDER THE CAB AREA HAD RUSTED OUT AND RUPTURED AT THE SAME TIME. HAD I BEEN ON THE ROAD AT SPEED THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A CRASH. THE DEALER WHO PICKED UP THE TRUCK COMMENTED THAT THIS HAPPENS "SOMETIMES". HE REPLECED THE LINES WITH NON-GM ONES SO THEY WOULD LAST LONGER. THIS WINTER I WAS HAVING TROUBLE STARTING THE TRUCK IN COLD WEATHER AND NOTED THAT I NEEDED TO OPERATE THE MANUAL FUEL PRIMING PUMP TO GET THE TRUCK STARTED. (TRUCK IS EQUIPPED WITH THE OPTIONAL DIESEL ENGINE. THE DEALER WHEN WORKING ON THIS NOTED THAT THE LINES WERE VERY RUSTY AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. MY SAFETY CONCERN THIS TIME WAS THE SMALL AMOUNTS OF FUEL WEEPING OUT OF THE RUSTED AREAS UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE EXHAUST. AND ONTO THE GROUND. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A GREAT AMOUNT OF RUST OCCURRING ON THE BRAKE AND FUEL LINES. THIS WORRIES ME AS THE TRUCK ONLY HAS ABOUT 36,000 MILES ON IT AND I LIVE IN A STATE (VERMONT) THAT USES SAND AND NOT SALT ON THE ROADS AND TRAVEL ONLY MINIMALLY IN SNOW WITH THE TRUCK. WHEN I WAS HAVING THE FUEL LINES REPLACED AND WHILE THERE THE OTHER TWO CUSTOMERS IN LINE WERE ALSO HAVING RUSTED BRAKE LINES REPLACED. SEEMS LIKE MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE. I HAVE REQUESTED THE RUSTED FUEL LINES FROM THE DEALER AND STILL HAVE THEM IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM.

WIFE WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK AT NIGHT WENT TO STOP AND LOST BRAKES. I GOT IT BACK HOME AND INSPECTED IT AND FOUND THAT IT BLEW A REAR AND FRONT BRAKE LINE. THE BRAKE LINES WERE ROTTED SO BAD WE REPLACED THEM ALL. UPON REPLACING BRAKE LINES I NOTICED THAT FUEL LINES WERE ALSO ROTTED SEVERELY AND ONE WAS WET WITH DIESEL. THE TRUCK IS USED EVERYDAY AND DOESN'T SIT. THESE LINES SHOULD NOT ROT THIS BAD THIS FAST. SOME THING GM SHOULD ADDRESS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. THANK YOU *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE BRAKING TO A STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOORBOARD ABNORMALLY AND HE WAS UNABLE TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT AFTER HE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 111,000.

ON THE ABOVE LISTED DATE THE BRAKES ON MY TRUCK FAILED WHILE GOING DOWN HILL NOT FAR FROM MY HOUSE, THIS WAS NOT A COMPLETE FAILURE AS I WAS ABLE TO STOP, GET TURNED AROUND AND GO HOME. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND A BRAKE LINE THAT RUSTED THROUGH. WHILE LOOKING ON LINE FOR PARTS AND GUIDANCE I CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE WHICH PROMPTED ME TO FURTHER INSPECT THE UNDER CARRIAGE OF MY TRUCK. I MUST SAY THAT I TOTALLY AGREE ALL THE COMMENTS MADE REGARDING RUST ON THESE VEHICLES, IT IS QUITE EXCESSIVE. AS I LOOKED CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF RUST ON ALL COMPONENTS OF THE UNDER CARRIAGE, IE CAB MOUNTS, BED MOUNTS ALL BRAKE LINES, SPRINGS, SPRING SHACKLES, THE ENTIRE FRAME AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. MY OTHER VEHICLE IS A 1993 TOYOTA COROLLA WHICH HAS BEEN IN UPSTATE NEW YORK SINCE NEW. THE UNDER CARRIAGE LOOKS NEW COMPARED TO THE CHEVY. I FEEL G.M. MUST HAVE USED A VERY POOR GRADE OF UNDER COATING ON THESE VEHICLES AND TO LEAVE SOMETHING LIKE BRAKE LINES UNPROTECTED LIKE THAT IS JUST WRONG. I'M JUST GLAD IT DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE TOWING THE FIFTH WHEEL. I ALSO FEEL A RECALL IS IN ORDER, ESPECIALLY FOR THE BRAKE LINES. *TR

2003 CHEVY SILVERADO LAST YEAR BRAKE LINES BROKE WHILE ON ROAD DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION LINES . WE WERE LUCKY NOT TO HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT REPLACED ALL LINES ON VEHICLE. NOW ALL ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION ON THEM . POOR QUALITY OF ROTORS AND CALIBERS ON VEHICLE . WE ONLY HAVE 38,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR

BRAKE LINES RUST THROUGH WITH NO ADVANCE WARNING. IN MY CASE IT WAS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHILE THE TRUCK WAS LOADED WITH APPROX. 1000 LBS OF MATERIAL. FORTUNATELY IT WAS JUST THE REAR LINES SO I STILL HAD FRONT BRAKES TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP. WHEN RESEARCHING THIS EVENT I FOUND CASES THAT THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKES RUSTED THROUGH AT THE SAME TIME. DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THESE TRUCKS CAN HAUL OR TOW I BELIEVE THE CHANCES OF A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ARE GREAT ENOUGH TO WARRANT NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS FARTHER. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 CHEVY K3500 SILVERADO TRUCK, WITH ABOUT 60,000 MILES. AS OF DECEMBER 2010, I HAVE SUFFERED TWO BRAKE LINE FAILURES DUE TO CORROSION, WHEREIN A STEEL RIGID BRAKE LINE RUSTED COMPLETELY THROUGH, RESULTING IN BRAKE LOSS. I LIVE IN OHIO, AND SALT IS USED ON ROADS, HOWEVER, IN MY 30 YEARS OF DRIVING, I HAVE NEVER HAD ANOTHER VEHICLE, REGARDLESS OF AGE OR MILES, WHICH SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE STEEL BRAKE LINES. IN BOTH CASES OF FAILURE, I WAS LUCKY IN THAT I WAS NOT IN A HEAVY PRESSURE SITUATION, AND LUCKILY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS. I HAVE NOW LARGELY REPLACED THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE TRUCK, AT CONSIDERABLE PERSONAL TIME AND EXPENSE, HOWEVER, PROBLEMS STILL INCLUDE THE FACT THAT CORROSION CONTINUOUSLY AFFECTS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSORS AS THEY INPUT TO THE ABS SYSTEM. THEY CONSTANTLY FAIL TO SENSE WHEEL SPEED AT LOWER SPEEDS WHICH RESULTS IN ERRONEOUS ACTIVATION OF THE ABS ACTION. THE SENSORS WERE REPLACED ONCE AT 30,000 MILES, AND THEY LASTED ABOUT 15,000 MILES BEFORE GOING BAD AGAIN. THIS COMPARES TO A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN WHICH WAS SOLD A FEW MONTHS AGO AT 215,000 MILES WITH ZERO PROBLEMS, BOTH WITH RESPECT TO STEEL BRAKE LINE INTEGRITY AS WELL AS ABS SENSOR INTEGRITY. I CONSIDER THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON THE 2003 SILVERADO TRUCK TO BE OF VERY QUESTIONABLE INTEGRITY. *TR