2003 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

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

WHILE DRIVING HOME AROUND 10 PM WITH SMALL CHILDREN; MY TRUCK STARTED TO SURGE, BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, AND THE GAUGES DID NOT REGISTER ANYTHING ( ALL AT 0). THIS ROAD WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND OUTSIDE A BAD AREA, SO I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO COME FOLLOW ME HOME AND I DROVE HOME SLOWLY ALL THE WHILE ENDURING A CHUGGING MOTION. WHAT IS NORMALLY A 20 MINUTE TRIP BECAME AN HOUR AND A HALF TRIP. WHEN I GOT HOME AND SHUT THE TRUCK OFF MY HUSBAND LOOKED AT IT THINKING THAT THE FUEL INJECTORS COULD BE THE PROBLEM SINCE THEY HAD JUST BEEN RECALLED AND REPLACED. THE TRUCK WOULD NOT START WHEN HE WENT TO RESTART IT AND THE DASH SAID 'UNKNOWN DRIVER". THROUGH SOME RESEARCH WE DISCOVERED IT IS A FAULTY PASSLOCK SYSTEM. WE WENT THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IT WAS FIXED. THIS OCCURRED AGAIN TODAY AUGUST 18, 2011 WHILE DRIVING AND I NOW CAN NOT START MY VEHICLE OR HAVE IT TOWED BECAUSE IT CAN NOT BE PUT ON A TRUCK BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS LOCKED UP TIGHT AND CAN NOT BE UNLOCKED. WE CHANGED THE BATTERIES IN THE KEY FOBS TO NO AVAIL. THE WINDOWS ARE STUCK OPEN AND IT IS RAINY SEASON HERE. THEY LIGHTS COME ON AND THE INFORMATION CENTER KEEPS SAYS 'UNKNOWN DRIVER." I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY TRUCK FOR FEAR THAT THE NEXT TIME I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT. I HAVE AN 18 YEAR OLD THAT DRIVES MY TRUCK TO COLLEGE AND I LIVE IN GREAT FEAR THAT HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE IF IT DOES THE SAME THING WHILE DRIVING IT. *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