HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINES CORRODED CAUSING LEAKS AND BRAKE FAILURE
2003 GMC Sierra 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 181.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sierra 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
162 reports with mileage · 18 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes. Review the 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes complaints
55 reports76000 MILES; ISSUE ONGOING BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2018 ON DRY PAVEMENT AT LOW SPEED (UNDER 10 MPH) BRAKING IS COMPROMISED BY ABS SYSTEM ENGAGEMENT ISSUE. BELOW 10 MPH, THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGES CAUSING DRY PAVEMENT BRAKING TO BE DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE NORMAL DISTANCE TO STOP PRIOR TO THE ABS ISSUE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE ABS S…
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76000 MILES; ISSUE ONGOING BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 2018 ON DRY PAVEMENT AT LOW SPEED (UNDER 10 MPH) BRAKING IS COMPROMISED BY ABS SYSTEM ENGAGEMENT ISSUE. BELOW 10 MPH, THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGES CAUSING DRY PAVEMENT BRAKING TO BE DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE NORMAL DISTANCE TO STOP PRIOR TO THE ABS ISSUE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE ABS SYSTEM PULSING OF THE BRAKES AT SLOW SPEEDS ON DRY PAVEMENT IS UNEXPECTED. AT A STOP SIGN/CROSSWALK, THIS HAS CAUSED A VERY CLOSE ENCOUNTER. VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 80000 MILES AND HAS BEEN SERVICED ROUTINELY BY A CERTIFIED MECHANIC. REPLACEMENT/SERVICE OF ABS SPEED SENSORS AND RUST ISSUE DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE NEVER BEEN CONTACTED REGARDING THE RECALL THAT EXISTS FOR THIS ISSUE. REQUIRE ASSISTANCE TO DETERMINE WHY A VEHICLE WITH THIS MILEAGE HAS THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND GM HAS PROVIDED NO RELIEF.
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IN TOWN, THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME SIGNALED TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE AND THEN I LOST ALL BRAKE PRESSURE. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE TRUCK TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT DUE TO COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE! THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS LIGHTS OR WARNING SIGNALS NOTIFYING OF A BRAKE P…
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WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IN TOWN, THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME SIGNALED TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE AND THEN I LOST ALL BRAKE PRESSURE. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE TRUCK TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT DUE TO COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE! THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS LIGHTS OR WARNING SIGNALS NOTIFYING OF A BRAKE PROBLEM PRIOR TO THIS. THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR WAS FULL. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT APPEARS THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED CAUSING THE BRAKE FAILURE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH IN A PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT ABRUPTLY PULLED IN FRONT OF HIS VEHICLE. THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT STOPPING THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINAT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH IN A PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT ABRUPTLY PULLED IN FRONT OF HIS VEHICLE. THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT STOPPING THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT SPOKE TO A TECHNICIAN WHO STATED THAT HE COULD REPAIR THE FAILURE BY CUTTING OUT THE ROTTED SECTION OF THE BRAKE LINE AND REPLACING IT WITH A NEW SECTION. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,600. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
LOSS OF BRAKES DUE TO RUSTED THROUGH BRAKE LINES. WHILE PULLING A TRAILER WITH PONTOON BOAT, ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN STOPPING I SUDDENLY HAD NO BRAKES. JUST CAME OFF THE FREEWAY BUT WAS GOING SLOW WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. NEED TO REPLACE NOW. ALSO, RUSTED THROUGH POWER STEERING LINES. ALREADY REPLACED. ALSO, RUSTED TRANS COOLER…
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LOSS OF BRAKES DUE TO RUSTED THROUGH BRAKE LINES. WHILE PULLING A TRAILER WITH PONTOON BOAT, ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN STOPPING I SUDDENLY HAD NO BRAKES. JUST CAME OFF THE FREEWAY BUT WAS GOING SLOW WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. NEED TO REPLACE NOW. ALSO, RUSTED THROUGH POWER STEERING LINES. ALREADY REPLACED. ALSO, RUSTED TRANS COOLER LINES. WILL NEED TO REPLACE SOON.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT OBSERVED AN ABNORMAL SOUND FROM THE REAR BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER (BETTEN BAKER GMC LOCATED AT 749 W MAIN ST, LOWELL, MI, 49331) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR BRAKES HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. TWO WEEKS LAT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT OBSERVED AN ABNORMAL SOUND FROM THE REAR BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER (BETTEN BAKER GMC LOCATED AT 749 W MAIN ST, LOWELL, MI, 49331) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR BRAKES HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CONTACT OBSERVED A PUDDLE UNDER THE FRONT DRIVER DOOR AND REALIZED IT WAS BRAKE FLUID. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT OBSERVED THAT THE PAINT ON THE FRAME WAS FAILING AND WAS WET DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE LEAKAGE OF THE BRAKE FLUID. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED ONLINE TO SEE THE COMPLAINTS ON HIS VEHICLE AND FOUND A CLOSED INVESTIGATION DUE TO BRAKE LINE CORROSION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA11001 (BRAKES). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 117,000.
MY TRUCK HADN'T BEEN DRIVEN FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING AMISS THE LAST TIME I DROVE IT. THE TRUCK IS PARKED AT THE TOP OF A APPROX. 40FT. LONG DRIVEWAY THAT IS MODERATELY STEEP. I STARTED THE TRUCK AND SLOWLY BEGAN BACKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. IT …
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MY TRUCK HADN'T BEEN DRIVEN FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING AMISS THE LAST TIME I DROVE IT. THE TRUCK IS PARKED AT THE TOP OF A APPROX. 40FT. LONG DRIVEWAY THAT IS MODERATELY STEEP. I STARTED THE TRUCK AND SLOWLY BEGAN BACKING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. IT FLEW DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, GOING BETWEEN A PARKED CAR AND ANOTHER STEEP HILL, WINDING UP IN MY NEIGHBORS FRONT YARD, WHERE I MANAGED TO ABRUPTLY TURN IT AND BRING IT TO A STOP BEFORE GOING THRU HIS LIVING ROOM. FREQUENTLY, THERE ARE AS MANY AS 6TO8 KIDS PLAYING THERE, BUT BEING A BAD WEATHER DAY(COLD),, LUCKILY, THERE WAS NOBODY THERE. THE POSSIBILITIES OF A TERRIBLE DISASTER ARE FRIGHTENING. AS IT STANDS, THE ONLY 'DISASTERS' ARE THE RUTS IN MY NEIGHBORS YARD, A DESTROYED RECYCLING CONTAINER AND MY BANK ACCOUNT,-TO A TUNE OF JUST OVER 1700$. MY MECHANIC SAYS HE HAS DONE OVER A HALF DOZEN OF THESE REPAIRS LATELY. TO MY WAY OF THINKING, GM IS SERIOUSLY NEGLIGENT REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, WHICH I HAVE DISCOVERED IS FAIRLY COMMON. ARE THEY WAITING TO SEE HOW MANY HORRIFIC EVENTS OCCUR BEFORE ADDRESSING THIS? AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY SHOULD GIVE REIMBURSEMENT TO THOSE OF US THAT HAVE GONE THRU THIS. AND WHERE IS NHTSA'S ACTION ON THIS ISSUE??? *TR
STARTED MY VEHICLE APPLIED THE BRAKE TO SHIFT TO DRIVE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF BRAKE FLUID ON THE GROUND ON THE DRIVER SIDE UNDER WHERE THE DRIVERS SEAT IS. THERE WAS BRAKE FLUID DRIPPING FROM A RUSTED BRAKE LINE. I'M LUCKY THIS HAPPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPP…
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STARTED MY VEHICLE APPLIED THE BRAKE TO SHIFT TO DRIVE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF BRAKE FLUID ON THE GROUND ON THE DRIVER SIDE UNDER WHERE THE DRIVERS SEAT IS. THERE WAS BRAKE FLUID DRIPPING FROM A RUSTED BRAKE LINE. I'M LUCKY THIS HAPPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND NOT WHILE I NEEDED STOP BECAUSE IT WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKES.
BRAKES FAILED WHILE ON BOAT RAMP CAUSING BOAT TO KNOCK ME DOWN UNDER TRAILER AS I WAS PULLING DRAIN PLUG .DRIVER WAS ABLE TO APPLY PARKING BRAKE AND PUTTING TRUCK IN DRIVE . BRAKE LINES FAILED BRAKE PETAL WHEN TO FLOOR RUSTED LINES . THEN FOUND OUT THAT IS VERY COMMON WITH GM TRUCKS IN THIS YEAR . RESULT I AM PISSED , A NOTICE F…
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BRAKES FAILED WHILE ON BOAT RAMP CAUSING BOAT TO KNOCK ME DOWN UNDER TRAILER AS I WAS PULLING DRAIN PLUG .DRIVER WAS ABLE TO APPLY PARKING BRAKE AND PUTTING TRUCK IN DRIVE . BRAKE LINES FAILED BRAKE PETAL WHEN TO FLOOR RUSTED LINES . THEN FOUND OUT THAT IS VERY COMMON WITH GM TRUCKS IN THIS YEAR . RESULT I AM PISSED , A NOTICE FROM GM WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE . WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I HAD TO STOP AT A INTERSECTION OR ON THE INTERSTATE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE REAR SEAT BELT LATCH FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE REAR SEAT BELT LATCH FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINE NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,917.
Official recalls
104V562000 · Equipment Adaptive/mobility
Nov 26, 2004
ON CERTAIN VANS EQUIPPED WITH SURE-LOK WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT SYSTEMS, THE SPROCKET TEETH OF THE RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE WHEELCHAIR MAY NOT BE ADEQUATELY SECURED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO A WHEELCHAIR OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT RETRACTORS AS NECESSARY. SURE-LOK WILL HANDLE THE REPAIRS FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SURE-LOCK AT 1-908-231-1804 OR MOBILITYWORKS AT 1-800-769-8267.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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