Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 197000 | 1 | |
| Brake pedal went to floor as i was backing out of the driveway. upon inspection discovered brake line was rusted and had a hole. *tr | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 197000 | ||
| Brake pedal went to floor as i was backing out of the driveway. upon inspection discovered brake line was rusted and had a hole. | |||
| 09/04/2012 | 103000 | 1 | |
| When driving to work, went to stop brake pedal went to floor with no warning. found out brake lines rotted and leaked. could not buy had to have brake lines made and installed by mechanic. the more people i've talk to chevy should be responsible for the brake lines. i almost hit another car . went into ditch to avoid the car. the truck is kept very clean and never taken off road. purchased the truck brand new. *tr | |||
| 09/04/2012 | 103000 | ||
| When driving to work, went to stop brake pedal went to floor with no warning. found out brake lines rotted and leaked. could not buy had to have brake lines made and installed by mechanic. the more people i've talk to chevy should be responsible for the brake lines. i almost hit another car . went into ditch to avoid the car. the truck is kept very clean and never taken off road. purchased the truck brand new. | |||
| 10/26/2012 | 147789 | 1 | |
| Driving down hill light turned yellow, went to apply brakes peddle held for a second then went to the floor. luckily no one was waiting to come through intersection, upon inspection found brake lines had rusted through. complete brake failure. *tr | |||
| 10/26/2012 | 147789 | ||
| Driving down hill light turned yellow, went to apply brakes peddle held for a second then went to the floor. luckily no one was waiting to come through intersection, upon inspection found brake lines had rusted through. complete brake failure. | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 115000 | 4 | |
| This is the 4th time i have blown a line on this vehicle. the first 3 were within the last 2 years. first, pulled up to a light at 25 mph and managed to stop after i ran the light. no traffic, no crash, and i am not sure of the mileage. second, parking truck at home, blew a line. less than 5 mph, no damage, again, not sure of mileage. third, pulling truck into a garage to replace a u-joint, blew a line. less than 5 mph, no damage, not sure of mileage. i had all of the remaining lines replaced at this time. fourth, yesterday (october 23, 2010) driving in a construction zone on the highway, 40-45 mph, came up on slower traffic, blew a line, rear-ended the small truck in front of me and shoved him down the road. both vehicles damaged, mine sustained significantly more damage. i purchased this truck february 1, 2007 with 60,119 miles on it. i generally drive my vehicles many years. i have never had this many brake line issues. my ford truck with 135,000 never had a line blow, 1995 thunderbird with 125,000 one line blew, 1991 t-bird, 214,000 miles never blew a line, i could go on, but none of the others have blown lines either. *tr | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 115000 | ||
| This is the 4th time i have blown a line on this vehicle. the first 3 were within the last 2 years. first, pulled up to a light at 25 mph and managed to stop after i ran the light. no traffic, no crash, and i am not sure of the mileage. second, parking truck at home, blew a line. less than 5 mph, no damage, again, not sure of mileage. third, pulling truck into a garage to replace a u-joint, blew a line. less than 5 mph, no damage, not sure of mileage. i had all of the remaining lines replaced at this time. fourth, yesterday (october 23, 2010) driving in a construction zone on the highway, 40-45 mph, came up on slower traffic, blew a line, rear-ended the small truck in front of me and shoved him down the road. both vehicles damaged, mine sustained significantly more damage. i purchased this truck february 1, 2007 with 60,119 miles on it. i generally drive my vehicles many years. i have never had this many brake line issues. my ford truck with 135,000 never had a line blow, 1995 thunderbird with 125,000 one line blew, 1991 t-bird, 214,000 miles never blew a line, i could go on, but none of the others have blown lines either. | |||
| 10/18/2012 | 120200 | 1 | |
| All the steel brake lines are rusted to the point of failure. everything else on the truck is relatively rust free, but the steel brakes lines are rotted out and i don't have safe brakes to stop anymore. brake pedal goes to floor when a line is ruptured and can't stop. none of my other vehicles that are driven in similar conditions show this much corrosion on the brake lines as this truck does. there is no corrosion protection on these brake lines at all.. i have a bad back and it would be very difficult to replace the lines myself, and i can't afford to pay a shop to do it right now, so i'm pretty much parking it for now.. *tr | |||
| 10/18/2012 | 120200 | ||
| All the steel brake lines are rusted to the point of failure. everything else on the truck is relatively rust free, but the steel brakes lines are rotted out and i don't have safe brakes to stop anymore. brake pedal goes to floor when a line is ruptured and can't stop. none of my other vehicles that are driven in similar conditions show this much corrosion on the brake lines as this truck does. there is no corrosion protection on these brake lines at all.. i have a bad back and it would be very difficult to replace the lines myself, and i can't afford to pay a shop to do it right now, so i'm pretty much parking it for now.. | |||
| 09/18/2012 | 250000 | 1 | |
| I was stopped at the mailbox reaching out for the mail when the brake peddle went to the floor and the truck rolled forward about a foot. i was able to slowly get up the driveway and found the brake lines had rusted through. had to replace all the lines. *tr | |||
| 09/18/2012 | 250000 | ||
| I was stopped at the mailbox reaching out for the mail when the brake peddle went to the floor and the truck rolled forward about a foot. i was able to slowly get up the driveway and found the brake lines had rusted through. had to replace all the lines. | |||
| 05/10/2012 | 106100 | 1 | |
| I took my truck from home in ct into nyc for a follow up doctor appt. and the lines blew out on the way in and we still had to get back to ct with brake failure; had to stop 3x for brake fluid, not fun lucky i made it home alive. i cannot believe gm has not recalled this problem. gm should make this a priority and put lives ahead of profits. i had brake replacement expenses of over $1300.00. i have owned more than 8 trucks (about 5 gm trucks and 3 chevy suvs from 1980 to now with my current 2001 silverado. with the exception of this vehicle (silverado), never had a problem the lines rusting out. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 180200 | 1 | |
| Brake pedal vibrates and buzzes. brakes do not engage. vehicle was recalled and repaired for this before, and now it is doing it again, several years later. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||
| 05/29/2005 | 50000 | 20 | 10/20/2003 |
| I have had problems with abs brakes, first the right front bearing hub wear and tire vibration, then the abs and brake lights came on, will stay on then extinguish and come again and stay on, abs does not work. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - WHEEL SPEED SENSOR | |||
| 06/28/2005 | 25 | 01/28/2002 | |
| The brakes on the t ruck are not right. they work okay but when you are going about 5 miles per hour and hit the brake, the abs comes on makes a grating noise that you can both feel and hear. i have had everything checked and this is what is the problem. when this problem occurs it takes longer to stop than normal. the noisie is also kind of scary. i have had to put new rotors on the f ront of the t ruck and both rotors and pads on the back. all of them were rusted and pitted. the truck only has about 26,000 miles on it and it doesn't get hard use. | |||
| 01/29/2005 | 59850 | 50 | 12/20/2000 |
| At about 55,900 miles, the abs on my pickup truck began comming on at about 5 to 8 mph when braking on dry pavement. this increased stopping distance when braking and led to my wife crashing into a steel pole barrier in a parking lot and destroying the front bumper. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 10/10/2004 | 1 | 02/10/2004 | |
| I have a 2001 chevy silverado. at about 70,000 miles (2.5 yrs ago) both the emergency brake and the abs dash lights became to come on simultaneously. i have in the past few years made several brake pad replacements and replaced the emergency brake. i have also spoken with several retail automotive centers and received no positive resolution. still the lights continue to come on. it wasn't until today that i learned about the electronic brake control module. to think that i had been driving with out abs for almost 3 years now. upon trying to obtain some information on the product and the problem, i was shocked and angry to find so many forums and sites where this same problem is happening to so many other people. it appears that this is wide spread problem with no easy solution. from a dealer the cost of repair is around $1500. i have done a lot of my own work on my truck, and am frustrated that a small electrical component will in the end cost me the greatest amount of money and frustration. such an intregal component, with a very important purpose (brakes), should have a longer operating life or be made more available and affordable for replacement. at least it should be covered by a warranty. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 05/01/2012 | 109000 | ||
| My wife was on an errand and when she got into the truck to come home the brake peddle was soft and went to the floor before she was able to stop. she was scared and tested the brakes and found there was some so came home slowly with a plan in her mind to hit something other than another car in the case the brakes failed completely. had this happened on the road there may have been a crash. | |||
| 01/21/2011 | 76000 | ||
| As i approached a stop sign in my 2001 chevrolet silverado 1500, i applied pressure to the brake pedal only to have it go all the way to floor. thankfully i was not going fast, and there was enough pressure remaining in the brake line to slow me down (had i been going faster than 5 mph, i don't know that would have been the case). after being towed to the dealer, the inspection showed that the brake line had rusted through; this caused the brakes to fail. the vehicle had its most recent maintenance done less than a month and 20 miles prior and no issues were found. i followed up with further review of my own on the internet to find that this is a problem, especially in the rust belt states where salt is used each winter. i am glad that i was able to stop, and am grateful that i was not on a busy road going at a higher speed. i cannot imagine why such a vital piece of equipment on any vehicle would be made of a material that could not withstand the elements better. in addition, i would have thought that such a flaw would have prompted a safety recall before anyone does get hurt. | |||
| 10/20/2010 | 85000 | ||
| 2001 chevy silverado 1500 pickup abs control module failure at 85000 miles. abs light illuminates along with brake light while driving. vehicle has no or intermittent abs brakes . pump continues to run after vehicle shutdown. at slow speeds vehicle may not stop. gm dealer acknowledges problem exist but says gm does not warranty the part and no recall exist. | |||
| 10/17/2010 | 100582 | ||
| Total brake failure due to rusted brake lines. | |||
| 03/15/2010 | 195000 | ||
| I have a 2001 chevrolet silverado pickup with antilock braking system. the abs computer module has failed twice since i have had it. you can tell it is not working when the system continually pumps the brakes even when the engine is turned off. the module costs $800-$1000 and i cannot afford to replace it again. i called chevrolet to report the problem and took it up their chain of complaints as far as i could get anyone to listen to me. the best they would offer as a resolution was a coupon for $500 off a new pickup truck. i pulled the module to stop the continuous pumping. and my dashboard brake warning light and the abs warning lights stay on continually. my brakes still function, but the abs safety system does not aid them. i reported this problem to ntsb the first time the module failed and got no reply and this is the second module to fail on this truck. my mechanic say he does not understand why there has not been a recall because he has seen this many times on 2001 silverado. it is a safety concern because abs won't function without the module working properly. | |||
| 11/14/2008 | 37600 | 1 | |
| Rear disc brake pads premature wear due to failure of brake piston to retract. both rear disc brakes piston failed to retract normally. installation of new pads caused extreme heating of rotor. replaced both rear disc brake floating calipers with rebuilt units that had grease under outer piston seal to prevent rust to fix problem! *tr | |||
| 06/04/2004 | 56000 | 1 | |
| Brake rotors corroded completely , emergency brake rusted completely , massive rust under truck , brake calipers rusted , power steering went out ,a.c. fan went out, short in wiring in door locks and windows, this a 2001, 56,000, miles, low mileage truck to have so many problems, the dealership said they had not seen this problem before, i looked it up, there is rusting and total corrosion of the brake rotors in many different states, over along period of time, even when the rotors are replaced they are rusting completely again. chevy is selling an expensive truck, and then profiting again on the replacement of the defective parts, and making a premium profit on that too.! they are not bothering to fix a defect that has been going on for a long time. very disgusted with the chevy silverado, my first and last chevy. *nm | |||
| 07/25/2005 | 20000 | 2 | 12/01/2001 |
| Dt: the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet truck and was having problems with the brakes. the first time there was an incident where he tried to stop the vehicle but could not stop. as a result the consumer's vehicle hit another vehicle. the second time the consumer was trying to stop for a stop sign but could not stop. the service dealer turned the rotors at 4,000 miles. the first time the dealer replaced the both front bearings and abs sensors. the consumer had to pay for this repair. this time the service dealer replaced right and left hub and the abs sensor.*ak the abs activated as the vehicle was slowing down. the rotors had to be turned at 4000 miles. *nm | |||
| 02/14/2005 | 60000 | 1 | |
| The owner complained about a brake problem. when applying the brakes they hardened, and the vehicle would not stop. also the owner changed the brake pads, rotors, and bled the brakes. currently, the vehicle still doesn't have much braking power. *ak the problem was found to be the right front bearing and the hub sensor. *sc *jb | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 15 | ||
| The consumer requested assistance for 15 failures and or problems with gm 2001 chevy truck. *bf the steering rod assembly would pop when the steering wheel was turned, the shifter boot ripped immediately, the tailgate straps broke and bent the tailgate, the pcv valve was using 4 quarts of oil and the dealer was unable to find the problem, the battery exploded at 40k miles, the right rear brake on the inside had worn down the metal, the lights on the stereo burned out, the lights had burned out, the valve cover were leaking oil before 100k miles, the fur wheel drive switch had broken at 50k miles, the transmission did not shift at 1k miles and the dealers were unable to find the problem, the engine experienced a pre-ignition knock and the dealer was unable to find the problem, the driver's seat controls ripped at 60k miles, the transmission had complete gone out at 118k miles and the seat belts latch system had become defective. *sc | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 03/04/2008 | 18600 | 2 | 07/20/2001 |
| I bought a new chevy silverado 1500 4x4 in july of 2001. i don't drive it that much, and when i do, it is mostly freeway miles. about 5 times/year i'll tow a light boat to puget sound, and after coming back always hose off the boat, trailer, and salt water exposed area of the truck. in 2004 at 6770 miles, the rear rotors, calipers and pads were ruined (under warranty--cause determined to be debris caught up in mechanism). good chevrolet fixed perfectly. now in march 2008 at only 18,700 miles (12k miles on new brakes), the rear brakes need to be completely rebuilt. good is saying the cause is salt water. and of course the warranty is long over----looking at $2000 to fix. i say hogwash! brakes should not fall apart after 12,000 gentle miles. i don't four wheel drive except on rare occasion to get over the mountain pass---and that's on snow. i am easy with this truck. i don't speed around and slam on the brakes ever. never. i am pretty sure this is a common problem. just googled up a similar case of a 2002 silverado in colorado with 28,000 miles and complete brake failure due to rust. i'll repair brakes elsewhere. i'll wait and see if some class action lawsuit comes of this. it's too bad. the truck is pretty nice, but having brakes fall apart for no good reason is bs and too expensive, not to mention as well as a big safety concern. *tr | |||
| 06/15/2005 | 60000 | 25 | 02/19/2001 |
| Anti- lock brakes engaging when not needed. *jb | |||
| 12/09/2005 | 600 | 30 | 11/09/2000 |
| Anti -lock brake system over compensating causing low impact crash. on dry summer day,bumped into building. no damage to vehicle. 2004 took to dealer for inspection' dirty sensor. dec. 9 2005 first snow of the year could barely stop. for first two miles. then started working properly. first bought vehicle in nov 2000 aprox. 3 week's after having truck ran over little bump in the road at intersection. anti- lock brake system came on no brakes went into intersection. took to dealer. said no problem. hear stories of possible recall 01 silverado please help thanks. *jb | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 5 | 10 | 09/01/2004 |
| I own a 2001 chevrolet silverado truck the anti- lock brakes will engage for no reason causing increased stopping distances, fortunatly the only thing that was hit was a curb. | |||
| 06/21/2005 | 106500 | 25 | 11/10/2001 |
| Brake anti-lock system cycles at low speeds increasing stopping distance. *jb | |||
| 11/28/2004 | 39700 | 20 | 03/19/2001 |
| I had problems with the abs brakes engaging at slow speed and when coming to a stop on my 2001 chevy silverado. in november 2004 the brakes failed to stop the vehicle (abs was engaged on dry pavement) when pulling out of a driveway onto a busy highway, resulting in a near collision with another vehicle. repairs were done at a local gm dealer and they had to replace sensors in the wheels because of corrosion, i believe as a result of defective engineering. my truck had less than 40,000 miles on it, and was driven in a normal fashion when the problem first appeared. | |||
| 03/23/2005 | 37441 | 1 | 08/09/2001 |
| Anti-lock brakes engaging at slow speeds in clear and dry weather. would not stop in time while trying to park in a hospital parking lot . vehicle went past intended stop in lot and just missed a pedestrian. truck was stopped by curb. truck was taken to local shop not under warranty. cause of braking problem was corrosion on wheel sensors. rear sensors where cleaned. front left caliper and pads were damaged requiring replacement of both front calipers( replacement in set only required)will check to see if old part is still available. rear sensors have not been replaced. | |||
| 01/11/2005 | 57000 | 20 | 09/01/2002 |
| Abs brake faulty sensor on 2001 silverado engages on dry surfaces at low speeds. the safety issue concerns increased stopping distance, and it occurs without warning. further, the dealer only offers to clean them or replace the defect at the owners expense. *nm | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 29500 | 1 | 12/01/2000 |
| The consumer took the vehicle to dealer to have the tires rotated, when it was discovered that the rotors rusted and the pads needed to be replaced. the consumer mad complaint with the manufacturer since this was the first servicing since the consumer purchased the vehicle. the consumer is aware of other vehicles with similar problems. *ak there was extensive rusting and pitting of the brake system. *sc | |||
| 01/27/2004 | 1 | 12/31/2000 | |
| Anti lock brake system. you have to push on the brakes with both feet in order to get the truck to stop. i have several friends whom are having the same problem. *jb | |||
| 07/12/2002 | |||
| While driving and with no warning brakes went out. this could have caused an accident. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 1 | 09/01/2000 | |
| When applying brakes pedal is soft, and then pedal goes all the way to floor. dealership is aware of problem.*ak *tt | |||
| 10/26/2001 | |||
| While driving 55 mph applied brakes and there was extended braking distance, and a squealing sound. dealer replaced rear drums/ shoes and pads. stated this was normal wear and tear.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||
| 08/20/2005 | 56000 | 25 | |
| Unwanted abs activation. increased unexpected stopping distances. near collision with garage and near hitting of pedestrian. upcoming recall applicable only to salt belt states. does not include wi. nor mn.[salt not used on streets in these states?] see campaign #05v379000. *nm | |||
| 07/14/2005 | 53800 | 1 | 04/10/2001 |
| While trying to come to a stop upon entering a parking spot in front of a county health bldg. the brake pedal on my truck did not respond. the pedal went hard and the truck continued forward, i applied the brake again with the same results causing the truck to strike the building and destroy a service enterance door. i estimate my speed to have been under 5 mph since the airbag did not deploy. i believe this is the result of a deffective anti-lock brake sensor. as of today i have not been to the dealer to have the failure fixed. | |||
| 05/13/2003 | 51000 | 1 | |
| When the consumer drove over 5 mph the wheel sensor kicked in and the vehicle will not stop. the consumer had the brakes serviced. *jb the consumer stated that the sensor in the wheel bearing was reporting bad information. all brakes where replaced and the problem still existed. *tc | |||
| 03/31/2004 | 70000 | 1 | 05/30/2001 |
| Faulty abs module; abs pump kept running after engine ignition turned off. part 88982296.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - WHEEL SPEED SENSOR | |||
| 01/17/2008 | 76000 | 50 | |
| I have a 2001 silverado. my anti-lock brakes are coming on at slow speeds, making it sometimes very hard to stop. yesterday when pulling into my work parking space i could not stop and jumped the curb. if there were someone walking on the sidewalk they would have been hit. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 01/01/2001 | |||
| Brakes are not working properly. had to push brakes down twice before vehicle stops. also, brakes donot work good on dry pavement. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 10/26/2001 | |||
| While driving 55 mph applied brakes and there was extended braking distance, and a squealing sound. dealer replaced rear drums/ shoes and pads. stated this was normal wear and tear.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 1 | 01/01/2001 | |
| Battery failure, front and rear rotors problem. * bf | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM - DRUM | |||
| 10/26/2001 | |||
| While driving 55 mph applied brakes and there was extended braking distance, and a squealing sound. dealer replaced rear drums/ shoes and pads. stated this was normal wear and tear.*ak | |||