Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | ||||||
| EA11001 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/05/2011 | Brake line corrosion failure | |||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) received defect petition dp10-003 on march 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (my) 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500hd 4wd pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.dp10-003 was granted and on march 30, 2010, preliminary evaluation pe10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility vehicles manufactured and sold by general motors corporation (gm).on july 2, 2010, odi received gm's response to an information request, which included gm's assessment of the frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. gm stated that:(1) the brake system of the subject vehicles is split front/rear and should a brake pipe suddenly fail for any reason, the affected vehicle would be capable of stopping with the pressure supplied by the remaining circuit; (2) the subject vehicles were designed to meet the hydraulic circuit partial failure requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards 105 and 135, light vehicle brake systems; and (3) should a brake fluid leak occur for any reason, the brake system malfunction indicator lamp (mil) would illuminate and warn the driver before the brake fluid level was low enough to cause a loss of line pressure. of the890 total complaints for brake pipe corrosion identified, 761 were located in salt belt states (connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).the complaint rate per 100,000 vehicles sold is significantly higher in the salt belt, 43.0, compared with 3.0 for the remaining states.in approximately 25 percent of the complaints, the brake pipe failure has allegedly occurred suddenly, with no warning to the driver (i.e., no brake warning light), and resulted in extended stopping distances.in 26 of these incidents, the increase in stopping distance that resulted was alleged as a factor in a crash and in 10 others the vehicle was intentionally steered off the road or into another lane of travel in order to avoid a crash.an engineering analysis has been opened for subject vehicles sold or currently registered in salt belt states to further assess the scope, frequency and safety risks associated with sudden failures of corroded brake pipes that can result in decreased brake effectiveness. odi will continue to gather information on subject vehicles outside the salt belt as well. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | ||||||
| EA11001 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/05/2011 | Brake line corrosion failure | |||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) received defect petition dp10-003 on march 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (my) 2003 chevrolet silverado 2500hd 4wd pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.dp10-003 was granted and on march 30, 2010, preliminary evaluation pe10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility vehicles manufactured and sold by general motors corporation (gm).on july 2, 2010, odi received gm's response to an information request, which included gm's assessment of the frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. gm stated that:(1) the brake system of the subject vehicles is split front/rear and should a brake pipe suddenly fail for any reason, the affected vehicle would be capable of stopping with the pressure supplied by the remaining circuit; (2) the subject vehicles were designed to meet the hydraulic circuit partial failure requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards 105 and 135, light vehicle brake systems; and (3) should a brake fluid leak occur for any reason, the brake system malfunction indicator lamp (mil) would illuminate and warn the driver before the brake fluid level was low enough to cause a loss of line pressure. of the890 total complaints for brake pipe corrosion identified, 761 were located in salt belt states (connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).the complaint rate per 100,000 vehicles sold is significantly higher in the salt belt, 43.0, compared with 3.0 for the remaining states.in approximately 25 percent of the complaints, the brake pipe failure has allegedly occurred suddenly, with no warning to the driver (i.e., no brake warning light), and resulted in extended stopping distances.in 26 of these incidents, the increase in stopping distance that resulted was alleged as a factor in a crash and in 10 others the vehicle was intentionally steered off the road or into another lane of travel in order to avoid a crash.an engineering analysis has been opened for subject vehicles sold or currently registered in salt belt states to further assess the scope, frequency and safety risks associated with sudden failures of corroded brake pipes that can result in decreased brake effectiveness. odi will continue to gather information on subject vehicles outside the salt belt as well. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 12/28/2012 | 138000 | 1 | |
| I was applying brakes and a front brake line blew out. the truck had a tough time stopping almost hitting another vehicle, i had it towed to a repair facility and they replaced the line $300. the repair facility stated to me that it was very common for chevy vehicle to have bad brake lines. to replace the rest of the lines it would cost me $ 900 to $1200. chevy should of recalled these vehicles for bad brake lines. *tr | |||
| 12/28/2012 | 138000 | ||
| I was applying brakes and a front brake line blew out. the truck had a tough time stopping almost hitting another vehicle, i had it towed to a repair facility and they replaced the line $300. the repair facility stated to me that it was very common for chevy vehicle to have bad brake lines. to replace the rest of the lines it would cost me $ 900 to $1200. chevy should of recalled these vehicles for bad brake lines | |||
| 12/14/2012 | 67000 | 1 | |
| Brake lines are leaking so i took truck to the dealer and they advised me the lines were corroded and it would cost me $1200. to $1500. to fix and it was not safe to drive. lucky i noticed the leaking before my brakes failed me. i don't know why this was not recalled and fixed at no cost by gm dealer. please let me know gm's responsibility here. *tr | |||
| 09/05/2012 | 127000 | 1 | |
| While driving the vehicle there was complete loss of the braking system. there was no warning of this happening. when it happened the pedal went to the floor and there was no slowing of the vehicle. when it was towed to a repair shop i was told that a brake line rusted through and 8ft of brake line had to be replaced. fortunately the car was going slow due to traffic. had i been moving faster or on a highway this could have been very dangerous. consider the number of complaints about this issue on gm trucks i firmly believe that the manufacturer is responsible for replacing all the brake lines before people start dieing. i am aware of the nhtsa investigating this problem with number ea11001. this is why i made it a point to write. i am hoping that this problem gets resolved quickly. *tr | |||
| 09/05/2012 | 127000 | ||
| While driving the vehicle there was complete loss of the braking system. there was no warning of this hapening. when it happened the pedal went to the floor and there was no slowing of the vehicle. when it was towed to a repair shop i was told that a brake line rusted through and 8ft of brake line had to be replaced. fortunetly the car was going slow due to traffic. had i been moving faster or on a highway this could have been very dangerous. consider the number of complaints about this issue on gm trucks i firmly believe that the manufacturer is responsible for replacing all the brake lines before people start dieing. i am aware of the nhtsa investigating this problem with number ea11001. this is why i made it a point to write. i am hoping that this problem gets resolved quickly. | |||
| 08/15/2012 | 140130 | 1 | |
| I was backing out of a parking space and as i went to stop the brake pedal went soft as soon as the brake pedal was depressed, going to the very nearly to the floor. (normally the pedal stays several inches further above the floor.) the service brakes light came on along with the truck's warning chimes. i got out of the truck and saw large amounts of brake fluid dripping off the undercarriage near the left side rear tire. about 1 to 1.5 hours earlier, when i was parking the truck, the brakes operated normally. a chevrolet dealer had to remove and replace that brake line. approximately 3 months prior to this incident the chevrolet dealer who normally services the truck alerted to me to extensive rusting of all of the truck's brake lines. they did not think there as immediate danger of a brake line failure, but strongly recommended that all brake lines be replaced prior to the oncoming winter where corrosion might become accelerated. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2012 | 140130 | ||
| I was backing out of a parking space and as i went to stop the brake pedal went soft as soon as the brake pedal was depressed, going to the very nearly to the floor. (normally the pedal stays several inches further above the floor.) the service brakes light came on along with the truck's warning chimes. i got out of the truck and saw large amounts of brake fluid dripping off the undercarriage near the left side rear tire. about 1 to 1.5 hours earlier, when i was parking the truck, the brakes operated normally. a chevrolet dealer had to remove and replace that brake line. approximately 3 months prior to this incident the chevrolet dealer who normally services the truck alerted to me to extensive rusting of all of the truck's brake lines. they did not think there as immediate danger of a brake line failure, but strongly recommended that all brake lines be replaced prior to the oncoming winter where corrosion might become accelerated. | |||
| 07/22/2012 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Brake line blew when brake pedal was pushed do to rust. *tr | |||
| 07/22/2012 | 95000 | ||
| Brake line blew when brake pedal was pushed do to rust | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 09/26/2011 | 36000 | ||
| My 2003 avalanche has the same problem as stated in the recall for 2002 regarding the antilock coming on at low speeds when coming to a stop. gm refuses to include our vehicle for repair even though they stated that no change has been made to the antilock speed sensor and/or hub assembly from the 2002 to 2003. if we have the same product in our 2003 avalanche, then why does it not deserve to be included with recall and require gm to pay for repairs to correct the problem. gm is ignoring the continued problem with later year vehicles and is not being responsible for it. avalanche owners need to get together to complain to force them to do something about it. | |||
| 12/12/2011 | 149200 | ||
| Rotting brake lines in the vehicle listed above, noticed brake fluid leaking from lines. corrosion so bad requires all lines to be replaced. dealer also damaged brake controller during repair and charged me the replacement cost. | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 90887 | ||
| Pulling out of parking lot and when merging into traffic i pressed on the brake pedal and it went completely to the floor without any braking action. the pedal came back up to normal position and i pressed it again harder the second time while simultaneously shifting into first gear. the pedal went to the floor again but locked up the wheels and the vehicle gradually came to a stop. | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 40000 | ||
| Brake line explosive failure before the firewall. 95% loss of stopping power. inspection of lines indicates corrosion. also heavy corrosion on frame members noted. this vehicle has been in the chevy dealership several times for corrosion of the brake rotors. at 25000 mi. replaced all rotors and pads with non chevy parts. no more rotor issues. now all brake lines changed due to corrosion and burst line has caused a master cylinder failure. there are serious safety issues here and it's time for nhtsa to step in | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 90887 | ||
| Pulling out of parking lot and when merging into traffic i pressed on the brake pedal and it went completely to the floor without any braking action. the pedal came back up to normal position and i pressed it again harder the second time while simultaneously shifting into first gear. the pedal went to the floor again but locked up the wheels and the vehicle gradually came to a stop. | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 40000 | ||
| Brake line explosive failure before the firewall. 95% loss of stopping power. inspection of lines indicates corrosion. also heavy corrosion on frame members noted. this vehicle has been in the chevy dealership several times for corrosion of the brake rotors. at 25000 mi. replaced all rotors and pads with non chevy parts. no more rotor issues. now all brake lines changed due to corrosion and burst line has caused a master cylinder failure. there are serious safety issues here and it's time for nhtsa to step in | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 90887 | ||
| Pulling out of parking lot and when merging into traffic i pressed on the brake pedal and it went completely to the floor without any braking action. the pedal came back up to normal position and i pressed it again harder the second time while simultaneously shifting into first gear. the pedal went to the floor again but locked up the wheels and the vehicle gradually came to a stop. | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 40000 | ||
| Brake line explosive failure before the firewall. 95% loss of stopping power. inspection of lines indicates corrosion. also heavy corrosion on frame members noted. this vehicle has been in the chevy dealership several times for corrosion of the brake rotors. at 25000 mi. replaced all rotors and pads with non chevy parts. no more rotor issues. now all brake lines changed due to corrosion and burst line has caused a master cylinder failure. there are serious safety issues here and it's time for nhtsa to step in | |||
| 12/03/2011 | 90887 | ||
| Pulling out of parking lot and when merging into traffic i pressed on the brake pedal and it went completely to the floor without any braking action. the pedal came back up to normal position and i pressed it again harder the second time while simultaneously shifting into first gear. the pedal went to the floor again but locked up the wheels and the vehicle gradually came to a stop. | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 40000 | ||
| Brake line explosive failure before the firewall. 95% loss of stopping power. inspection of lines indicates corrosion. also heavy corrosion on frame members noted. this vehicle has been in the chevy dealership several times for corrosion of the brake rotors. at 25000 mi. replaced all rotors and pads with non chevy parts. no more rotor issues. now all brake lines changed due to corrosion and burst line has caused a master cylinder failure. there are serious safety issues here and it's time for nhtsa to step in | |||
| 03/02/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche 1500. the contact stated that when braking, the rear brake would seize and began to smoke. the brake pads were replced by a local mechanic and the brake booster and master cylinder was replaced three times. the repair did not correct the failure and the rear brake continued to seize and smoke. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufactured was contacted and advised that the vin was not included in any recalls. the failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 133,000. kmj | |||
| 05/23/2011 | 109065 | ||
| The metal brake lines on my 03 chevy avalanche 1500 z1 truck are catastrophically failing. there is no warning prior as there would be with other brake related problems.this failure leads to an inability to stop the vehicle, the result of which could be deadly.the degridation of the steel lines is so bad that replacement of all line are required. | |||
| 04/02/2011 | 142000 | ||
| I changed the front brakes and was adjusting them when the rear brake line started gushing out brake fluid. ihad it towed to a mechanic and explained what had happened and before i finished he said let me guess you bled the front brakes and blew out the back line next to the gas tank be hind the rear driver side wheel. this exactly what happened he said alot of chevy trucks have the same problem. he is going tto change the rear line. he said where the line is mounted allows grit salt and things build up in this spotcausing the brake line to rust into. this could have gotten us killed had i needed to hit my brakes hard. | |||
| 08/28/2010 | 115000 | ||
| Rusted brake line to rear brakes failed. reduced braking ability prevented vehicle from stopping allowing vehicle to pass into an intersection. all rusted brake lines rear and front had to be replaced. old parts may still be available. | |||
| 08/22/2010 | 86029 | ||
| Rusted out 2003 chevy avalanche brake line leading to brake failure. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 81000 | ||
| 2003 chevy avalanche had catostrophic brake failure while being driven. upon inspection found severely corroded brake lines driver side above chassis rail. | |||
| 08/22/2010 | 86029 | ||
| Rusted out 2003 chevy avalanche brake line leading to brake failure. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 81000 | ||
| 2003 chevy avalanche had catostrophic brake failure while being driven. upon inspection found severely corroded brake lines driver side above chassis rail. | |||
| 08/22/2010 | 86029 | ||
| Rusted out 2003 chevy avalanche brake line leading to brake failure. | |||
| 08/21/2010 | 81000 | ||
| 2003 chevy avalanche had catostrophic brake failure while being driven. upon inspection found severely corroded brake lines driver side above chassis rail. | |||
| 04/28/2010 | |||
| Weak brakes, long stopping distance, no wear on front pads, front pads stuck, taken to dealer 3 times and they say nothing is wrong, i believe i would not be able to stop in time under emergency conditions. the back brakes have been changed 3 times (wore to wear indicator) and the fronts pads and rotors look new (glazed over no friction) this has been ongoing since buying truck brand new in 2003. | |||
| 04/12/2003 | 0 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche 1500. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph with the brakes depressed when the antilock brake system activated. the brakes became extremely spongy which made it difficult to stop the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the brakes functioned normally. the failure mileage was unknown. the current mileage was 51,000. | |||
| 07/29/2009 | 49000 | 1 | |
| Same problem as found in nhtsa id # 05v37900 in 2002 chevy avalanche is occurring in my 2003 chevy avalanche. the abs is activated when reaching a speed of 5 mph or less. this is causing my avalanche to not stop immediately at stop signs or red lights. my avalanche will travel approximately 2 to 3 feet closer to the car or intersection i am stopping at. if i roll through the stop sign or not go below 5 mph while turning, the abs do not come on. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2009 | 68000 | 1 | |
| Service brake system light comes on in information center, brake and abs lights are on. the garage says the brake computer for the abs is not functions disabling the abs on the vehicle. the computer part for the vehicle is unavailable. the abs brake system remains disabled. it is a 2003 model year vehicle. brake parts should be available for the abs system. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2003 | 4000 | 7 | 09/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevy avalanche. while driving 40 mph or greater he would have to depress the brake pedal to the floorboard to stop, which increased the vehicle stopping distance. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact also stated that there was a flapping noise coming from the windshield wiper. the dealer took the windshield wiper apart and glued around the sides, however the problem continued to occur. the current mileage was 29,500 and the failure mileage was 4,000. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 07/29/2009 | 49000 | 1 | |
| Same problem as found in nhtsa id # 05v37900 in 2002 chevy avalanche is occurring in my 2003 chevy avalanche. the abs is activated when reaching a speed of 5 mph or less. this is causing my avalanche to not stop immediately at stop signs or red lights. my avalanche will travel approximately 2 to 3 feet closer to the car or intersection i am stopping at. if i roll through the stop sign or not go below 5 mph while turning, the abs do not come on. *tr | |||
| 07/05/2007 | 24013 | 1 | 10/24/2003 |
| Abs pump motor will not shut off due to a failed electronic brake control module. abs fuse must be removed to keep motor from burning up. abs system is disabled. i am trying to find an affordable way to repair the problem. new factory part is to expensive. must use vehicle with faulty abs system until repaired.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - CALIPER | |||
| 08/03/2007 | 69346 | 1 | 05/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche 1500. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle stopped without warning. approximately five minutes later, the contact was able to drive and heard a loud pop coming from the rear passenger side. he noticed the rear passenger side brake caliper hanging from the vehicle. the mechanic stated that the brake caliper bolts failed and made the repair. the failure mileage was 69,346 and current mileage was 69,350. | |||