Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
PARKING BRAKE
EA04011GENERAL MOTORS CORP.04/09/200405/10/2005PARKING BRAKE FAILURE05V161000
 In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified nhtsa that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly on vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system. a total of 58 non-duplicative complaints were received by odi and gm concerning the approximately 59,000 my 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series pickup trucks with the pbr parking brake system.these included 22 alleged rollaway incidents, resulting in a rate of 38.5 rollaway incidents per 100,000 vehicles.odi is aware of 24 complaints regarding the my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series manual transmission trucks recalled by gm, including 5 alleging rollaway incidents.though the conditions described in gm's letter are also present in the c/k trucks with automatic transmissions, the rollaway rate in those vehicles was similar to those observed in peer vehicles studied by odi in this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. for additional information, see the attached closing report.
PE03057GENERAL MOTORS CORP.12/08/200304/09/2004PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
 Odi opened pe03-057 to assess parking brake ineffectiveness in the subject vehicles.these vehicles are equipped with four wheel disc brakes that incorporate a single-shoe drum-in-hat parking brake independent of the service brakes.complaint and warranty data indicate that the parking brake linings tend to wear out early in the life of the vehicle (at an average of 24 months in service), reducing the parking brake system's torque below that needed to immobilize the vehicle.gm has attributed this accelerated wear to foreign material intrusion and a failure of the brake shoe to properly self-center within its brake drum.effective with the start of my 2003 production, a newer reduced force hold-down clip was introduced to facilitate brake shoe disengagement from the drum surface.this part is also available at the service level for the my 1999-2002 vehicles.gm has indicated that the paking brake is intended to operate in conjunction with the transmission to immobilze parked vehicles, and that in many cases, accelerated parking brake lining wear is caused by rough use, vehicle modifications, and driving with the parking engaged. odi has upgraded the preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis to gather further information concerning parking brake usage factors and the circumstances surrounding the seventeen reported vehicle crashes.
PARKING BRAKE - CONVENTIONAL
EA04011GENERAL MOTORS CORP.04/09/200405/10/2005PARKING BRAKE FAILURE05V161000
 In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified nhtsa that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly on vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system. a total of 58 non-duplicative complaints were received by odi and gm concerning the approximately 59,000 my 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series pickup trucks with the pbr parking brake system.these included 22 alleged rollaway incidents, resulting in a rate of 38.5 rollaway incidents per 100,000 vehicles.odi is aware of 24 complaints regarding the my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series manual transmission trucks recalled by gm, including 5 alleging rollaway incidents.though the conditions described in gm's letter are also present in the c/k trucks with automatic transmissions, the rollaway rate in those vehicles was similar to those observed in peer vehicles studied by odi in this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. for additional information, see the attached closing report.
PARKING BRAKE - CONVENTIONAL - MECHANICAL
EA04011GENERAL MOTORS CORP.04/09/200405/10/2005PARKING BRAKE FAILURE05V161000
 In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified nhtsa that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly on vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system. a total of 58 non-duplicative complaints were received by odi and gm concerning the approximately 59,000 my 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series pickup trucks with the pbr parking brake system.these included 22 alleged rollaway incidents, resulting in a rate of 38.5 rollaway incidents per 100,000 vehicles.odi is aware of 24 complaints regarding the my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series manual transmission trucks recalled by gm, including 5 alleging rollaway incidents.though the conditions described in gm's letter are also present in the c/k trucks with automatic transmissions, the rollaway rate in those vehicles was similar to those observed in peer vehicles studied by odi in this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. for additional information, see the attached closing report.
PARKING BRAKE - CONVENTIONAL - MECHANICAL - LINKAGE AND CABLE
EA04011GENERAL MOTORS CORP.04/09/200405/10/2005PARKING BRAKE FAILURE05V161000
 In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified nhtsa that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned parking brake cable assembly on vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system. a total of 58 non-duplicative complaints were received by odi and gm concerning the approximately 59,000 my 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series pickup trucks with the pbr parking brake system.these included 22 alleged rollaway incidents, resulting in a rate of 38.5 rollaway incidents per 100,000 vehicles.odi is aware of 24 complaints regarding the my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series manual transmission trucks recalled by gm, including 5 alleging rollaway incidents.though the conditions described in gm's letter are also present in the c/k trucks with automatic transmissions, the rollaway rate in those vehicles was similar to those observed in peer vehicles studied by odi in this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. for additional information, see the attached closing report.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
PARKING BRAKE
08/10/2009512031
 Parking brake failed to operate and truck was damaged as a result. this defect is described in recall 05042 for trucks with manual transmission. my truck has an automatic transmission but has this exact same defect. *tr
03/28/200756301102/07/2000
 Yearly inspection is due. my husband checked parking brake 3 days before taking my pickup in for inspection. it was fine that day. my pickup failed inspection because parking brake would not hold. my husband tested the brake at the inspection center and it went to the firewall and would not hold. we accused the inspector of tampering with the brake. he insists the failure of the parking brake is a common problem with our model. which is true? if it is a common problem gm should issue a recall and repair the brake at no cost to the consumer. *jb
05/01/200670000206/01/2003
 Emergency/parking brake shoes worn completely out. 2000 chevy 1500 pickup truck has few miles but dealer refused to fix. dealers do admit it is a design defect that allows the shoes to rub while vehicle is driven wearing out the shoes. they have a 'redesigned part' for replacement. since the emergency brakes should never engage while in motion they should last forever and always be functional if emergency/parking brake is needed. the cost to replace was several hundred dollars but that isn't the real issue. the problem is that there are probably millions of vehicles out there with owners that assume the brake is engage and working properly while gm knows there is a problem but apparently is willing to risk lives to prevent a recall. this leave the owners and their children not to mention anyone else near the vehicle at risk of death or injury when the brake is needed and doesn't do it's job. *jb
10/03/200579000108/09/2000
 State safety inspection- parking brake failure, 158.24 repair. parking brake pads. mechanic told me this is a common problem with chevrolet and gm pickups of several model years(mine is a 2000) contacted chevrolet and was told nothing could be done since there was no recall. there is a recall on manual transmission models of this truck. my biggest concern is this problem would not be known by most consumers unless they have a required safety inspection. *nm
05/02/20021
 The consumer states the parking brake doesn't hold when engaged. the service technician at the dealership explained the cable may be the problem but no matter how many tims its adjusted the cable is as tight as it can get. please add more information.*jb
PARKING BRAKE - CONVENTIONAL - MECHANICAL - LINKAGE AND CABLE
308/03/1999
 Parking brake is down too far, it hits floor before exerting enough pressure for brake pads to connect on a steep hill, dealer was notified. *ak in addition, consumer stated that the rubber pad on the parking brake pedal fell off. *yd