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Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Brake Problems

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Comments

  • inthewindinthewind Member Posts: 1
    I've had brake and e-brake problems (soft pedal, ABS at low speeds, no e-brake etc) since 80K miles (now have 110K miles) and am about fed up with spending money and time trying to fix a faulty design with no help from the dealers or OEM. I finally posted a complaint with the NHTSA (URL below). May or may not help, but at least it lets the Fed know there is a problem with the brakes on these trucks. Good Luck!
    (http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.cfm)
  • feaglefeagle Member Posts: 3
    just wanted to say that the dealership fixed the breakes and other things that was wrong from the breakes getting hot ..it cost them 2,000 they even replaced the tires on the front of the truck
  • ldsokolldsokol Member Posts: 14
    Hi, I don't know if you still come on this website but I've had the same problem that also results in the locking of the steering wheel. I've been through arbitration with GMC and the arbitrator said it was not the fault of GM. I've posted a newsletter that the State of Utah Department of Public Safety just put out on Nov. 1 2007. If you go to Forums-Pickups-Chev&GMC Steering problems it's #60. I also posted to the same forum under #'s-53,54, & 57. I can't believe so many of us are having the same problem, yet GM won't do anything about it. I hope we can change this.
  • ldsokolldsokol Member Posts: 14
    Just so you all know if the dealer installs a lift kit before you buy the new vehicle, it voids the warranty through GM. This is just something that the dealer forgets to tell you if you have trouble with it. The dealer is making approximately $6500.00 profit by putting it on and then they don't want to fix anything on it. They shouldn't be able to put them on vehicles without having them re-inspected for safety.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Usually the installer will warrant any work done regarding lift kits. Seems unfortunate that you picked a winner dealer to install yours. Oh well such is life.
  • ldsokolldsokol Member Posts: 14
    Hi Marqeaux, I was wondering what you found out about the brake problem?
    If it didn't get fixed you should file a complaint with the NHTSA, this is where alot of people go to complain about this very problem. Maybe if they get enough complaints they'll make GM do something about it. Let us know what happened. It shouldn't matter if the vehicle is a '97 or '07, this problem has been around for years, they should have to take care of it. Thanks.
  • jlmyersjlmyers Member Posts: 1
    Here's one for you guys.
    I have a 2000 Silverado, when I go to brake I push on the pedal and it won't go- anywhere- or starts to go down then it's like I hit a wall. the truck won't stop the pedal won't go down, I have to quickly relase then reapply and it will either work or sometime I have to pump again! what is it?
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Hmmm best guess would be a bad caliper. Then again could be a bad master. I'd get it checked out though cause it doesn't sound like a good situation to be in.
  • ldsokolldsokol Member Posts: 14
    I would say it's the Hydro booster. Have your dealer check that out. You can have them perform a brake test on it too.
  • 07silveradoguy07silveradoguy Member Posts: 3
    I have really earily simular problem with 07 Silverado, after putting on some after market wheels same size as stock wheels, I began experiencing problem and thought it was rotors and or brakes but I replaced rotors and brake pads thinking it was warping, but to no avail the problem still exist's when I press the brake pedal the whole front end of truck buck's but steering wheel is fine, This truck has 10,000 miles on it the dealership tells me it's the wheel but they are only guessing and they state they cant touch the situation because of the aftermarket wheels but Chevy corporate states otherwise but COX chevrolet and Sunset Chevrolet in Fla. have both refused to deal with this issue. I will try taking the fuse out , thanx for the info.
  • dkj313dkj313 Member Posts: 2
    I have 10000 miles on my silverado w/t classic. It all ready went in for loud squealing noise from the breaks, At that time they told me this was normal. They did with alot of persistence from me find a service bulletin for noisy breaks and change the pads with ceramic and turned the rotors.

    However the noise has come back after about 3000 miles anyone having similar trouble? What have you done.

    thanks
  • badchevybadchevy Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2002 Silverado truck with only 28,000 miles on it. We bought it new and have taken great care of it. We just took it to the dealer and were told that all 4 rotors and pads have to be replaced on it because they are rusting and deteriorating. We live in Colorado where it's unheard of to have parts rust so we questioned this. Then we were told that the parts are bad because we don't drive the truck enough so that made the brake parts go bad. Anyone else ever heard that you have to brake a certain minimum to keep your brakes from falling apart at 28,000 miles? After spending $1,200 for new rotors and pads, and parking brake parts we have discovered that many other people have the same trouble with their Chevrolet truck and that Chevy is denying it's defective parts. Anyone else heard of this problem?
  • chevyman07chevyman07 Member Posts: 1
    read the message from 07silverado guy and i had the same problem with my 07 gmc. which fuse was he talking about removing ??? any help would be great..thanks from chevyman07
  • beaver3beaver3 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2005 GMC Serria 1500 Crew Cab. I have had the Brake pads replaced all around and had the rotors in the front shaven as well as the drums in the back. Now it seems when I go to apply the breaks they seem to cause the truck to come to a quick stop. When I pump the breaks to slow down it is very jerky. I had the breaks serviced again and they can not find the problem. My abs light also comes on from time to time. When it stays lit the breaks work well again. I had the sensor replace in 2005 when I received the recall notice. My next stop is my dealership. The truck just broke 40,000 miles. Any clues?
    :confuse:
  • marcb2marcb2 Member Posts: 9
    I have been hearing a rubbing noise for about a week now and got to looking yesterday. Come to find out the driver side rear rotor has a couple groves in it. I am guessing, more than likely it will need to be replaced. The truck is an '03 Silverado 1500 extended cab sb. I am wondering if anyone could give me a ball park price range I can expect to pay to get this replaced.
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    It really depends on if you want to go to the dealer or "do it yourself". There are many after market products available that can help this. I suspect you should do both sides just to be safe.

    70/rotor x 2 , assume your pads need replace 80/pads, and a few hours of time. Dealer should be the about the same with labor at 85/hr for 2.5 hrs

    you might check my other posts i used SSBC rotors and pads package (photos)...they work great... that was 70K miles ago and only 30% used (city and highway 50/50)

    Check out:
    #36 of 68
    Re: 2001 Silverado 1500 Brake Pulsation [sweetlb] by ttaupier1
    Aug 09, 2007 (8:59 pm)
  • glr2000silglr2000sil Member Posts: 1
    I have 2000 Silverado 1500 4x4 i got the truck in May 07 with 48,000 miles At 53,000 Brake line blew out from rust Dealer wanted 3 grand since its winter here and no garage I took to local shop replaced all steel lines front rotors and calipers $1500 still had a soft petal it took many times bleeding both manually and with computer to get a good petal Well 3 weeks later brake pulsing started had the shop check it out left front speed sensor cutting out at or below 7 mph I pulled the ABS fuse and drove the the truck NO PROBLEMS With price of the sensors being half the price of the hubs and problem would most likely return I just replaced the hubs with BCA bearing hubs took 3 hours to change both PROBLEM SOLVED I found that the inner seals leaking on the hubs Grease found and rust between axle and hub I am going to go SSBC kit for rear to gain brake power and will be changing rubber lines to braided I just hope this helps i was told just leave the ABS fuse out and remove the 2 warning lights but would rather have system work right but If I have problems again I will remove fuse and lights and forget about

    I had no warning lights when petal started to pulse at a slow speed mostly happened when I was coming to a stop Shop drove the truck with computer hooked up to find the problem There where no codes when checked
  • gmc8gmc8 Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 2008 GMC 2500 Sierra crew cab. I presently own 4 GM vehicles that are 2003 or newer. I have owed over 15 GM cars in my lifetime. I have a little over 900 miles on the truck and have experienced some brake problems. When the brakes are applied as you are approaching a stop light, and you happen to hit a bump in the road, recessed manhole cover, or small pot hole, the vehicle will momentary loose all brakes. This is only for a fraction of a second; however when you are traveling at 40 or 50 MPH, this situation turns to panic as you approach the car in front of you with NO brakes. At 50 MPH a fraction of a second quickly turns into 20 ft of stopping distance. This has happened to me 4 times including once while taking a GM service tech for a ride. GM claims there is nothing wrong with the brakes, since the vehicle is operating “as engineered”. They stated that they have no intention on correcting this problem. They stated that under those circumstances, with this vehicle, that this is normal. I asked for a letter to that affect, but they refused. The other problem that I have, which is also “as engineered”, is that the defrosters and defoggers don’t work. Part of this problem is due to the fact that the windshield defroster is only 22 inches for a 5 ft plus windshield. In cold weather, two triangle about 8X 8 freezes up on the outside of the windshield in both bottom corners. This makes visibility tough because the wipers are dragging ice across the windshield. The other part of the problem is that GM no longer runs the air conditioner to take out the humidity when the defroster is on in cold weather. You can’t override the system in cold weather. This causes a problem in cold rainy weather. The inside of the windows run with water when it is raining or your clothes or jacket is wet. I was on the phone approximately 30 minutes with GM and my windows were still fogged.
    "As engineered"
  • rtc3rtc3 Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2004 Silverado truck with 15000 miles and a 2006 Astro Van with 32000 miles. Bought both new. Just took to the dealer and were told that the rotors have rusted because we do not drive enough. We have had 6 Astro Vans and drove them the same way as the 2006 and this is the first problem with rusting rotors.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    LOL!! When the rotors are exposed to water and air which is a lot of the time and the vehicle is allowed to sit for a day or two like after washing it, the rotors will rust. However, this is surface rust and will wear off after 3-5 miles of braking while driving. To say that the rotors are rusted is a true statement. To say that they need replacing because of rust is well.....a bunch of BS. You are not the first to experience dealerships looking to increase their bottom line without much effort.
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Here is my perspective, the vehicle issues you have described, have been seen by myself (my eyes),on a truck 2000 HD 2500 chevy, the vehicle was lightly driven and the rotors literally rusted over (both rear rotors).
    To describe what I saw was that the rotor was rusting over from the outside >to> inside where one inch of shinny rotor metal was available for seating with the pads and calipers, should have been 2 inches approx. (mind you this was in 2001) his truck was one year old and was not stopping properly. His vehicle sat outside and was at a military base for several months while preparing for IRAQ.

    I have had several post to describe the issue, GMC/CHEVY and GM designs with their breaking systems have fallen down. IT IS NOT every vehicle that this happens on just mainly their larger vehicles.

    The Dealer tech (for my friends vehicle) said they were trained on the issue and know that it is a QUALITY SNAFU (Situation normal, "all flubbed/fouled up")

    I started to see the same issue on my 2003 and felt the less than lack luster performance since day one. I feel the master cylinder is fine and the hoses are okay, pedal mechanics work fine.

    I replaced the rear "calipers & rotors- and installed SSbrake lines),
    front: i replaced the rotors....had the brakes done 75K miles ago ..and have had NO problem since.

    My rotors are not rusting over and brakes work great for almost two years now, my dealer was approach to fix the issue several times, before i took action...they gave me the run around, and laughed at me no doubt after i left the service visit.

    I have two small kids and could wait for the truck to have a incident to fix the situation
  • lfillfil Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 GMC Sierra Crew Cab and since the vehicle has had 2000 miles (3500 Kms) it develops a violent vibration / shimmy in the steering wheel during bothe town and highway driving; you can smell the brakes buring, and the rims gets so hot you can burn your fingers on them. The problem happens more on hot days on the higway, and during the winter we don't experience the vibrations as much, but we do still get a metallic burning smell from the brakes.

    When the vibration occurs the truck will not accelerate as you can feel the brakes ceasing and holding the vehicle back. The steering wheel literally vibrates 1 - 2 inches each way, and when we apply the brakes to pull off the road the vibration maginfies causing the truck and steering wheel to violently vibrate and shudder, in turn making it very difficult to steer and stop, and the pulsation in the brake peddle is unbelievable; all o fthis while driving at 100 - 120 km/hr.

    I know this is a huge safety issue and I fear everything will cease up one day, or I won;t be able to stop safely. I've been to the dealer too many times to count since we got the truck, and they are continuosly replacing / repairing front end brake components as the heat / friction from the problem has caused things to crack and warp. I've asked them to check the ABS module to see if it was malfunctioning, and the dealership can never get the truck to replicate the issue so they don't know what to do....plus it is causing the tires to wear excessively and feather due to the vibration at high speeds.

    I know there are brake issues with GMC...I'm at a loss of what to do, has anyone had this problem and was it fixed, or maybe some suggestions or things I can ask the dealership to do...besides replace my vehicle as they aren't interested in that.

    Thanks
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Yes this was very similar to my problems (see my other posts/photos). It seemed that the front brakes were doing all the work, I also have disks brakes in the rear. After a few visits to the dealer, and the feeling like i was being laughed @. I was torn and loved the truck and my two toddlers. I also notices the front wheels covered in dust but the back wheels hardly ever need to be cleaned... Hmmm?

    I went to SSBC.com and bought the rear tri-caliper sets and Russel SS brake hoses kit, mind you this caliper upgrade was for the Rear ONLY...I used the SS brake hoses on the front as well. I also ordered the SSBC.com treated rotors package for all four wheels. I spent about 4 hours by myself doing a side at a time in my garage.

    I now have no problem and the truck ...after 50K miles... still feels new even after sitting at the airport for three weeks straight, and no rusting over of the rear rotors

    In my honest opinion have the dealer replace the rear calipers....see if this makes a difference and have them buy new rotors and pads for all 4 wheels..... , you might also go to Russel and buy the SS braided brake line kit this will also help the lines from feeling soft, and improve pedal feel, help with better braking habits...my wife has a lead foot when it comes to gas and brakes, helps her feel more in control

    I have a huge problem with the rear calipers from the factory, and if i buy another GMC I will request the dealer upgrade the brakes and finance the SSBC package as part of the vehicle costs.

    Brembo also makes a kit but with a significant price difference, the SSBC kit allows for standard wheel size and i think the brembo kit requires 18+ inch wheels and tires...
  • jrock33jrock33 Member Posts: 1
    I bought all new rotors and pads for my '01 GMC Sierra. The front fit perfectly pads and all but the back rotors are to thick for the caliper bracket. Is there anything I can do the fix this problem without having to turn my new rotors?
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    I'm assuming this is aftermarket. If so those companies have been known to ship incorrect parts. I'd call them and see if that's the case before doing anything that might make them "unreturnable".
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    I am assuming you ordered the correct parts from the web and can not easily return the rotors...or exchange...locally

    Not sure if you are doing the work yourself or with help, I believe the rear calipers are needing to be compressed, I cant remember, but I think you have to turn the piston to close them or to get them to close... you might pickup a truck maintenance or brake caliper manual for actual instructions.

    Its been two years since I did mine and I don't work on them that often hopefully for another 100K miles. I believe to compress the rear caliper sets due to the design I think I had to compress the calipers a funny way to get the new rotor and pads to fit correctly and meet up (tight fit if I remember). When i replaced the rear calipers they came compressed from SSBC.com factory

    I found this on a few sites: For the rear calipers, you will need to turn the piston clockwise(as you are looking at the top of the piston), about one or two turns and then compress the piston as far as it will go, the turn the piston again and then compress again, repeat until you are all the way to the bottom. I highly recommend the Kent Moore brake compression tool.

    Hope this helps, I would also check to see if the part shipped was the part you ordered, and the part you actually needed.

    Hope this helps
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Here is a link to another site tracking some other complaints...maybe there are enough folks to get a class action lawsuit going on behalf of a few million owners

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/gm_silverado_brakes.html

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/02/gm_regional_recall.html

    "A "class action" is a civil suit brought by one or more people on behalf of themselves and others who are similarly situated. In other words, the others are in a substantially similar circumstance where the common issues are the most critical to the lawsuit. For example, if a large number of consumers is injured as a result of an allegedly defective product, the principal issue will be whether the product caused the injury. Some examples of class actions are those brought against the manufacturers of allegedly defective or hazardous products, such as asbestos, certain vaccines, Agent Orange, tobacco, and breast implants. Only then will the question of how badly each party was injured be heard.

    Class actions may also be brought on contracts. For example, all customers of America Online could claim damages when it went to its $19.95 per month rate - with inadequate capacity to handle the increased traffic.

    Another frequent field for class actions is securities claims. For example, suppose a company issues an allegedly false press release and the stock goes from $10 to $15 but when the truth comes out the stock falls to $6 per share. A class action could be brought on behalf of all the stockholders who purchased shares after the company issued deceptive news and before the truth came out. Each member of the class allegedly suffered some harm as a result of the alleged wrong. The damages each member of the class will vary - someone who bought 1,000 shares at $15 each would be 10 times more impacted than a person who bought 100 shares at $15 – but the critical issue is whether the press release was deceptive, and that is common to all class members.

    Typical class actions involve hundreds, thousands or millions of people who have comparable claims. Class action "certification" permits all claims to be heard in a single trial.
    "
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Since he said rear caliper brackets I'm assuming you won't need to compress those. :shades:
  • zpaintermonzpaintermon Member Posts: 1
    any luck with a answer to your problem my 05 is doing the same prob seems like the back brakes lock up before the front when you are going at a slow pace to stop thanks for a reply if you have a answer .jiimy
  • taxmst5taxmst5 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Silverado 2500HD 4x4 and the rear brakes are completely shot after 24000 miles. However, I cannot get the rear rotors off the truck. They appear to be loose a little bit but something is holding them on. I think it may be the parking brake assembly. How do I get the rear rotors off? Is there something else I need to remove?
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Rear rotors are sometimes ..a pain, my guess is the inside pads, inside the hub are still contacting the rear hub, you might see if there is an alignment screw.. holding them on, if not try lifting the truck enough to get under the parking brake linkage and see if you can get some release with wd40 .. on the linkage... and ensure that the parking brake is not set .. I remember mine were a struggle to get off but then i let the parking brake off and they slide right off, with a little effort from a rubber hammer
  • dsmasondsmason Member Posts: 1
    Have you had any luck? Same issue w/ my 05 and dealer has given up. Replaced shoes,cut drums cleaned up all hardware, run test on abs components. Anyone?
  • alc8alc8 Member Posts: 4
    maybe someone can help. left front rotor refuses to move for replacement. right front came off with a littlebit of time but no luck on this side. any suggestiohs on what to try?
  • istijsistijs Member Posts: 1
    Ok here it is, Since 2002 New truck, I've put 3 rotors and 4 sets of brake pads on my truck and only have 56,000 miles on it. While towing a trailer loaded with 4 Harleys from Laconia NH a month ago, A car stopped short infront of me and I felt the brake peddle go right to the floor. I pulled over safely and checked it out and saw my brake line had busted above the left wheel well. Brake fluid was pouring out everytime the brake peddle was pressed. Since we had my tool box and some small SS hose clamps, we took a SS braided vent hose from one of the harleys and used it to fix the rusted broken brake line. We filled the master cylinder with DOT 3 fluid and our patch held from NH to New Jersey. After seeing every brake line on the truck was rusted beyond believe, I had my repair shop replace every brake line with an Alloy Chrome Tube system with Stainless fittings and new brake rotor's, brake calipers, all Brake hoses and Master Cylinder. I am cleaning all the frame rust off now and using POR 15 to coat all rusted surfaces that are rusted. My repair shop "Kotche's Repairs" is kind enough to let me use his lift so I can put this protective coating on every rusted and non rusted piece of my Chevy Silverado Duromax Truck. Perhaps a back charge to Chevy is warranted. I have not gotten the bill for this work yet not to mention putting my life my wife's life and 2 dear friends' lifes in danger. yours, Not happy with Chevy in NJ
  • preddypreddy Member Posts: 1
    I am new to this forum but I have just experienced the "rusty" brake line problems that others have mentioned. I had one brake line rust out causing brake failure, the dealer says all four lines need to be replaced as the are also rusty. This is after having replace all four routers last year because of excessive rust. I had the recall for the anti-lock repair done which is when they hit me up on the brake routers. Ever since the recall my truck would not want to stop at slow speeds. This was an not 100% of the time, but when it happened it made you question weither the truck would realy stop. It would shudder like the anti-lock sensor was kicking on.

    Would like to know how many others have had their brake system fail because of rusting brake lines? Rusty routers, and anti-lock problems. Why there is not a GM recall to fix or a class action to correct if GM will not!

    As a retired GM employe I am sad that GM has not stepped up to their brake problems.
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Please see my other posts, there are a lot of customers with your problems, there is a post i had from other blogging sites that have had the same issues and concerns as you.

    I believe in most of my posts explain most of your thoughts based on experience an opinion
  • twotall4u_77twotall4u_77 Member Posts: 1
    Can someone please explain how to change the front brake pads on a 2005 Silverado. What size wrench do you need and do you remove 4 bolts or just 2?
  • ducktape1ducktape1 Member Posts: 2
    hey all was wandering if anyone could help i have a 85 chevy truck ive been having trouble with the front passenger brkes sticking , so i put new caliper on that side with brakes and problem is still there caliper sticks and cause brakes and rotor to heat up any suggestions?
  • ducktape1ducktape1 Member Posts: 2
    there is only two and i believe they r a 3/8 allen head
  • remjrmillerremjrmiller Member Posts: 1
    Identical issue here. I thought I was reading a post by myself! I have had my truck in for new brake pads and rotors 3x since purchase. Just this week brake line ruptured and took into dealer. I need to replace basically from the brake pedal to the brakes due to rust. Dealer blames it on vehicle sitting for extended times (which it does but on pavement). $6000 to repair with $1700 in labor just for brake lines alone. If anyone has information on this being a common issue with 2002 vehicles please let me know. Thanks.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    $6000 to repair with $1700 in labor just for brake lines alone.

    That's nuts. You should check out an independent mechanic. Even with replacing with all stainless steel hardware it would be no where near that price. And while I've heard of some having brake line issues I have never heard of that kind of price to replace. Most of the people that were having problems was due to salt on the roads.
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Hey there,

    Mine is a 2003, and yes mine is inside a garage all the time, I power washed the engine last week, and noticed many lines rusting and looking very ...(99K miles) old. Not sure WHY >> my truck is garaged 90% of the time. Looks like GM used sub standard steel lines from Vendor "D"...who used bad alloys.. cheepest supplier

    6k seems very steep but then again if you have to do all the lines your looking at 8-10hrs of work, not to mention all the bending/fitting, that is if they don't make a kit to replace.. old lines. I love my truck an not planning on trading her in, but these brake issues really rub me the wrong way..

    I have other posts here for the past few years with multiple break/brake posts

    :cry:
  • z71redneckz71redneck Member Posts: 5
    On the way home from the dealership my service brakes soon light came on. I called the dealership and was told it is probably a computer hick up!! I returned the next day 180 mile round trip. They cleared the code and sent me on my way. 20 miles later the message appeared again I went back. This time they looked at the brakes and had to take on O ring off of a new silverado on the lot to put on mine. The brakes are currently fine. I think the salesman held my satisfaction with my new truck higher than the safety of my Wife and I. "A COMPUTER HICK UP?"
  • startsmartstartsmart Member Posts: 1
    We had the same grinding noise this week on our '04 Silverado 1500. Inner right rear pad was worn down metal to metal. The other 3 pads in great shape. Repair place had a copy of chevy bulletin 00-05-23-005B, dated May 27, 2003 explaining this problem affecting trucks from 1999-2004. Both GMC & Silverado half tons. Excessive wear to right inner pad caused by mud being slung from front to rear tire. Solution is to install mud flaps. Why were we not told of this need for mud flaps when we bought the vehicle (Dec of 2003, after bulletin was published) and why did Chevrolet decide not to install these mud flaps on all the new trucks as soon as they discovered the problem? Now we have had to pay for repairs that could have been avoided if the mud flaps had been there to protect us. I have called Chevrolet but they are giving me the run around and not much hope for reimbursement. There was a known design flaw in the vehicle, causing damage to the rear break and they do nothing? Negligence? I would say so...
  • ziggy63ziggy63 Member Posts: 2
    Wow- it's like deja vu all over again! I bought a '99 Sierra 1500 2wd extended cab new. I've now had it 9 years and 110,000 miles. The first time I was approaching a stop and hit a small bump the brakes went away while the ABS chattered. I complained to the dealer and got nowhere. I also posted on whatever Edmunds sites existed then and saw lots of other people with the same problem. I assumed GM had fixed it after '99, but apparently not. It happens every time under those conditions. I treat it like wheel lockup and take my foot off and immediately reapply the brakes. It's a workaround, but a major safety defect. It's probably time to pull the fuse.
    I've replaced my rotors twice and they need it again. My brake shop said the OEM stuff is junk, and the parking brake design is useless. Mine's been gone for years. I also had a brake line rot out before 100,000 miles, which I've never seen on any vehicle before. I remember the sales literature bragged about "aluminized" brake lines. That must have meant aluminum paint on the junkiest material they could find. It's criminal. I had it fixed, but now I don't trust the other lines. I need to keep the truck 2 more years. Where did your shop find the replacement hard lines? I'm considering stainless steel, but so far am only finding the braided flexible lines. GM should be held responsible for this. People have probably died already, but perhaps no one except we who own these trucks knows why.
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    HI Deja-vu, (ziggy)

    there are several on line dealers for break lines.. I have not replaced mine, but was researching for sure over the past 4-6 months.

    1) http://www.classictube.com/products.asp

    2) http://www.inlinetube.com/ (<< seemed to have best inventory of prefab replacement)

    good luck
  • ziggy63ziggy63 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks,TT. I had been to both those sites (saw them in Hemming's).
    Inline has nothing listed, Classic does, although I have to call to see if it's right, since the listing is vague. By the way, the URL for SSBC is http://www.stainlesssteelbrakes.com/. SSBC.com gets you to the South Shore Baseball Club, which is a whole different matter. Did you do anything about the proportioning valve when you did your brakes? I'm tempted to follow your example. The new rotors and calipers are very pretty.
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    Hi Ziggy, thanks for the web correction I'Il will go back and change it... LOL,

    As far as the proportioning, no I did not changed anything, just the calipers, the setting was probably set up right from the factory, its just that the rear slider pins on the rear Calipers were rusted/frozen, (truck was 1.5 years old) and I felt that the RManufactured/rebuilt calipers might be the same as far as break response(very weak). So I just swapped the rear calipers and all the rotors on all 4 wheels. Also swapped the brake hoses for braided SS lines from Russel... very sweet response. Pedal feel is so solid my wife loves to drive the truck-she feels like shes in a nascar.. we both road in ...in Florida

    This stuff was so easy to do I started wondering why GM just doesn't do something, I would gladly pay for an upgrade like this from the factory.. Brakes/tranny/engine/interior are the core of every vehicle

    And in the next 3-4 years when I trade or sell the beast, I will be looking for a anther BRAND... They seem very lazy on the marketing and customer service/response side. and With todays economy customer loyalty will be the difference between a job or no job. (GM or no GM)

    My dealer/sales guy knows everything I did, because I documented the work and gave several color copies packets of the documented work that the sales guy..he has been handing them out to some customers that can't get service to solve the issue...
  • ttaupier1ttaupier1 Member Posts: 50
    http://www.stainlesssteelbrakes.com/....is the link not SSBC.com srry
  • bob227bob227 Member Posts: 1
    I have TERRIBLE brakes on my truck and replaced the pads and rotors up front.
    What did you changed to get a solid feel on the pedal?
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