Brake Hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings problems of the 2004 Chevrolet 1500 - part 1

Driving down the road, applied brakes to stop at red light, brake paddle went to the floor. Had to use the emergency brake to stop truck. No warning, no lights. Brake line had rusted and broke. Had my wife and grand children in truck.

Brake lines rusted and ruptured. Brakes failed resulting in near accident.

Rear brake line blew (along frame) pedal went to floor no brakes, I was lucky I was off road at the time of brake failure. Truck has 21685 miles. Brake lines should last the life of the truck. I should of only lost the back brakes, I think they may have a problem in the abs unit (echu)? they know they have a problem with these brake lines, why no recall? this will cost around $1500+ if I let them do the work.

Brake line rusted and blew out while stopping. Known problem. Government motors.

The truck was bought new in south carolina in 2004 and has only traveled to "snow belt" states in the winter less than a dozen times in past 11 years. On 7/23/15, while on vacation, the vehicle suffered a sudden loss of all braking power. Fortunately, my husband was able to get the truck stopped in time before hitting the car in front of us by shifting into neutral and pulling the parking brake. After pulling off of the road and opening the hood, we discovered that a small fire had started from the spraying brake fluid hitting the hot manifold. Again, we were fortunate to get it doused in time before any major damage occurred. Once we found out that the front left metal brake line had cracked, we carefully made our way to advance auto using the neutral and the parking brake to stop us when needed. My husband was able to patch the corroded brake line in the parking lot of auto at 8 pm at night only to discover the other front line was cracked as well. By this time it was too late to fix so we made a harrowing trip back to our hotel without any real brakes. Good thing their wasn't much traffic and we were close to our hotel. The next day we were able to find a local repair shop to replace the right front brake line. They mentioned they had replaced one on a chevy suburban only a day earlier from indiana for the same reason. After searching the internet for this issue, I must strongly disagree with gm when they stated that the brake system on the affected vehicles is split between the front and the rear and that "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. " we had no brake pressure at all and had no way of stopping. It was only my husband's quick thinking that saved our family and another family from an accident. I hope this matter will be investigated further.

On 7/3/15, my husband applied the brakes to stop in order to exit a restaurant parking lot. The brake pedal went to the floor we (my husband, child, and I) drove across the marked parking ways and crashed into a parking lot sign to make the vehicle come to a stop. Upon exiting the truck, my husband noticed the brake line leaking. We were blessed that we had not pulled on the main street into oncoming traffic. We had to get the vehicle towed to a shop for repair. I also called don moore automotive service department and had no response.

Thank god I was not traveling I got up in the morning to go to work and placed my foot on the brake in which it went to the floor which was odd I pumped the brake a time or two and heard the sound of dripping fluid under my truck I shut it off and looked under my truck to see a stream of brake fluid down to the ground. I could have only imagined what would have happened if I was on my way to work and this had happen or if I had my family with me on the way to the beach. This could have bee catastrophic not only to me but to my family and everyone on the road. I am an aircraft mechanic and after reading some of these known issues and Chevrolets response to them my question is how can you continue to admit there is not a problem. I mean there are some things I can see needing regular maintenance on a vehicle and brake lines that are made out of steel is not one of them. The airlines use stainless steel in the aircraft to help resist corrosion for this very reason. Why put peoples lives in danger when you can fix it with better quality parts.

Driving 45 miles per hour along a rural road following another vehicle. The vehicle I was following applied his brakes to turn left onto a side road. When I applied my brakes I felt the abs system kick in, then the brake pedal went immediately to the floor with only minimal stopping power. I had to drive up onto a lawn to avoid crashing into the rear of the vehicle in front of me. Because my truck is a standard transmission, I was able to nurse it home. This is the second blown brake line I've had on this truck. In August of 2014 while towing a trailer I had a brake line fail. Luckily there was no other vehicles around. I replaced the rusted line and bled the brakes, after which they operated normally. I've owned this truck since new, purchased in December of 2003, and noticed within a couple years that the brake lines were rusting unusually quickly. I'm an aircraft mechanic and am used to inspecting my vehicles for any mechanical defects or unusual conditions.

Brake line was rusty and ruptured when I applied brakes. Brake pedal went all the way to floor.

After reading about so many multiple brake failures I decided to check my vehicle and was horrified to see my brake lines were so badly pitted and rusted. It looks like I'll have to replace all the brake lines in the truck. The truck is only 10 years old with about 54,000 miles. I don't understand why such an important system in a vehicle wound fail after such a short period of time.

While servicing my brakes I inspected my brake lines since gm continues to ignore the issue of rusty and failing brake lines. Found mind rusting in the same critical area (brake line distribution box) that my daughters 2004 1 ton brakes were rusty and failed in ohio with a 4 horse goose neck trailer attached. She was lucky it happened in the driveway of her barn and not on the road to a horse show with a load of horses. How many accidents, brake failures and possibly people killed before NHTSA forces gm to recall all the trucks with problems including the 2004 year series. Gm uses stainless steel in the exhaust system but not brakes. Stupid. I didn't get killed in vn don't want to get killed or kill someone here because gm is too cheap to put proper material in critical areas.

Attempted to stop for yellow light, brake pedal went to the floor causing vehicle to continue through intersection. Had to downshift transmission manualy to get the vehicle to come to a complete stop. All brake lines had to be replaced. @$400. 00. People need to be made aware that total brake failure occurs in this situation. Thank you.

Steel brake line failure/rupture under little to no braking. In a parking lot, brake pedal went to floor. I immediately noticed the brake line cluster on the driver's side coming from engine compartment, heavily rusted along the frame rail. This is where the rupture occurred. Thankfully I just dropped off my three kids and this happened before loading the bed with a cord of oak firewood. I've worked on vehicles for 20+ years and have never seen brake lines rust like this. Normal road salt has never impacted any other vehicle I have owned and maintained over the years. I guess it was cheaper for gm to use aluminized steel rather than stainless at the factory. If my truck was loaded with firewood, and my three kids, the end result would have undoubtedly been catastrophic.

Brake lines just went, luckey they did when I first started truck up, they were rusted out. As I have come to learn, there has been many cases of this problem, I know of many cars and trucks that are 20 years old that haven't had rusted brake lines. I feel there should be something done about this, before it creates a major problem. It also cost 1000 dollars to repair lines, which I think is way to much.

Braking downhill at intersection red light. The rear brake line burst due to rusting. Luckily I slowed enough not to rear end the vehicles stop at the red light. Had the truck towed to repair shop. Replaced all brake lines. Checked online and saw many complaints about this problem with gm pickup trucks. Gm never issued a recall for the problem.

Brake line rusted through and all stopping power was lost causing vehicle to run a red light. After having repairs done, it has now happened again.

My son and I were going home from a day of hunting when we started going down a large curvy hill (back road) when no warning, brakes starting going out. The pedal became very spongy and I pushed it all the way to floor to slow down and down shifted to first gear to get to bottom of hill. It was scary for both of us, it reminded me from a scene from a movie unfortunately this was no movie. The truck has less than 100,000 miles on it and has been babied in a garage and serviced regularly. Apparently I am one of many that have experienced this problem of rusty brake lines. I am very disappointed in the quality of materials that gm has used on brake lines. In hindsight I am not surprised from gm.

Brake pedal went soft and went to floor. Vehicle had slow stopping ability, brake line to rear rotted and leaked. 2 weeks later same thing happened and a front line broke. Now changing all lines. R.

While driving on a city street, I came to a stop sign and applied my brakes. The brakes failed and the brake pedal went completely to the floor. The truck came to a gradual stop, taking about 4 to 5 times the normal distance it should have required. I ended up partly in the intersection before the truck stopped. Fortunately, no other vehicles were at the intersection when I arrived. Prior to this failure, there was absolutely no warning signs that the brakes had failed. The brake warning indicator did not come on until after the brakes failed and there was no change in the functioning of the brakes before the failure to give any indication that there was a problem. I live in a mountainous region and I am very thankful that the brakes failed while driving at a low speed, on a relatively flat road, at an intersection with no cars present. If I had been driving at a higher rate of speed on the main roads which are curvy and steep in this area or had to stop suddenly, the outcome could have, and probably would have, been very different and tragic. The truck was repaired at the nearest Chevrolet dealership. The cost of replacing the brake lines came to $1,760. 27. The service department stated the failure was caused by rusted brake lines. It is noteworthy that this same dealership replaced by brake disks less than 15 months prior to this incident and they did not notice that the lines were rusted at that time. I have owned 6 vehicles and there have been defects in many of these vehicles, but none of the defects were as serious or had the potential danger than this one which caused the brake failure.

Coming to an intersection 10 mph, brake paddle went to floor. Emergency brake saved me. Rotten brake lines were the cause of the failure. One year later four more brake llines replaced because of leaks. All four were rusted out.

I went to slow down to turn into a drive and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor with no brakes at all. I used the emergency brake to stop the truck and get it off the road. Our family uses the truck periodically - would they have known to use the emergency brake? what if they had been approaching a stop sign at a busy intersection? all brake lines were rusted through and needed to be replaced.

Rusted out steel brake lines. Lost brakes had to be towed to repair shop. Lucky I did not crash into anyone. Chevrolet dealer does not want to hear any of it they say the truck is ten years old.

Brakes went to the floor while stopping. Brake line in the rear broke due to rust. On 9/08/14 front brake line ruptured. Cause: rusted brake line, dangerous problem.

After replacing rotors, and pads, I pressed hard on the pedal. A brake line burst, leaving no brakes except the emergency brake. I drove it to a repair shop1/10th mile away. I am fortunate it didn't break sooner as I recently completed a 4000 mile trip with a trailer behind. Gm should pony up!!! please require all fuel and brake lines be rust proof. A simple fix at point of assembly. John lohr. . . 2004 1500 suburban awd 75000 miles.

Brakes failed without warning ended up going off side of road to avoid collision with another vehicle. Car was towed to repair facility y and truck experienced total loss of brake fluid due to brake line rupture caused by corrosion on the brake lines. No light and or warnings of any problem came on and this was a total loss of braking power.

While leaving my driveway I went to stop , pedal went to floor,car almost had accident with oncoming snow plow truck. Even though vehicle has low mileage dealer said warranty was up. Front brake lines were rusted through. Had them replaced. Just recently I checked under vehicle & it appears the same is happening to the rear brake lines & fuel lines. Rossi chev. My dealer told me this is a common problem. Something is not right with this very dangerous problem.

On 11/27/13, I was traveling in very heavy holiday traffic in austin, TX when I came to traffic light going 45 miles per hour and my brakes went out. I ran the light, pulled to the right and coasted onto a side street and was able to stop. I had no advance warning! none of the service messages appeared before the incident. I was visiting from out of town and by myself. Checked brake fluid and at that time there was some fluid, but I quickly saw brake fluid flowing out in front of the passenger side of the car. The brake line had corroded and broke. This car has spent most of its life at the texas coast, exposed to sand and salt. I am so very thankful I was not on the freeway, which I was about to access. . . I am not sure what the results would have been. For the last 43 years, I have owned suburbans (currently own 3) and never had such a problem. This 2004 is the only one that has been exclusively used in a sand/salt environment. This is a 4-wheel drive vehicle which should be especially protected from damage when in contact with corrosive materials, like sea air or salted road areas. As you know, such areas cover most of our country and the car should have been built to withstand that type of wear. Note: this car has been very well maintained and not utilized in any adverse manner.

Brake lines have rusted through and failed while driving. Pedal went to the floor due to a loss of pressure and fluid. Had to use emergency brake and drive into a small ditch to stop the truck. Truck was taken to a non gm repair shop and after inspection all hard brake lines are so rusted they must all be replaced to avoid a major collision or death.

While traveling to work I attempted to stop and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I was able to stop by using only the emergency brake but only after approx. 100 feet. I was able to drive the truck home by using four wheel low and allowing the engine and transmission to keep me at a safe speed. I then contacted my mechanic who lives right down the road and he came up and looked at the truck. He told me the brake line had ruptured and additionally all the brake lines should be replaced along with the fuel line that appears to be badly corroded. I then contacted the dealership where I purchased the truck and was told that they have had no issues with the brake lines on these trucks and there was nothing they could do to help me. I then looked on the internet and was shocked to find out that there has been a lot of issues with these trucks and the ntsb was looking into a recall .

Brake lines gave way due to excessive rust, luckily I was going down hill and did not need to make an emergency stop. Mechanic replaced all the brake lines and informed me this is a known problem on chevy trucks.

2004 chevy silverado only has 81909 miles on it and brake lines are corroded. Brake lines and gas lines should not be made from material than can rust and fall apart.

While driving slowly, in traffic, I pressed the brake pedal and heard a popping sound which appeared to be in the front driver side area of the vehicle. On the next occasion that I pressed the brake pedal, the pedal went to the floor. The vehicle did slow down and did stop, but I was only traveling at 5 mph. At this point I was using the emergency brake to stop the truck. Being close to home, I used the emergency brake to get back to my home. Upon inspection it appears a brake line driver side, just behind the driver had rusted and failed, emptying all the brake fluid on the ground. This could have been a lot worse had I been traveling at a high rate. I am quite a good mechanic but this is a very difficult fix as well. This truck is a 2004 and very well maintained. I've also had issues with the brake discs warping which is another chevy silverado problem.

While driving my 2004 chevy silverado 1500 4x4 around town I encountered my first ever brake failure. Fortunately, no accident occurred. I was in traffic, needing to apply braking. The brake pedal felt normal at first and then suddenly it, the pedal, began softly and mushingly headed toward the floorboard. I was able to slow the truck down eventually but the distance required for breaking had now tripled or quadrupled. Definitely a safety issue. Then, low and behold, and just a bit too late there came the idiot light telling me to check the brakes. Imperfect timing to say the least. Luckily I was able to pull over and into an auto shop. Thankfully, the shop had lots of chevy experience and was able to confirm that Chevrolet is aware of the rusted brake line problem as it is been in the investigation pipeline for a while.

The brake lines were severely corroded and they busted. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor and I was only able to stop the truck by using the emergency brakes. On 8/31/13, lang Chevrolet dealership service department performed the 75000 mile service on my truck and they did not say anything about the corroded brake lines. The service invoice shows that the brakes were checked and were about 20-30% worn. On 2/27/12 lang Chevrolet service department replaced the rotors and pads on all four wheels because they were severely corroded and charged me $1253. 00. They did say anything about the corroded brake lines. I believe that the company is purposely not warning customers about corroded brake lines. This is putting us Chevrolet owners at risk of being seriously injured or killed. I was very lucky that I was only traveling at about 10 mph when by brakes failed. There were no prior warning signs prior to complete failure of my brakes.

Lost brakes due to brake line rust thru.