Brake Fluid Leak Problems of GMC Sierra - part 1

Noticed a puddle of fluid on the garage floor. Investigated and found it to be brake fluid. The entire reservoir emptied on the floor after a day. I had a hole in one of the brake lines under the drivers side. Looking under the truck all the line were terribly corroded and could break at any time . Taking it to my mechanic next week to replace all the lines. 9/1/2015.

See all problems of the 2007 GMC Sierra 🔎.

On the morning of Friday August 21, 2015, my wife went to move my 2002 GMC Sierra. She pulled out of our driveway and proceeded up-hill about 300-400 feet, and then turned around in a neighbor's driveway, when coming back down the hill she tried to brake to stop in front of our house, but the brakes totally failed without any warning. She then went up a slight hill on the other side of our house, but still couldn't stop, and didn't think to put the truck in park as she slowed. She rolled backwards down the hill and was able to steer into a neighbor's yard where the truck came to rest on a berm. At the time she said there were cars parked on both sides of the street and had a car been coming the opposite direction she would have crashed into it. Had there been pedestrians they could have been hit as well. When I came home that afternoon, I added brake fluid to the reservoir, and then pushed on the brake pedal. I saw a huge stream of fluid pour from below the driver's side door. I looked under the truck and found the brake lines surprisingly corroded. If sudden, immediate loss of brakes without any warning is not cause for a recall I do not know what is.

See all problems of the 2002 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Brake pedal went to floor almost causing an accident before the vehicle came to a stop. Before the service light came on. The service light did come eventually at which time we checked the master cylinder which was extremely low so we filled it thinking that was the problem. The next day we noticed brake fluid dripping and after checking realized that at least one of the brake lines were were rusted through in several places and all of the other lines are terribly rusted and probably on the verge of leaking also. This is a truck that we usually pull our camper with. Luckily we were not pulling it at the time this occurred.

See all problems of the 2006 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Brake pedal moved all the way to floor with no apparent hydraulic pressure which failed to engage brakes when shifting into drive. Inspection of brake lines beneath drivers side door revealed excessive rust and a hole in steel brake line leaking fluid.

See all problems of the 2001 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Went to stop at stop sign, brakes felt spongy. Stopped up the road about 2 miles at my moms house to get my kids, looked under the truck and saw brake fluid dripping down on the left side of the frame behind the left front wheel. I have to replace all of my brake lines now due to rust.

See all problems of the 2005 GMC Sierra 🔎.

After having a gm dealer perform oil change, perhaps 1/4 mile down the street from their facility encountered traffic stopped at an intersection in front of me. Applied the brakes to find that they felt mushy, and before completely stopping went to the floor. I used the parking brake to bring the vehicle to a stop without crashing into the cars in front of me. When the light turned green I nursed the vehicle into a parking lot using the parking brake and looked under the hood and could find no issue, the weather was very wet and sloppy, and light snow so I could not see the tell tale fluid leakage from a brake line. Because I had lost all braking I assumed that the master cylinder had failed. I had changed all calipers, rotors and pads several months before, and at 140,000 thought that the master cylinder failing would be unusual, but the only thing that would cause complete failure. After replacing the master I attempted to bleed the system only to find that the problem remained. Now that the under hood area was completely dry it was clear that the failure was rust through at a point the line to the left front wheel was in contact with the frame rail below the master cylinder. The oil change had probably caused movement of the line resulting in the failure. Moving some of the other lines made it apparent that all of the hard lines were shot. The slightest movement caused them to fracture. Worse than that, they were all encased in a "shell" of rust from one end to the other, concealing how fragile and dangerous they really were. Repair estimates were anywhere from $800 (local mechanics) to $3,400 (gm dealer). Lovely. I had a 1994 s10 blazer that I sold a couple of years ago with 290,000 miles on it, original brake lines and all. Changed the lines myself in a weekend for $120. 00, the gm parts guy new exactly what I needed and had the "kit" in stock, what a surprise.

See all problems of the 2004 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Around the middle of December 2014 the "service brake system" message appeared on my 2005 GMC 1500 Sierra sle. I checked the brake fluid reservoir and it was nearly empty. I could not find where the fluid had leaked from so I serviced the reservoir with 12 ounces brake fluid to the full mark. From about December 15, 2014 until 28 December 2014, I lost about 7 ounces of brake fluid. No trace of brake fluid can be found on the driveway. I crawled under the truck and had my wife press the brakes while I looked for a leak. I found the leak near the left rear wheel area on a very corroded bracket. It appears to be a very small hole because the fluid comes out as a fine mist and not a stream. The rigid brake line connects to a flexible brake line at the bracket and there is a lot of rust at the connection as well as the brake line. I have found rust forming on other brake lines as well.

On December 28, 2014 I was driving my 2004 GMC pick-up truck and suffered total loss of brakes. This happened as I was approaching an intersection and I narrowly avoided an accident. There was no warning prior to the brake failure - no warning light was on, and no gradual decrease in braking ability. After the failure, I determined that there was a sudden and massive leak of brake fluid from a rusted brake line. Previously, in April of 2014 I had my pick-up truck serviced at an authorized GMC service center. At that time, the service ticket referenced “condition of brakes to be in yellow – requiring future attention”. It was my understanding that the issue at that time was brake rotors would need to be replaced at the next service interval. There was no mention of any potential danger from brake line rusting/failure. Upon researching vehicle issues on the web I have discovered that there seems to be an inordinate number of brake line failures for vehicles of my type. It appears GMC has refused to issue a recall. I had my vehicle towed to the GMC dealer and had them replace rusting brake lines ($801. 64). The replacement GMC brake lines installed are of a different (improved) design - they have a painted/protective coating on them, which appears to be an attempt to address past premature brake line failure issues.

Started out when brake fluid started leaking from the truck. Brake petal went to the floor. Luckily did not happen when was driving. Found out the brake lines were rusted and was leaking and the repair cost would be over $1200. Looking on the internet this looks to be a known for certain GMC/chevy year trucks.

Started vehicle and began driving on street. Brake pedal went to the floor and brakes were not normal. Stopped vehicle and saw large puddle of brake fluid under vehicle. Had vehicle towed to repair shop and was told brake line rusted and all brake lines were corroded and that gm has had problems with this in many vehicles. Fortunate that failure had not occurred at highway speeds. Repair estimate was $3200 for replacement of brake lines and associated parts.

As I stated pulling out of my parking space. I pressed down on the brake pedal and it went to the floor. I quickly put it in park. Then checked under the truck to find brake fluid leaking all over. The line had rusted apart.

See all problems of the 2003 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Brakes failed while coming to a stop in light traffic. Braking action reduced to approx 10 to 20 percent of normal. Driver felt a "pop" and the brake pedal went to the floor, followed by a 'service brake system' warning message. A large puddle of fluid formed under the truck when parked and a quick look under the truck showed lots of fluid from the front of the bed to the rear of the truck. Further investigation showed heavy corrosion on all rigid brake lines. All brakes lines will be replaced. The failed line powered the rear brakes. This truck is only eight (8) years old. This could have been lots worse if the brakes failed one week earlier when I was pulling a camper through the tennessee mountains.

2007 GMC Sierra classic with approximately 54,000 miles was being driven into a garage to have wheels balanced. As the technician applied the brakes entering the garage, the brake lines on the front drivers side of the vehicle ruptured and the brake peddle went to the floor. Brake fluid poured out onto the floor and the brakes became completely unusable. If this had happened a few hours earlier in the day as I was traveling on steep mountain highways in west virginia I have no doubt an accident and probable fatality would have occurred. All recommended maintenance had been performed at the gm dealer where the truck was purchased and no warnings from gm were given that the brake lines were showing any signs of wear or that a complete brake failure like this could happen.

I was driving in a 40 mph street when I noticed the trafic signal was about to turn red when I applied the brakes the pedal when down to the floor I lost all brakes I slowed down by down shifting the transmission and aplying the emergency brake. When I pulled over there was brake fluid leaking all over under drivers side door. Upon inspection I noticed the brake lines rusrted out and lost all fluid. I could have been killed there was no warning. I needed to have my brake lines replaced I beleive this is a start of something bad if gm dosent act on this problem.

Brake pedal had no pressure and went to the floor. Truck wouldn't stop. Later I noticed a brake fluid leak. There was no leak before the incident and brakes worked perfectly earlier in the day. If I hadn't been in a parking lot and out on the road, there would certainly have been an accident.

I was approaching the stoplight fletcher drive and lee highway at approximately 25 mph heading east on lee highway around 1600 edt in warrenton, va. There were four (4) cars waiting to turn left onto fletcher drive in front of me. The car in front of me came to a sudden stop. I applied the brake with approximately 2 car lengths in front of me. The brakes started to grab but then the brake pedal went all the way to the floorboard. I pumped the brakes and my truck continued to roll and then hit mr. Kilkenny's vehicle at approximately 5-7 mph. I was unable to come to a complete stop until making contact with mr. Kilkenn¿s car. I asked if he was ok or hurt and he replied ¿yes, I am ok. Why didn¿t you stop?� I explained that I tried. I then suggested that both of us pull into the fauquier bank parking lot and exchange insurance information. At this time, I noticed my brakes had completely failed and the truck was leaking a significant amount of brake fluid onto the parking lot (coffee can or more in 10 mins). I stated that since it was a mechanical failure on my vehicle, I would feel better submitting it through insurance. I also showed him the leaking brake fluid. Mr. Kilkenny asked why I was driving with failed brakes and I explained that the brakes had failed at the intersection, that my brakes were working properly prior to the accident and that my truck had just been picked-up from service at the dealership (country Chevrolet) on Monday with no problems. The dealership just informed me that all the brake lines need to be replaced and that they have corroded through and basically "exploded". A similar issue occurred with my 2003 GMC Sierra in 2009, but with no accident. All brake lines had to be replaced due to corrosion.

I had not driven my truck in a few months due to other problems with the ventilation controls. While beginning to prepare the truck to tow a 3500 pound boat I needed to reposition the truck in my driveway. The driveway slopes down to the street. While moving the truck, on my driveway, the brake pedal went completely to the floor. Pumping the brakes was not able to stop the truck that was traveling at idle speed. All braking was gone and the truck rolled down the driveway and into traffic on my street. By turning off the engine and coasting to a stop (in gear) just avoided an accident. After getting the truck back in my driveway I found two distinct puddles of brake fluid under the truck. Inspecting the brake lines showed that there were at least two different failure points in the brake lines. One closer to the master cylinder and another a few feet further back. I believe one failure occurred in the front brake circuit and the other was in the rear brake circuit which led to the *complete* loss of braking. This is contrary to gm claims that this failure can not lead to total brake loss. I have pictures and video of the failure points that I can forward if needed.

Driving aprox. 40 mph applied brakes, brakes were soft. Reapplied brakes and brake pedel went to floor. Lucky to get off the road prior to stopped traffic. Pulled into parking lot & discovered brake fluid dripping and all over the underneath of vehicle both front & rear area. Inspected the brake fluid reservoir to find it empty. Inspection by my repair shop discovered several lines had rusted thru and leaked the fluid out. I was fortunate that I did not rear end any vehicles in front of me and lucky that I was not on a fast moving express way & needed to stop.

2005 GMC Sierra z71. I am the original owner. This vehicle has 18k miles, yes 18 thousand original miles. This truck does not get beat on at all, no off road etc, and it has been well taken care of since new. There is a rust issue with these trucks. On 5-19-2014, on my way to the car wash my brakes started to feel very soft and the truck was not stopping. I changed routes to my mechanics shop, and while en route lost the rear brakes. I thankfully arrived (driving very slowly) to the front of his shop. I got out and saw a puddle of brake fluid leaking out of the rear end brake lines rear lines were completely rusted. He inspected the vehicle, and as if this wasn't enough, informed that the transmission lines were also leaking (rusted). Mechanic added that I should be prepared for the fuel lines to rust through next. This line replacement job will cost me about 2k. Not to mention the issue with the lower rockers and cab corners rusting. That estimated is for another 2k. I purchased this truck to last me, and apparently gm does not build a quality product anymore. There a numerous complaints about this issue, and gm refuses to acknowledge the problem. Very unhappy!.

As I was approaching a stop sign at 30 mph, I went to apply the brakes and the brake pedal went to the floor board. I pumped the brakes a couple times to regain pedal pressure with no luck. I was lucky that no other cars were at the intersection or else there would have been an accident for sure. I made a quick right hand turn and used emergency brake to stop. There was a puddle of brake fluid coming from the abs module underneath the drivers side door. Upon further inspection, the brake line ruptured due to rust and corrosion. I am relieved that no one was at the intersection and that I did not have my wife and 3 kids in the vehicle at the time the brakes went out. I have owned many vehicles and never had a single vehicle where metal brake lines have rusted out. I have owned this truck for 10 years and now question gm and their quality and integrity. At this point, I probably won't buy another gm truck because they rust out in less than 10 years and my family's life was at stake for a design/quality flaw. I now have to spend $1000+ dollars to replace all brake lines on my truck when gm could have installed stainless steel brake lines in the first place. Disappointed GMC truck owner.

See all problems of the 2000 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Brake pedal went to flood, had difficulty stopping truck, leaking brake fluid.

I was stopped at a traffic light with my foot on the brake pedal when suddenly the pedal went almost completely to the floor. After getting safely off the roadway, I inspected the truck and saw a lot of fluid leaking from beneath the rear of the cargo bed. I then discovered that a rear brake line had ruptured, apparently from corrosion. I checked the brake reservoir and found that it was almost empty. Once I got the truck to a repair shop I saw that all the tubular brake lines were severely corroded and all needed to be replaced. I had stainless steel lines installed and repair costs exceeded $1. 200. 00. I've owned this truck since it was brand new and have always kept it very well maintained.

Brake fluid leaking all over bottom of truck spraying out I took to a mechanic and had 1000 dollar brake line job done got truck back and abs brakes worked like manual brakes had a sensor and 2 ball joints replaced im being ripped of from a GMC loyal customer I was I guess back to Ford or Toyota for my next new trucks I had warranty issues you cheap [xxx] wouldnt pay for a waterpump that was leaking only a 7 dollar gasket also had a transmission on my work van repair and then replaced after a month of run around. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 1999 GMC Sierra 🔎.

Backing out of a parking space I applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I hit a steel pole causing damage to my rear bumper. I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong. I inspected the truck and found brake fluid dripping from under the vehicle in the area of the drivers door. Further inspection showed the brake lines were very rusted which I attribute to the brake line failure.

The rear brake line failed when trying to stop for a red light. The brake pedal went to the floor and I was not able to stop the truck before entering the intersection. Fortunately, there was no traffic crossing the intersection at the time. I got the truck home, and a puddle of brake fluid formed in the rear of the truck. Upon inspection, all of the brake lines are badly corroded.

While driving the truck on a residential street, the brakes completely failed when I depressed the brake pedal (it went to the floor) and attempted to stop. I lost all normal braking ability and had to stop by down shifting and applying the emergency brakes. When I got the truck stopped and got out, I found that the brake fluid was pouring out onto the ground. A qualified mechanic inspected the truck and found that the brake lines were rusted through and had ruptured. He went on to tell me that this problem is a frequently occurring know problem with GMC pickup trucks and that GMC refuses to acknowledge the issue.

The contact owns a 2001 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that the brake pedal became stuck to the floor board while attempting to depress the brakes. The contact was able to stop the vehicle with an abnormal increase in stopping distance. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the rear brake line was leaking fluid due to corrosion. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 115,000.

Began to back out of parking space when the brake pedal fell flat to the floor. Lost all braking power and was unable to stop. Brake fluid leaking from rusted line.

When exiting the toll road, I applied brakes to slow down. It appeared we were going to roll thru the gate, I let off the brake, and then the car in front of me re-applied her brake. And when I re-applied my brakes, they went to the floor. No warning, no warning lights - the truck did not stop. I hit the car infront of me. Luckily I wasn't traveling at a high rate of speed, as nobody was hurt. After the incident, I noticed all the brake fluid had leaked out, and then my service lights came on. Had to be towed home and there I discovered that my brake lines had disintegrated - totally rusted out. I'm at the conclusion that the brake line wall was so thin, that when I applied the brakes the last time, the pressure blew out the line. No secondary line function. Yes, all lines appear to be totally rusted out. Truck is originally from ohio, I live in texas. I see that this is an ongoing problem in chevy/GMC trucks. And I am facing an outrageous repair bill. As a single parent of 3, 2 of which are teenage drivers, I'm not able to come up with the funds to repair. I'm so glad my kids weren't driving it at the time. I am trying to get gm to honor the brake line repair for $500 that I have seen on a couple of tv station action reports. No luck so far. Thank god my kids weren't driving, and thank god I wasn't traveling at higher speeds - where someone may have been seriously hurt.

Driving my 2003 GMC Sierra at about 60mph I had to decelerate at an exit with a sharp turn and the brake pedal went to the floor. Luckily I was able to swerve around already stopped traffic while using the e-brake to stop. Pulled to the side of the road and saw the brake fluid pouring from the rear brake line beneath the drivers position. I see on the internet that this is a recurring problem reported many times with this model year vehicle. I also see the NHTSA has previously investigated these failures but no recalls?? I've seen that the gm response is that the vehicle should still stop even with the broken line. Not acceptable. Shouldn't ever happen, if quality parts were used including stainless steel. I've seen many cars in the past with at least twice the age and twice the mileage that never had the problem. Could there be a defect is a small amount of instances. . . . . Sure, but not this frequently. This is a design flaw and should be addressed. Amazing!.

As I entered my driveway I applied the brake and the peddal felt very soft. When I got out of the vehicle I notice fluid leaking from the driver side wheel. Opened the hood and could see where the brake line had rusted through. All of the brake lines are totally rusted. Vehicle is unsafe!.

Was driving on highway and was approaching a red traffic light. Pushed down on brake pedal which when all the way down to the floor. I immediately down shifted the transmission from "d" to "3" and after slowing down to around 35 mph, down shifted to "1" slowed down more and then shifted to "2". At that point, I was approaching a car ahead of me, waiting at the red light, and I began slowly applying the parking brake and finally came to a stop, narrowly missing the car in front of me. After pulling off the side of the road, I looked under the truck and determined that brake fluid was leaking from a brake line located in the area under the driver's seat location.

The contact owns a 2005 GMC Sierra denali. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph and depressing the brakes, the pedal became spongy. The contact inspected the brakes and noticed that the hydraulic brake line was severely rusted and corroded. The brake line was also fractured and caused brake fluid to leak. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, who recommended that the contact take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 49,800.

Stepped on the brake and started the engine - brake failed and went to the floor. The driver was able to drive the 2 miles home but had trouble stopping not knowing there was an issue. When they reached their home they noticed fluid leaking out from the undercarriage under the drivers side door. Further investigation revealed that all the brake lines (supposedly stainless) had severely rusted and one of the lines had ruptured due to rusting through. It also appears that rusting is affecting the fuel lines and oil cooler as well as the frame. Vehicle has been to the GMC dealer for regular maintenance/inspections over it's lifetime and 2 - 3 times over the past year for service with no mention of the severe rusting. The only discussion was that the oil cooler would need to be replaced soon as if it was a routine maintenance item.

I lost my brakes while pulling out onto the road. Pedal went to the floor before truck began to slow down, abs kicked on and grinding rotors before a full stop. Brake line failed leaking fluid under driver's side door - most likely due to rust.