Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2003 CHEVROLET Silverado1500 HD have power hydro brake liitle leaking when driving so loud same time steering to turning so loud and very hard apply brake step on brake so loud try to stop not easy scary and parked at home right now, i beleive fact recall now because your repoert said that "found none recall", it is now problems same my dad have van recall for 2003 Express 1500 and Express 2500 van problems hybro booster brake and steering system found recall now... as 2003 CHEVROLET Silverado 1500 hd problem same thing the problem, you shoud add up recall because show " no found recall " ???, are you notice different? It parts are same problems with van and truck power hydro and brake/steering system . Please let me to know and email back to me sooner, Thanks.
As luck would have it, I had just left a very busy highway and pulled into a parking lot when my brakes failed completely. The brake petal went down to the floor and rather than risking a collision with any cars or people, I drove into a snow bank. When I got out of the truck to look for the problem, the metal brake line had split and was leaking fluid. When the brakes fail on your car, it always happens when you need them leaving you to make split second decisions, and in my case that consisted entirely of navigation as there was no time to think about using the emergency brake. I can only imagine the possible outcomes if this had happened an hour before or after while driving on the highway or freeway. My truck is well maintained, and is frequently serviced by a Chevrolet dealer where I always have anything repaired that they suggest fixing. …
2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Complete 100% brake failure, no brakes whatsoever. Due to brake line corrosion. Crash occurred. Luckily, no one was injured. Truck had recently been in for routine maintenance and inspection 3 months prior. Dealer service dept. Did not report presence of corroded brake lines however other things were reported and I authorized fixing. Since this is known incident I think that this should be a notification to owners. I am lucky no one was hurt and I can't imagine if I was on a freeway or other area where worse things would have occurred. After the collision damage I am having all brake lines replaced at my cost. Vehicle was traveling on a city street, traveling about 35mph, I stepped on the brakes for a routine stop and the brake pedal went to the floor. No brake pressure at all. I could not change lanes due to other traffic. …
While driving at a speed of approximately 20 miles and hour I had a complete failure of the brake system, whit the brake pedal going completely to the floor. This caused me to have an accident and I rear ended another pickup truck and was only able to stop the car by applying thew emergency rakeake. Inspection by the insurance adjuster and the body shop showed the brake lines completely rusted out. The truck passed state inspection the day before. An internet search show that this was a safety problem (rusting) which GM convinced the nhsta was not a defect and did not need a recall. The least that should have been done was that owners sdhould have been informed. Also contrary toi what GM says it resulted in complete brake loss...not partial.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to stop the vehicle. The contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. An unknown injury was sustained to the driver of the other vehicle, which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to approved auto (17 danville rd, plaistow, nh 03865) where a diagnostic test was not performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
No warning!!!(soft brakes or dashboard lights), truck brakes completely failed in traffic! After stop light, in slow moving traffic. Silverado crashed into small car and then, that car into another. No injuries, minor damage. I loved this truck. I have a folder an inch thick on this vehicle's maintenance! Never has it's service been ignored! Chevy should be accountable for this catastrophic failure of brake system. I would never buy another. Extremely disappointed with the ridiculously cheap parts used. Made in USA, Chevy tough!!!! What a bad joke!
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the brakes failed to respond. As a result, the contact crashed into a pole. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake lines and fuel lines were rusted, and needed to be replaced. The front passenger side brake line was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000. Ma 10/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving 35 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000. Updated 03/16/17 the consumer stated the master cylinder was replaced, but the failure persisted. Updated 08/30/2017
Upon trying to stop for traffic light turning red a rigid brake line under driver seat burst open and brake pedal immediately went to the floor pan and truck would not stop, it was rush hour and others trying to avoid me running the red light got in an accident. My truck continued to roll as I steered to the shoulder engine running the entire time. Once I was safely in shoulder of 4 lane road I used e-brake to bring truck to a halt, as my brake pedal was in effective at stopping my truck, GM says my brake system is independent and if (a) line is lost the other will offer half the braking of the auto, this is not true, I lost a brake line, not more than 1 and my truck has no brakes at all. Either I have a unique truck, I'm 2nd owner n bought in 05 with 30K on it , or GM is mistaken in the brake design cause 1 line failure yeilds no brakes at all. …
I have a 2003 Silverado and upon arriving home I felt my brake peddle go to the floor and I couldn't stop and backed into my trailer, I got out of the truck and noticed a huge puddle under my driver side wheel. After investigating I found that the steel hydraulic line had rusted & broke. I am disabled with 4 auto immune diseases and cannot afford to put it in the shop so I ordered the part, replaced it and proceeded to bleed the line and found that 3 other steel lines had holes in them or had rusted all the way through. I also have rust all under the truck. I will have to replace the two front support braces as they have rusted all through. At $120 each. So from front to back all the steel lines have rusted. I was blessed to have had this happen in my drive. Had I driven another mile or so I could have been killed. I now have a fear of driving. …
NHTSA investigations
Parking 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…
Brake line corrosion failure
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,…
Parking brake failure
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…
Brake complaints in other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
NHTSA has 429 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 53% of the model year's 805 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (27 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.