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 2001 Chevrolet Silverado owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: after purchasing the vehicle the owner noticed that there was a brake problem. Brakes felt mushy, and operated poorly. The owner was going to try to live with this, then it got worse. The owner was involved in a collision about 6 months ago while driving on the highway at 55 MPH. Traffic stopped and the owner pushed the brakes to the floor and the vehicle wouldn't stop. Had to veer onto the shoulder of the road in order to give the truck enough room to stop. There was only 20,00 miles when this occurred. The owner got the parts, and then took off front wheels and the front brakes looked like brand new. However, when he pulled off the rear wheels he saw that rotors were warped. The owner contacted GM, they advised him to take vehicle to the dealer. He took vehicle to the dealer, and dealer advised him that the rotors could not be turned. …
(1) on Saturday March 5th, 2005 we were pulling my 2001 Chevrolet exteneded cab 4x4 out of the mud. (2) the failure is that the anti-lock brakes locked up while pulling the truck out of the mud and it caused my truck to crash into the 2004 Hummer SUV that was pulling my Chevrolet out of the mud. The brakes became totally disabled while pulling the truck. The pedal was so hard and did not move. I had both legs on the brake pedal and the brakes did not work. There is no way to disable the anti-lock brakes on this vehicle. We are very lucky that nobody got hurt and the only damages were to my truck. I am requesting some repair assistance and improvements be made to allow me to disable the anti-lock braking system when needed to prevent these types of accidents and injury. (3) to date the failure is not fixable and I have not replaced the damaged parts on my Chevrolet truck. …
I have a 2001 Chevy z71 Silverado ext cab 4x4 with the 5.3 v8 with 42000 miles. While slowing down to under 10 MPH for railroad crossing then coasting over and went to apply brakes to stop for the stop light, pedal went to the floor and the brakes were not working causing me to rear end a large gravel dump truck. Caused damage to my bumper, grill and wrinkled my hood. I have not had any past problems with my brakes and without out warning they failed. I have done some research and found TSB 03-05-25-007a sep 04 brakes - low speed ABS activation describing my problem. I have read many forums and it appears this is happening to a lot of people. Why hasn't GM issued a recall since this is definitely a safety issue. What happens next time when I can't stop when a child is in front of me! …
2001 chevrolete Silverado, ABS brake failures intermittent ABS slow speed failures, brake pedal goes to floor, no warning ligths come on before or after, no noise, vibration ,nothing to warn brakes are going to fail. Vehicle as been to dealer 11 times for repairs, they do all the usual inspections,read the computer,drive vechicle.except for one ,they have never ckecked the maze of wires ,connections,and other componets that the ABS runs through,or is useing. The GM. Shop manual gives step by step instrutions, how to check vechicle for intermittent ABS failures. I have to drive vechicle with ABS deactiveated, using hydraulic brakes which are excellent, I have not had any brake failures driving vechicle
Dt: the contact owned a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado. The consumer was involved in a collision due to ABS brake failure. The consumer hit a brick wall. There was an open NHTSA investigation, pe05020. The consumer knew several other people with this same type of brake problem . This will cost him $900 dollars for repairs, and he did not have the money to pay that much for parts and repairs. Therefore, he needed to be included in the investigation. The dealer said to either fix it or to pull the fuse out. This was the first time he had this problem, and he just got a recall notice for the parking brake today.
Dt: consumer stated the ABS sensor went gone out twice on his vehicle. The first time the ABS failed (41,219 miles) the vehicle struck another vehicle while pulling into a parking space. The second time the ABS failed (60,675 miles) the consumer hit a small steel pole. During normal braking procedures, when the brakes are applied the vehicle pulsates and there is extended stopping distance. There were no warning lights or noises letting the consumer know there was a problem. The first time the mechanic replaced one front hub with the ABS brake sensor. The second time both hubs and ABS sensors were replaced.
A steel brake line cracked and failed. I was at my house when it happened so no serious injuries or damage. However, the brake failed completely and instantly with no warning. It could have occurred at an intersection and the results could have been much worse. I had my wife press on the pedal while I looked for the leak. It was along the length of the steel line routing from the ABS module to the front right brake. It creates a mist of fluid near the radiator. My next concern is that the fluid will cause further corrosion of the parts it sprayed.
Dt: while pulling in to park, the ABS activated and consumer crashed into the side of a building. The brake pedal eventually went to the floor but was making a clicking noise as if it were being activated. The road conditions were dry pavement with no debris or moisture. At slow speeds the brake pressure ABS would come on lately. Consumer states that GM will pay for all the damages and believes instead of the GM dealer cleaning the sensors they should have replaced them with new ones and not some that will rust.
I was traveling about 30 miles per hour when I had to stop for a van ahead of me. I touched my brakes and the pedal went all the way to the floor. No brakes at all. Because of other traffic, and no time, I hit the van in the rear. Neither of the air bags deployed. The gentleman in the van had to go to the hospital. I had a bump on my leg, and my brother was not hurt. I just now have heard other stories of the same problem going on for years. This is not right.
While applying the brake pedal the brakes failed. This caused consumer's vehicle to collide with another vehicle. Consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that speed control sensor needed to be replaced and he replaced it, however the problem recurred. The dealer has replaced the rotors due to rust, the pads, brake bleeder screws due to rust, the right front wheel speed sensor and the left front wheel speed sensor.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles May experience unwanted antilock brake system (ABS) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas.
Remedy: Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel…
Parking brake
On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions and built with either pbr parking brake systems or trw parking brake systems, the parking brake friction linings May wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with a pbr parking brake system. On vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system, dealers will install a redesigned parking brake cable…
NHTSA investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Defect Petition DP10-003 on March 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (MY) 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.DP10-003 was granted and on March 30, 2010, Preliminary Evaluation PE10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility…
Unwanted low-speed ABS activation
In a letter dated August 29, 2005, GM notified odi that it was recalling certain model year 1999 through 2002 c/k pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles to correct a problem with anti-lock brake system (ABS) wheel speed sensor corrosion that May result in unwanted ABS activation and extended stopping distances during low-speed braking (recall 05v-379).GM's recall covers approximately 804,000 vehicles currently…
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,…
Hydraulic pump failres
GM is conducting a recall on all subject vehicles build between May 1999 and October 14, 1999.significant changes were incorporated into production in early October 1999, and vehicles built after that date have lower warranty failure rates.the complaint and warranty data appear to support the effectiveness of these changes.
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…
Parking brake failure
Odi's review of complaint data received since the close of ea04-011 revealed no indication that the investigation should be re-opened.more details can be found in the federal register notice enclosed in the dp05-009 public file.odi reserves the right to reopen the investigation in the future should conditions warrant.
Brake complaints in other Silverado years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado?
NHTSA has 418 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, 48% of the model year's 877 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (204 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chevrolet Silverado brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-379 (antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, Aug 29, 2005); NHTSA recall 05V-161 (parking brake, Apr 22, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Chevrolet Silverado brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 51,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 40 crashes, 0 fires and 10 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.