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 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving on route 95 my brake line broke. It is completely rusted out. I found thousands of other people online with the same problem. GM needs to recall this. I had to swerve across traffic and drive on the grass shoulder to come to a stop. Very very scary.
Driving my 2003 Chevy Silverado in the left lane of the city freeway approximately 50 MPH in heavy traffic. Pushed brake to stop for vehicles changing lanes ahead. Brake pedal initially had pressure but after about 2 seconds went to the floor with nearly no pressure and no braking effect at all. There was no prior indication of a problem and no warning light signaling an issue. Swerved into the left berm to avoid hitting cars ahead. Traveled 20 plus car lengths while dropping automatic transmission into lowest gear and pumping brake pedal to no affect. Forced truck against barrier wall to avoid hitting other vehicles. Brake warning light came on as truck stopped. A large puddle of brake fluid was dumped below rt rear wheel and leaked when the brake pedal was pressed. There had been no previous issues with the brakes and brake pads were replaced 20,000 miles ago. …
On January 20, 2015, the brakes on my Chevrolet Silverado failed. When I applied the brakes to make a normal turn, on a residential street around the corner from my house, the brake pedal went all the way down to the floor. I was extremely fortunate that no cars were coming the other way & I was able to maneuver the truck out of harms way until I came to a safe stop. I noticed a trail of liquid on the ground & also dripping from under my truck. The liquid coming from the truck was brake fluid. A later check proved the bake fluid well was empty. Obviously the brake fluid that was in the reservoir was now on the ground causing the vehicle inoperable. Well it was operable, it was all good to go. Stopping the vehicle was another matter. Thank goodness I was driving in a residential area when this incident occurred. …
On the listed date, I was driving my vehicle as described above. I attempted to apply the brakes in a curve when the pedal went straight to the floor and I ran my vehicle off the roadway causing minor damage to the vehicle. My greatest concern however, is the post accident research I conducted on the brake system of my vehicle. My research indicates that there have been thousands of owners who reported to GM that the same model of truck as mine had brake systems that prematurely reached failure. Specifically, they rusted prematurely causing my brake system to completely leave my vehicle in a dangerous operational position. Upon investigation of the lines, each of the 5 lines in the system was experiencing the same rust issues and needed to all be replaced. I feel it should be the responsibility of GM to replace my brake system via recall.
Brake line burst and brake pedal went to floor. At only 15 MPH I had some stopping power by pumping brake pedal and got the truck stopped. Thankfully, I have a very long driveway and was still on my property. I was pulling a heavy trailer and do not want to imagine what would have happened with traffic and at a greater speed. I inspected the brake lines and noticed they were all badly corroded. I am having all brake lines replaced tomorrow. I see no recall notice and have since read about others who have had the same problem. I am 66 years old and have had one brake line failure many years ago on a 1963 Plymouth with very high mileage. This truck has just over 50 thousand miles. I was shocked at the condition of these brake lines. Without complete replacement of the lines I do not consider this vehicle safe to drive.
My wife and I got into the vehicle to go somewhere and as we started to move I tried to stop and the brakes would not stop the vehicle. I applied the emergency brake in order to stop. I returned to my driveway using the emergency brake. I checked and found that I had no brake fluid. I got under my truck and found that my brake lines are corroded and one had a severe leak. I researched the internet and found that there have been multiple similar incidents where there have been crashes. I have talked with a Chevrolet rep and I was told that they do not consider this a safety issue. Although they know of this problem they do not plan a recall. Someone evidently has to die before it becomes a safety issue.
My 2003 Chevy Silverado goes into gear with out pressing on the brake, also the truck will go into gear with out the keys in the ignition. The e-brake is also defective, the e-brake does not hold the truck. My 2 yrs old son was sitting in the truck on 9/20/2011 when the truck went into gear. I live on a incline my truck rolled down the hill while I was chasing the truck on foot, the truck finally came to a stop when it hit a 98 Toyota tacoma which was parked in the drive way across the street. The e-brake was set , the keys were not in the truck, the truck was not running! My son could have killed himself or someone else due to the fact the truck is not safe!
Dt: the contact's vehicle was pulling a trailer. When he applied brake pressure the vehicle failed to stop before striking another vehicle in the rear end. There was damage to both vehicles. However, no one was injured. A police report was taken at the scene. He took the vehicle to the dealer. A manufacturer's representative inspected the vehicle. Collected crash data from the vehicle computer, which indicated when brake pressure was applied the vehicle accelerated. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. The contact traded the vehicle after the accident. The air bags failed to deploy. Updated 03/09/06
While starting the vehicle, the brake pedal suddenly dropped to floor and brakes failed. There was no warning light and all four brakes failed. Fortunately, the vehicle was stopped. Testing the brakes, I found there was a little braking capability, but very little. I have since found that the brake lines were rusted through and the brake fluid sprays out the line below the driver's door hinge. A quick internet search showed this is a well known problem, but I was never notified of the risk. Thank goodness it didn't happen on the freeway! This vehicle has spent most of its life in ohio.
Was driving around 35mph and started to put the brakes on to make a right turn at the upcoming light and the brake peddle went all the way to the floor and the warning light came on and I went right through the intersection without slowing down and luckily the light was green. Limped down the street to a pep boys and they told me that both the front and rear main lines had rusted through and they couldn't fix it. Limped it a few miles using the emergency brake to stop to a Chevy dealership and was charged ~$1500 to replace the rusted out lines from the front to the rear axle.
Related recalls
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…
Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, ?passenger car brake systems.? Some of these vehicles were produced with an out-of-specification brake hydro-boost housing relief valve bore.
Remedy: Dealers are to replace the hydro-boost relief valve. The recall began on June 18, 2004. Owners should contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339; Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; GMC at 1-866-996-9463; or Hummer at 1-866-486-6376.
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…
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 2003 Chevrolet Silverado?
NHTSA has 257 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, 37% of the model year's 695 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (31 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Silverado brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-161 (parking brake, Apr 22, 2005); NHTSA recall 04V-045 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 4, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Silverado brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury 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.