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 2005 GMC Sierra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 11-30-2015 I lost the brake system while driving on a city street. Upon inspection I found a ruptured brake line from the primary side of the master cylinder. The brake line had failed due to corrosion. Inspecting other brake lines, I found others that had corrosion where plastic clips were used to locate lines. I have owned this truck since new and have cared for it meticulously. The truck has 66,00 miles on it. I have never owned any vehicle that had it brake lines rust through like this. A major catastrophe to me and my family was averted by pulling over at the first sign of failure. GM should be held liable for every vehicle it manufactured with poor quality materials that can cause failure to the single most important part of an automobile, the brakes. As you can see from the attached photos, this truck is not rusted anywhere else.
Without any warning, my brake lines failed and I could not stop my truck. I live in the northeast and it would seem reasonable for brake lines to rust out. However, my truck is only 10 years old and I have spent thousands of dollars keeping it washed, including the undercarriage. I have never had a brake line fail on another car and I have driven some really old vehicles. I have also never heard of anyone I know having a problem with their vehicles. This is because it is a specific problem with GMC Sierra and Chevy silverado.
Vehicle was stopped. Brake peddle went to the floorboard. Not able to pump up any pressure. Investigation showed brake fluid coming from perforated brake line at left front wheel. No braking action available! Appears to be some type of corrosive reaction between the brake line and the clamps used to fasten the line to the chassis. Note: this vehicle has never been operated in snow or road salt to my knowledge.
A vehicle approaching from my left side was speeding and ran the stop light in front of me at approximately 40mph. I slammed on my brakes to avoid the collision and my brakes wet to the floor. I missed hitting the car by about 1 foot. At an inspection at a dealership it appears the brake lines had rusted through under the drivers side of the truck. Apparently form road salt corrosion,
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.
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. …
Helped friend with plumbing problem, as I backed out his drive way brakes seemed a little soft. At first stop sign brake pedal went down about 1/4 more on travel than normal. At next stop sign a car was already stopped, I applied my brakes, pedal to floor, no brakes at all. Dropped transmission into first gear, slowed some. The car at stop sign luckily proceeded on thru. I was not able to make a complete stop, and rolled thru the stop sign. Just about hit another car. I was able to nurse truck home. I have a garage at home with a car lift in it. I like working on old cars, and motorcycles. Worked on cars and trucks since I was 16, am 61 now, and by no means a novice working on, or racing cars!!! After checking trucks braking system. Left front steel brake line was rusted badly and had ruptured. As I continued checking the brake system, all brake lines extremely rusted. …
Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 GMC Sierra hybrid truck. Two weeks ago while driving at 5 MPH the vehicle's steering wheel and the brakes locked. The contact was able to drift to a stop. The vehicle also vibrated, and made a whistling sound. After several attempts the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle's lost power at red lights; however, it restarted. The dealer stated that they did not have the parts to repair the vehicle, they were also waiting for a technician to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle has been at the dealere for three weeks. The dealer also stated they didn't know where the parts were coming from, yet they've ordered the parts. The contact was currently renting a vehicle. There were no warning indicator lights present at the time of the incident. Two weeks prior to the failure, the contact's vehicle overheated and the warning indicator light appeared. …
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.
I took my truck into fitzgerald auto mall, with whom I've had a great relationship, for some power steering issues. I was told that the brake system piping itself was rusting and would need to be replaced to the tune of $1600.00. I researched this and found that this is a common issue with GM trucks and there hasn't been anything done about it. GM has reduced the cost of the repair "kit" to $500, but who is going to install it? I have had many vehicles and lived in many states where salt is used on the road. I've never seen a vehicle that had so much damage because of it, especially a critical system like brakes. This should have been a recall years ago. I don't think the owners of these affected vehicles should have to pay to fix an engineering mistake. GM should be liable and fix it for free. Thank you.
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 trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with Bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator May crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge.
Brake complaints in other Sierra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 GMC Sierra?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 GMC Sierra, 33% of the model year's 121 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 GMC Sierra brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-161 (parking brake, Apr 22, 2005); NHTSA recall 05V-043 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 8, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 GMC Sierra brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
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.