2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Owner Complaints

While driving down a 50 mph roadway there was a line of cars slowing for a vehicle to make a turn. When gently pushing the brakes to slow down, brake went clear to the floor and could not slow down. Truck was driven into the ditch to avoid rear-ending vehicles. This happened immediately without warning, all braking prior to this incident was normal. When taken to our mechanic, they advised the brake lines underneath were notorious for rusting out and failing, new stainless steel lines were then installed to correct the problem.

NHTSA ID

11731112

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 equipped with Prinx Tires, Tire Line: High Country, Tire Size: 245/75/R16, DOT Number: 04N18HTPC1323. The contact had the tires rotated by an independent mechanic. Upon inspection of the tires, the contact discovered cracks along the base of the tire treads on all four tires. The contact notified the mechanic about the defect and was given a credit for the remaining mileage on the tires warranty. The contact notified the manufacturer about the failure through voicemail and email; however, the contact never received a response. The contact stated that the four tires were replaced. The tire failure mileage was 21,942. The vehicle failure mileage was 342,422.

NHTSA ID

11609048

Incident

Aug 3, 2024

Mileage

342,422 mi

The component that failed according to the Chevrolet dealer is the "transfer case pump clips", which came loose inside the transfer case and wore a hole through the case causing the oil to come out. If I would not have noticed the oil on the back of my truck, I could have continued to drive the truck, which could have caused the transfer case gears to lock up the front and rear axles while driving and could have caused me to wreck, causing injury to myself, my family or someone else. I marked the area of the leak with a sharpie as depicted in the photos.

NHTSA ID

11531325

Incident

Jun 28, 2023

When starting vehicle , after initial dash lights times out, I now get an AIRBAG 9malfunction light). Tried resetting, did not work. Now, every time I start the engine, the comes on and stays on.

NHTSA ID

11529895

Incident

Jun 15, 2023

Hydroboost valve pump shows a recall.,and it's not working properly

NHTSA ID

11489582

Incident

Jun 3, 2021

I had to replace the replace the housing on my transfer case as it wore a hole in and was leaking. At a cost of 1200 dollars due to myself catching it early as later with a fully disabled case would have been 2600 dollars. My mechanic who deals in transmission repairs told me this a very common problem for Chevy trucks from 1999 to 2006. He claimed he had done 7 transfer cases in one week and was actually replacing a fully wrecked one for 2600 dollars as I brought mine in to be worked on . It had worn a hole through the transfer case and was leaking. As this seems to be a serious defect . I feel it should have been under a recall and reimbursement should be in order for those who paid out of pocket for repairs. My mechanic also stated that he has replaced them at 35, 000 miles and on up. No rhyme or reason to when they fail or leak.

NHTSA ID

11489023

Incident

Oct 7, 2022

In the middle of the taxiway, while I was traveling my truck turned off while it was running and did not turn on again, putting my safety at risk by being in the middle of the taxiway, after several minutes the truck was able to be removed from the road, then I was able to investigate that I am not the only one that the same thing has happened to him, there is no Safety Recall in this regard, the GM fabric is aware of these cases but only wrote a TSB, it was diagnosed with the scanner and it gave code U1800, before the event there were no lights warning but after the event there is a check engine light on.

NHTSA ID

11460336

Incident

Apr 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering failed causing the steering wheel to become hard to maneuver. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the hydro boost area when the brake pedal or accelerator pedal were depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the intermediate shaft was faulty. The intermediate shaft was replaced however, the failure recurred. The contact requested the dealer to replace the power steering pump but the dealer informed the contact that the failure was caused by the power steering pump. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11424383

Incident

Jul 12, 2016

Mileage

115,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 EQUIPPED WITH COOPER TIRE, TIRE LINE: SUNFIRE, TIRE SIZE: LT245/75 R16, DOT NUMBER: (NOT AVAILABLE). THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, HE FELT VIBRATION AND THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND PARKED SAFELY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT STATED DUE TO TIRE BLOWOUT, THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGES TO THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY, BUMPER AND QUARTER PANEL. THE CONTACT STATED HE CONTACTED TRIPLE A AND HAD THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE CHANGED. THE CONTACT STATED HE EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE FOR A SECOND TIME ON 10/24/2020 TO THE REAR PASSENGER'S TIRE AND A THIRD TIME ON 11/9/2020 ON ANOTHER REAR TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR TIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 203,107

NHTSA ID

11376631

Incident

Jun 10, 2020

Mileage

203,107 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS CHANGING THE OIL IN THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED OIL LEAKING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO VISUALLY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL LINE WAS FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. HOLZ MOTORS (5961 S 108TH ST, HALES CORNERS, WI 53130, (414) 377-3584) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 139,000.

NHTSA ID

11271073

Incident

Oct 9, 2019

Mileage

139,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SON WAS DRIVING 2 MPH IN A PARKING LOT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE LOW BRAKE FLUID INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LINDSAY BUICK GMC (250 W SHIRLEY AVE, WARRENTON, VA 20186, (540) 987-2082) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,703.

NHTSA ID

11254984

Incident

Aug 21, 2019

Mileage

190,703 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY STOP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT NOTICED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND FAILED, WHICH CAUSED BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK OUT. THE BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,900.

NHTSA ID

11254729

Incident

Sep 1, 2019

Mileage

133,900 mi

I BOUGHT A 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO 2500HD 15 YEARS AGO AND GAVE IT TO MY 16 YEAR OLD SON. RECENTLY WE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES AND STEERING WAS ACTING FUNNY AND MAKING A NOISE, SO WE REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND HOSES. THE PROBLEM ONLY STARTED GETTING WORSE. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND AN OLD RECALL OR NOTICE RELATED TO THE HYDRO-BOOST RELIEF VALVE THAT WAS DEFECTED BECAUSE OF O-RING FAILURE. JUST SEARCHING THE VEHICLE WILL SHOW SEVERAL SITES REVEALING THE PROBLEM. THE NADA SITE GOES INTO MORE DETAIL ON THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE PARKED THE TRUCK UNTIL A DECISION IS MADE. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURE AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, THE VEHICLE HAS TROUBLE WHEN STEERING AND LOOSES BRAKING.

NHTSA ID

11232522

Incident

Jun 6, 2019

Mileage

208,000 mi

BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS SLOWLY WITH THE BATTERY RUNNING OUT BECAUSE SOMETHING IS STILL RUNNING IN THE VEHICLE BUT EVERYTHING IS OFF. THE GAS GAUGE GEAR CONTROL LIGHTING ON THE PANEL DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WILL NOT LOCK SPEEDOMETER IS NOT WORKING GAS GAUGE IS NOT WORKING WAS CHECKED BY A MECHANIC AND HE ADDRESS THAT SOMETHING IS NOT CONSTANT RUNNING EVEN THOUGH EVERYTHING IS TURNED OFF THAT CAUSE THE BATTERY TO RUN DOWN WHEN IT IS OFF. ALSO THE LIGHTS DON'T LIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE STAYS ON AND NEVER GOES OFF WHEN RUNNING THE VEHICLE. I NOTICED THIS ON A LOT OF 2500 CHEVY TRUCKS. WE HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE IN TO BE CHECK. PLEASE HELP US TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING BACK FROM YOU SUN.

NHTSA ID

11217532

Incident

May 7, 2017

BRAKE LINE FAILURE IN SEVERAL PLACES. WAS UNDER VEHICLE PERFORMING AN OIL CHANGE. NOTICED FLUID ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FUEL TANK. INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THE REAR MOST HARD BRAKE LINE LEAKING. CONTINUED TO INSPECT ALL HARD LINES AND FOUND SEVERAL AREAS WHERE LEAKS WERE PRESENT. REMOVED VEHICLE FROM USE AND STARTED REPLACING ALL HARD BRAKE LINES. NEW LINES ARE STAINLESS STEEL THUS I SHOULD NEVER RUN INTO THIS ISSUE AGAIN. GM SHOULD HAVE USED STAINLESS STEEL LINES IN THE FIRST PLACE RATHER THAN PLAIN STEEL LINES. THE ORIGINAL BRAKES LINES BROKE LIKE TWIGS WHEN I BENT THEM TO THROW THEM AWAY. I HAVE NEVER SEEN BRAKE LINES IN THIS TYPE OF CONDITION ON A VEHICLE WITH 130,000 MILES. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND POSSIBLE ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BRAKE LINE FAILURE ON A VEHICLE LIKE THE CHEVY SILVERADO. THE NHTSA NEEDS TO FORCE GM TO PERFORM A RECALL AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11206924

Incident

Mar 15, 2018

Mileage

130,000 mi

2003 SILVERADO DRIVERS SEAT HEATER TURNS ON BY ITSELF AFTER START UP AND BECOMES A DANGEROUS DISTRACTION TO KEEP TURNING IT OFF WHILE DRIVING. AFTER READING MANY FORUMS, THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE THROUGHOUT THE GM LIGHT DUTY TRUCK/SUV LINE OF VEHICLES. THIS ISSUE HAS JUST RECENTLY STARTED TO HAPPEN WITH MY TRUCK. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE RECENTLY IS THAT MY TRUCK IS BEING OPERATED IN MORE DAMP CONDITIONS THAN USUAL INSTEAD OF BEING PARKED IN A DRY GARAGE. I HAVE NOW DISCONNECTED THE HEATING ELEMENTS IN THE SEAT TO STOP FROM GETTING BURNED WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE ALSO CHECKED FOR RECALLS BY VIN AND NOTHING WAS FOUND.

NHTSA ID

11173654

Incident

Jan 31, 2019

Mileage

139,000 mi

VEHICLE BRAKE PEDAL FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE. HAD TO APPLY EMERGENCY BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION GOING ABOUT 30 MPH. VEHICLE WAS ON A STATE HWY. VEHICLE WAS GOING STRAIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11170365

Incident

Jan 3, 2019

Mileage

99,680 mi

REAR BRAKES RUSTED OUT FLUID BURST OUT NO BRAKES TWO YRS AGO. FAST FOREWORD SATURDAY 12/22/2018 BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR ,LINE FROM BRAKE BOOSTER TO PROPORTIONING VALVE BLEW OUT RUSTED COMPLETELY THROUGH.

NHTSA ID

11163352

Incident

Dec 22, 2018

Mileage

162,751 mi

PURCHASED THE TRUCK FROM CAR GEEKS AND THEY SAID IT WAS A GREAT TRUCK AND WE WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM TOWING OUR FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER. WELL WE TOOK IT ON A TRIP TO PHOENIX FROM TUCSON AND WE NOTICED THAT THE TRUCK WAS NOT HANDLING VERY WELL WHEN WE GOT HOME I NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS GOUGED OUT ALL THE WAY AROUND THE INSIDE BEAD OF THE TIRE ALSO NOTICED THAT ONLY THE UPPER CONTROL ARM HAD BEEN REPLACED AND NOTHING ELSE. ALL OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS IN REALLY BAD CONDITION ALSO. ALONG WITH THE STEERING YOU CAN ONLY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL A LITTLE WAYS

NHTSA ID

11156550

Incident

Nov 29, 2018

Mileage

50 mi

BODY AND UNDER BODY RUST AND ROT TO INCLUDE FRAME, BRAKE LINES AND SHOCK MOUNTS. BRAKE LINES FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING, THANKFULLY AT SLOW SPEEDS AND WAS ABLE TO ACTIVATE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE.

NHTSA ID

11143678

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

Mileage

98,000 mi

AIR BAD SERVICE LIGHT IS GOING ON. PLUGGED IN COMPUTER AND IT STATED THAT THE FRONT IMPACT SENSOR IS FAULTY. AFTER CHECKING BOTH SENSORS NOTHING IS WRONG.

NHTSA ID

11111149

Incident

Jul 2, 2018

TAILGATES CABLES NEEDS TO BE REPLACE IT....

NHTSA ID

11091719

Incident

Dec 15, 2017

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL OF ALL GAUGES INCLUDING SPEEDOMETER AND GEAR SELECTION ' GAUGES CAN QUIT WORKING WITH NO WARNING , LEAVING THE DRIVER UNAWARE OF SPEED OR DISTANCE TRAVELED. ALSO NOT KNOWING WHAT POSITION THE GEAR SELECTOR IS IN . ( PARK, NEUTRAL , DRIVE ETC. ) COULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO DRIFT AWAY ON IT OWN WITH NO ONE BEHIND THE WHEEL WHEN NOT BEING DRIVEN . CAN HAPPEN AT ANY MOMENT , ANY PLACE !

NHTSA ID

11088494

Incident

Apr 16, 2018

Mileage

72,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT SIGNAL IT TURNED YELLOW. KNOWING THAT I WASN'T GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION BEFORE IT TURNED RED I HIT THE BRAKES TO STOP. WHILE PUSHING DOWN ON THE BRAKES EVERYTHING FELT NORMAL WITH RESISTANCE FROM THE PEDAL UNTIL ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BRAKE PEDAL LOST ITS RESISTANCE OR PRESSURE AND WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR AND I HAD LITTLE TO NO BRAKES. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS IN FRONT OF ME AS I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP IN TIME. I THEN PULLED OVER AND AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND THAT THE REAR HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE HAD FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. CORROSION THAT WAS CAUSED BY USING INFERIOR PRODUCTS THAT CANT SUSTAIN THE ELEMENTS IT'S USED IN. I NOW SEE THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT GM HASN'T INFORMED ITS OWNERS OR RECALLED. SHAME ON THEM. WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO DIE BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN ON AN ISSUE SUCH AS BRAKE FAILURE. THEY GOT LUCKY IN MY CASE.

NHTSA ID

11080789

Incident

Mar 21, 2018

Mileage

130,000 mi

THE BRAKE LINE KEEP RUSTING OUT ON THESE VEHICLE AND THAT IS VERY DANGOURES TO ME AND OTHER PEOPLE ON THE RODE

NHTSA ID

11072091

Incident

Feb 9, 2018

Mileage

133,250 mi