Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 GMC Sierra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 47 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 47, in the owner's own words
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS ACTIVATED AT VARIOUS LOW SPEEDS AND THERE WERE INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 05V379000, REGARDING THE ANTILOCK BRAKES. THE VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. ALTHOUGH THESE PROBLEMS PERSISTED, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER.
THE BRAKE LINE ABOVE THE GAS TANK RUSTED AND FAILED WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING OF THIS AND AS IT WAS ABOVE THE GAS TANK, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NOTICED. THE GAS TANK HAD TO BE DROPPED AND THE BRAKE LINE REPLACED. THANK GOODNESS THE VEHICLE STOPPED BEFORE REARENDING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND THANK GOODNESS MY ONE YEAR OLD WASN'T IN THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME. OLD PART HAS BEEN RETAINED. REPAIR COST WAS $458.21.
COMPLAINT RUSTED BRAKE LINES TO REAR BRAKES IN BEHIND FUEL TANK. *LA
TRAVELING ON DRY PAVEMENT AT ~ 30 MPH, SUDDEN STOP DUE TO TRAFFIC. BRAKE PEDAL INITIALLY HAD GOOD BRAKE THEN WENT TO THE FLOOR. ALL BRAKE LOST, COLLIDED INTO VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME AND PUSHED THEM INTO VEHICLE AHEAD OF THEM. VEHICLE STALLED DUE TO COLLISION, RESTARTED TRUCK AND ALL BRAKE OPERATION APPEARED TO BE GOOD. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR ANALYSIS, CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SUPPORT FILED COMPLAINT, DEALER INSPECTION SHOWED NO FAILURE OF ABS OR OTHER COMPONENTS. GM FIELD TECH WENT TO DEALER INSPECTION REPORT FOUND NO REASON FOR FAILURE COULD NOT DUPLICATE FAILURE. GM DENIES ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR SUGGESTIONS FOR REPAIR. *NM
"REFER TO PRIOR COMPLAINT- ID VQ-528687-YN-PDF" WHEN A WHEEL SKIDS A VERY,VERY,VERY SHORT DISTANCE WHILE BRAKING, ABS DOES NOT ENGAGE BUT LOCKS OUT CONVENTIONAL BRAKING! NO BRAKES, NO STOP. WHEN TOWING A 7000+ POUND LOAD IT GIVES YOU A VERY NEGATIVE THRILL. NO FIX FROM DEALER OR GMC, TRIED MANY, MANY TIMES. REMOVED 60 AMP ABS FUSE! TRUCK STOPS BUT IT IS NOT WHAT SHOULD BE DONE. I HAVE DRIVEN THE TRUCK 116000 MILES, 40000 WITH THE FUSE REMOVED. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OTHER THAN JUNKING IT, REPLACING THE FUSE AND KILLING MYSELF AND OTHERS, ETC. PLEASE ADVISE. IT APPEARS TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO THE ABS PROBLEM ON 1995 AND EARLIER TRUCKS THAT PROMPTED A (MFG?) RECALL BUT GMC DENIES IT. AT THAT TIME I SPOKE WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT WAS INVESTIGATING THE ABS PROBLEM. EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD GIVE HIM THE BEST CHANCE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I FOUND OUT LATER THAT IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS COMPUTER HAD A PROGRAMMING PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE GMC DEVELOPED A FIX FOR IT. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP ME ON THIS?
CONSUMER STATED THAT SINCE HE PURCHASED VEHICLE HE HAD BRAKE PROBLEMS. ONCE HE COULD NOT STOP VEHICLE AND RAN INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, BUT NO DAMAGE WAS DONE. HE TOOK VEHICLE TO MIDAS AND HAD BRAKE REPAIRS DONE, BUT RIGHT WHEEL KEPT LOCKING UP. HE HAD A NEW DISC PUT ON THAT PARTICULAR WHEEL. BUT WHEN HE DROVE THE VEHICLE IT STILL LOCKED UP, AND BEGAN TO SMOKE. HE WAS AFRAID OF A VEHICLE FIRE. *AK
SEVERE SURFACE CORROSION ON REAR BRAKE LINE LED TO LINE BURSTING DURING AN EMERGENCY STOP TO AVOID A COLLISION. BURST OCCURED AT NINETY DEGREE BEND IN LINE BY BRACKET LEADING TO THE FLEXIBLE LINE TO REAR AXLE. SURFACE CORROSION APPEARS ALONG BRAKE LINES AT OTHER PLACES. I THINK IT IS UNUSUAL THAT THE BRAKE LINES ON A SEVEN YEAR OLD VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT SUCH SEVERE CORROSION. UNLESS YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THIS YOU WOULD NOT NORMALLY SEE IT SINCE THE LINE RUNS INSIDE THE FRAME RAIL.*AK
THE BACK UP LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE, THE DEALER REPLACED THE NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH. NLM
WHILE TRAVELING 60-75 MPH AND WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKES VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE RIGHT. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
WHEN STOPPED WITH LIGHT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT WILL BLEED OFF DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND IS ALWAYS SPONGY. TWO DEALERS SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, BUT BEEING A MECHANIC FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT I CAN TELL THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. *AK
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, THEY VIBRATE/ BRAKING DISTANCE IS EXTENDED. DEALER HAS TURNED, AND THEN REPLACED FRONT ROTORS EVERY 5000 MILES. ALSO, REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS WERE REPLACED DUE TO FLUID LEAK. *AK
BOTH PROBLEMS OCCUR DURING WET ROAD CONDITIONS OR DURING RAIN. WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FAILS TO OPERATE WHEN IT RAINS. ALSO, BRAKE SYSTEM LOCKS UP, SOMETIMES DURING BRAKING ON WET ROADS.*AK
BRAKES WERE FAULTY BUT DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM, CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE BRAKES WHICH CAUSED SEVERE INJURIES, THE CONSUMER REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND NOW THE VEHICLE BRAKE PROPERLY. NLM
NO SUMMARY
THE SCISSOR JACK PROVIDED WITH THE DIESEL TRUCK WILL NOT RAISE THE WHEEL ALL THE WAY. THE METAL WILL TWIST AND BREAK AND THE JACK WILL FAIL. NLM
INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES DURING NORMAL BRAKING/ ANY TYPE OF ROAD CONDITIONS, DRY WEATHER OR WET WEATHER, THE SYSTEM LOCKED UP. TRUCK HAS BEEN SERVICED FOR THIS PROBLEM 5 TIMES. DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMAITON. *AK
PASSENGER'S REAR WHEELS LOCKED, UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SKID. IN WET CONDITIONS THE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
THE MASTER CYLINDER IS LEAKING FLUID, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABS LIGHT CAME ON & FAILED TO GO OFF. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE A JUMPY OR JERKY MOTION BEFORE STOPPING. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED. *AK
ANTI LOCK BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN VEHICLE COLLISION, DURING COLLISION NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG. MJS
HUSBAND WAS DRIVING TRUCK AND HAD TO APPLY BRAKES TO STOP, BUT BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE AND IT LOST CONTROL. *AK
ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE BRAKE SYSTEM; WHENEVER BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, REAR WHEELS WOULD LOCK UP. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. CAN NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER OR PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
MY TRUCK HAS EXPERIENCED BRAKE PROBLEMS FOR SOME TIME AND WERE ATTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS THINGS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. SINCE PURCHASE MY TRUCK HAS BEEN SERVICED BY FRANKS TRUCK CENTER 325 ORIENT WAY LYNDHURST, NJ 07071 #201-939-7790. THE PULLING PROBLEM SEEMED TO BECOME APPARENT IN FEB. 1999. THE PROBLEM I EXPERIENCED WAS THAT WHEN BRAKING THE TRUCK PULLED TO THE RIGHT--SOMETIMES SHARPLY, SOMETIMES IT WAS A "GENTLE" PULL AND MANY TIMES THE PROBLEM WASN'T THERE AT ALL. LAST FEBRUARY AND AT FRANKS, THE FRONT ROTOR ASSEMBLIES WERE REPLACED AND AN ALIGNMENT DONE. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR ABOUT ONE WEEK. THE TOOK THE TRUCK BACK FOR ANOTHER TRY AND IT SEEMED GOOD FOR ANOTHER WEEK OR SO AND THEN THE PROBLEM WAS BACK. THEY KEEP THE TRUCK FOR -5- DAYS AND DID VARIOUS THING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IE: ANOTHER ALIGHNMENT, BALANCE THE TIRES, ADJUST THE BRAKES. ALL ATTEMPTS WERE OBVIOUS BUT THE PROBLEM WAS BACK WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO. AT THIS POINT AND DATE, THE TRUCK IS CONSTANTLY PULLING SLIGHTLY TO THE FRONT-RIGHT WHENEVER I BRAKE. ON OCCASSION IT PULLS SHARPLY. I HAVE NOTIFIED FRANKS. THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON MY TRUCK AND CHEVY SUBURBANS (WHICH HAVE THE SAME BRAKING SYSTEM). ALTHOUGH MY FULL WARRANTLY EXPIRED AFTER MY FEBRUARY VISIT TO FRANKS, THEY HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE MY PROBLEM. WHILE THIS IS APPRECIATED, IT DOESN'T SOLVE WHAT THEY HAVE TOLD ME IS AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM. I BOUGHT MY TRUCK IN ORDER TO TOW A FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER (WHICH I HAVEN;T DONE MUCH). AT THIS POINT I AM AFRAID TO TOW--AND SOMETIMES DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR FEAR OF THE BRAKING PROBLEM CAUSEING AN ACCIDENT. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
BATTERY ACID LEAKED ON THE BRAKE LINE. THE ACID ATE THROUGH THE BRAKE LINE, CAUSING BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE. DRIVER EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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