NHTSA Complaint #10125878 — 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

RECENTLY I WAS ROTATING MY TIRES (MOVING FRONT TIRES TO REAR AND REAR TIRES TO FRONT). I HAD THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED AND UPON HAND TIGHTENING UP THE REAR TIRES (THE REAR END WAS COMPLETLY OFF THE GROUND), I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO RESISTANCE ON THE REAR TIRES WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED. AFTER LOWERING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE GROUND, I PERFORMED A TEST. I WAS ON A FLAT SURFACE, PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL, ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND TRIED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE BY MYSELF. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE WITH EASE. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ALSO GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO RESISTANCE AND HAS NO EFFECT ON THE BRAKES. I VISITED WWW.NHTSA.DOT.GOV AND NOTICED THAT A RECALL HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM ON VEHICLES WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 05V161000). I CALL CHEVROLET AND VOICED MY CONCERN OVER MY VEHICLE NOT HAVING RESISTANCE AT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, THEY STATED THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, THAT I WAS NOT A PART OF THE RECALL. QUESTION TO NHTSA, HOW DOES THE TYPE OF TRANSMISSION EFFECT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH IS SUPPOSE TO BE A MECHANICAL DEVICE THAT OPERATES ON ITS OWN? I HAVE BEEN TO MANY FORUMS WHERE NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED PROBLEMS WITH THEIR EMERGENCY BRAKES. I HAVE EVEN PRINTED A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT FROM CHEVROLET THAT DESCRIBES TO THE TECHNICIAN TO INSTALL THE SAME RETAINING CLIP TO EMERGENCY BRAKE JOBS THAT IS USED IN THE RECALL FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. THIS IS A PROBLEM AND COULD LEAD TO NUMEROUS CRASHES, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS JUST THAT...A PERSON RELIES ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IN EMERGENCIES AND WITHOUT THE BRAKE DOING ITS JOB, PEOPLE WILL SUSTAIN INJURIES AND EVEN DIE WITHOUT THIS PROBLEM BEING FIXED IMMEDIATELY.