NHTSA Complaint #10165323 — 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

WHEN BRAKING, IF THE VEHICLE IS ON A VERY ROUGH ROAD THAT MAKES THE TRUCK BOUNCE SHARPLY SEVERAL TIMES IN A BRIEF PERIOD, THE ABS SYSTEM ACTIVATES. THIS INCREASES THE STOPPING DISTANCE ON A DRY ROAD. ON A CERTAIN COUNTRY ASPHALT ROAD I HAVE DRIVEN THERE IS A SHORT ROUGH ARE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING A STOP SIGN AT AN INTERSECTION. AS AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER I KNOW WHEN TO COMMENCE BRAKING. HOWEVER, THE FIRST TIME I DROVE MY ABS-EQUIPPED SILVERADO AT THE LOCATION MENTIONED, THE STOPPING TIME WAS INCREASED UNEXPECTEDLY DUE TO THE ABS ACTIVATION AND MY TRUCK WENT PART-WAY INTO THE INTERSECTION. FUTURE STOPS WERE MADE SAFELY AFTER I BECAME AWARE OF THE STRANGE ABS BEHAVIOR AND BEGAN BRAKING AT THAT INTERSECTION EARLIER THAN NORMAL AND CRAWLED OVER THE ROUGH PAVEMENT SECTION AT A SNAIL'S PACE. DANGER EXISTS WHEN DRIVING IN AN UNFAMILIAR LOCATION AND COMING UPON A VERY ROUGH SPOT. THESE ROUGH SPOTS ARE NOT ALWAYS READILY VISIBLE ESPECIALLY ON AN ASPHALT COVERED ROADWAY. THE BUMPS DO NOT HAVE TO BE LARGE, JUST ENOUGH TO JOSTLE THE TRUCK VERTICALLY, CAUSING THE ABS TO ENGAGE. I NOTIFIED THE DEALER BUT THEY MENTIONED A LACK OF OPPORTUNITY TO REPLICATE THE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM ALONG WITH EXPRESSING DOUBT ABOUT THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY OCCURRING. AN INTERNAL GROAN EMERGED AS I HEARD THE 4-WHEELER DRIVING ROOKIES SPEW THEIR BLATHER AS THIS LONG-HAUL TRUCKING PROFESSIONAL DRIVER WHO DRIVES IN ONE YEAR WHAT THEY DO IN TEN WAS DOUBTED. TYPICAL. I ADMIT, THE PROBLEM IS DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE UNLESS A LOCATION CAN BE FOUND WITH THE PROPER PAVEMENT CONDITIONS. THE SPOT WHERE I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM IS IN CALIFORNIA, I AM NOW BACK HOME IN NEBRASKA AND HAVE NOT FOUND A PLACE HEREABOUTS WHERE THE ABS ACTIVATION OCCURS DUE TO A ROUGH ROADWAY. *JB