NHTSA Complaint #10607445 — 2006 GMC SIERRA 1500

WHILE SLOWING TO MAKE A TURN I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND HAD A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKES. HAD I NOT BEEN ON A SUBURBAN ROAD OR IN TRAFFIC OR A HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC AND RESULTED IN A CRASH. I WAS NEAR MY REPAIRING GARAGE AND MANAGED TO GET THE VEHICLE THERE BY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND LOW SPEED. IT WAS LESS THAN A MILE. I HAD THIS REPAIRED AT A COST OF $849.27. JUST YESTERDAY (6-30-2014) I WAS PARKED ON A HILL AND AS I RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE MY FOOT SUDDENLY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I EXPERIENCED A SECOND LOSS OF BRAKES DUE TO FAILURE OF THE REMAINING TWO BRAKE LINES. I WAS ON A HILL AND HAD ONLY A TINY AMOUNT OF BRAKING POWER. THE VEHICLE IS AT THE GARAGE AND THE COST OF THIS REPAIR HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. THEY WILL REPLACE THE REMAINING TWO BRAKE LINES. I RECENTLY HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION COOLING LINES WHICH RUPTURED AND ARE LOCATED IN A NEARBY LOCATION ON THE VEHICLE. ALL ARE EXPOSED AND UN-SHIELDED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVERTISES THAT THE VEHICLE IS "PROFESSIONAL GRADE" AND "HEAVY DUTY" BUT I FIND BOTH THESE CLAIMS TO BE GREAT EXAGGERATIONS. THESE SITUATIONS HAVE SCARED ME AND I DESIRE TO ACQUIRE A DIFFERENT VEHICLE AS SOON AS I AM ABLE. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WILL NOT BE SOON. I WILL HAVE TO DRIVE WITH THE FEAR THAT ANOTHER POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC PROBLEM COULD DEVELOP AT ANY MOMENT. FORTUNATELY, NEITHER OF THESE INCIDENTS WERE PANIC STOPS.