NHTSA Complaint #10618478 — 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500

TRAVELING TO WORK ON JUNE 17, 2014 MORNING VIA MD I695 PRESSED BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT IMMEDIATELY TO THE FLOOR PROVIDING VERY LITTLE BRAKING. PRIOR TO ENTERING MD I695 I HAD MADE SEVERAL STOPS FOR INTERSECTIONS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND THE PEDAL FEEL AND FUNCTION WAS NORMAL. FORTUNATELY BEING A DIESEL ENGINE AND USE OF LOWER ENGINE GEARS I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY STOP THE TRUCK WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON INSPECTION BY GM DEALER MECHANICS IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED AND RUPTURED CAUSING LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID. GM STATED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AS THEY USE CORROSIVE MATERIALS ON ORIGINAL MANUFACTURE. SINCE ORIGINAL NEW PURCHASE THE TRUCK HAD BEEN SERVICED ON REGULAR INTERVALS AT A GM DEALER . EACH TIME WITH A COMPLETE VEHICLE INSPECTION. MOST RECENT WAS APRIL 4, 2014. NEVER DID AN INSPECTION REPORT THAT THE LINES WERE RUSTING. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS $3,668.45. WHY IS GM PERMITTED TO USE MATERIALS THAT ARE ALWAYS GOING TO RUST AND FAIL? I DID NOT SEE A RECALL / SAFETY NOTICE ON THIS VEHICLE. I DID SEE RECALLS FOR OTHER MANUFACTURES, LIKE SUBARU, FOR THE SAME PROBLEM OF CORROSIVE BRAKE LINES. *TR