NHTSA Complaint #10649031 — 2000 GMC SIERRA

MY 2000 GMC SIERRA 1500 PICKUP, WHICH HAS SPENT ITS ENTIRE LIFE IN VIRGINIA, LOST ITS BRAKES WHILE I WAS TOWING A DUAL-AXLE TRAILER AND BOAT. THANKS TO GOD'S PROTECTION, THIS HAPPENED RIGHT AS MY MADE MY FINAL STOP RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, SO I WAS BARELY MOVING. HAD THIS HAPPENED JUST MOMENTS EARLIER, I WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AROUND 50 MPH ON A WINDING COUNTRY ROAD. I LOOKED UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND FOUND THE BRAKE LINE AND FLUID RUNNING FROM IT. WHILE THERE WAS SURFACE RUST ON THE LINES, I WOULDN'T SAY IT APPEARED THAT A FAILURE WAS IMMINENT. CLEARLY, INFERIOR MATERIALS WERE USED FOR THE BRAKE LINE WHEN LESS CORROSIVE MATERIALS SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED. GM SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR POOR CHOICE OF MATERIALS AND PROVIDE, AT THE VERY LEAST, REPLACEMENT BRAKE LINE SETS. THEIR CURRENT "DEEPLY DISCOUNTED" SET COSTS MORE THAN AN AFTERMARKET SET. *TR