There are 50 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2001 GMC Sierrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Truck has just over 150k miles. Maintained well and garaged when possible. 1) Noticed a fuel smell from the driver side door area and after parking for a long weekend, a small pool of liquid formed in front of the driver side rear wheel. It was fuel dripping from the line leaving the evap canister that had rusted through. Resulted in a $600 repair to replace all rusted fuel lines so as to eliminate the risk of fire. 2) When approaching an intersection to make a left turn and slowing down the brake pedal pushes to the floor with no stopping power at all. Used the engine/trans in manual mode to slow the truck down and avoid an accident. Driver side brake lines are blown out in multiple spots near the ABS module due to corrosion. Potential cost based on research is in the $1000 ballpark. This level of rust on critical vehicle components is irresponsible and potentially deadly. GM needs to take this more seriously and realize that their cost-cutting measures are putting people and their families in grave danger.
BRAKE LINES RUSTED OUT UNDER DRIVERS SIDE CAB. TRUCK STUCK IN DRIVEWAY. LUCKY IT DID NOT HAPPEN ON HIGHWAY WILL COST ALMOST AS MUSH AS TRUCK IS WORTH TO HAVE ALL NEW BRAKE LINES INSTALLED
RUSTED OUT FUEL LINES. HAD TO REPLACE ALL FUEL LINES. RUSTED OUT BRAKE LINES. BRAKES GAVE OUT WHILE DRIVING. LUCKLY NO ACCIDENT. HAD TO REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINES.
ABS MESSAGE LIGHT CAME ON CONSISTENTLY AND DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUE EXPLAINED BY MY MECHANIC SHOP, I HAD THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CHANGED AND NOW ABOUT 6 MONTHS LATER THE ABS MESSAGE LIGHT IS NOW APPEARING IN THE MESSAGE BOARD AGAIN INTERMINTENTLY. I READ WHERE GMC STARTED A RECALL ON SEPTEMBER 22,2005 FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM WHICH CALLED( GM RECALL # 05068) BUT ONLY FOR "SALT BELT STATES" "SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK".INTERESTINGLY MY STATE WAS LEFT OFF OF THE LIST. I CALLED GMC AND THEY INDICATE THERE WAS NO SUCH RECALL AND SUGGESTED I CALL NHTSA. I HAVE NOW NOTICED THAT MY BRAKES LOCK UP AND DO NOT HAVE THE ANTILOCK SYSTEM OPERATING.
LOST ALL BRAKES ON MY 01' GMC SIERRA 1500 SLE 4X4 WHILE BRAKING ON AN OFF RAMP, PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. BRAKE LINES APPEAR TO BE COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT, WHICH DOESN'T MAKE SENSE WHEN I HAVE A 5 YEAR OLDER HONDA CIVIC, WITH 110K MORE MILES ON IT, AND THE BRAKE LIKES DO NOT LOOK NEAR AS BAD. BOTH SPENT THEIR LIVES IN MINNESOTA / WISCONSIN. AFTER DOING SOME GOOGLING, IT APPEARS THIS IS EXTREMELY COMMON WITH 2000-2003 GM TRUCKS. IF THIS WASN'T A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, WOULDN'T ALL UNCOATED BRAKE LINES RUST OUT AT SIMILAR RATES, IN THE SAME CONDITIONS? MIND BOGGLING THAT GM IS ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH NOT HAVING TO SPEND THE CASH TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. AS IF THAT MONEY IS WORTH MORE THEN THE PERSONS LIFE. *TR
WAS ON MY WAY HOME, WHEN I WENT TO TURN LEFT ONTO MY ROAD. MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I HAD TO ACCELERATE ACROSS A MAIN ROAD BECAUSE A VEHICLE CAME UP OVER THE HILL AT ME AND I COULD NOT STOP THE TRUCK. I COASTED DOWN A HILL UNTIL THE TRUCK STOPPED ROLLING. WHEN IT WAS TOWED TO A SERVICE STATION THE MECHANIC NOTED A RUSTED OUT HOLE IN MY BRAKE LINE. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE LAST TIME WAS IN 2013. YET THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS THIS!!!!!!!
WHILE DRIVING IN DOWNTOWN CITY AREA, VEHICLE IN MOTION, ATTEMPTED TO APPLY BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO FLOOR ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO WARNING TO LOSS OF BRAKING SYSTEM. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO RESIDENCE AND REVIEWED. BRAKE LINES FROM MASTER CYLINDER HAVE SUFFERED RUST DAMAGE AND CAUSED A FAILURE OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. UPON FURTHER REVIEW ALL BRAKE LINES ON VEHICLE ARE EXHIBITING EXTREME CORROSION TO A SYSTEM THAT SHOULD NOT BE RUSTING.
TAKATA RECALL ABS & PARKING BRAKE LIGHT COMING ON. CLEAN CONNECTIONS, LIGHTS WENT OUT. WENT DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 3 MILES, LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. SOMETIMES STARTING UP IN THE MORNING, LIGHTS WILL BE OFF. GET DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 3 TO 5 MILES LIGHTS COME BACK ON. ACCORDING TO INTERNET THERE IS A BAD SOLDERING CONNECTION IN THE CONTROL MODULE. HAS THIS BEEN A RECALL AT ANY TIME. WHEN LIGHTS COME ON, ELECTRIC BRAKES TO TRAILER ARE IN OPTIMAL.
BRAKE LINE FAILURE. I HAD COMPLETE BRAKE LINE FAILURE WHILE COMING TO A STOP AT A BUSY ROAD. I WAS LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO HONK MY HORN AND GO THROUGH THE LIGHT. I DRIVE THIS TRUCK ALMOST EVERY DAY AND HAD THIS HAPPENED ON MY NORMAL DAILY COMMUTE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT STAINLESS STEEL LINES WERE NOT USED ON SUCH A VITAL PART OF THE VEHICLE. NOW I AM LOOKING AT A LOT OF MONEY TO REPLACE ALL THE LINES. I DO NOT HAVE A BILL TO UPLOAD AT THIS TIME AS THE REPAIR WORK HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED YET.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 GMC 2500 HD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DISTRIBUTOR BRAKE BLOCK HAD EXCESSIVE RUST AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
SECOND BRAKE LIKE FAILURE IN AS MANY YEARS. AGAIN, RUSTED AT A BEND JUST AS THE REAR LINE TURNS DOWN INTO THE CENTER HOSE GOING TO THE REAR AXLE DIFFERENTIAL. LUCKILY, I WAS JUST FINISHING PULLING STRAIGHT INTO A PARKING SPOT WHEN IT POPPED JUST AS A I STOPPED. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO HIT THE PARKING BRAKE SO I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING.
05068A PRODUCT SAFETY RECALL FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION. MY VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR THIS RECALL IN 2006 WHICH INVOLVED REMOVING AND CLEANING THE ABS SENSOR AND REINSTALLING IT. NO REDESIGN WAS CREATED TO IMPROVE THIS FLAWED DESIGN. I'M HAVING THE SAME FAILURES DESCRIBED AND COVERED IN THIS RECALL. WHILE MOVING AT SLOW SPEEDS IN DRY CONDITIONS ABS KICKS IN AND INCREASES MY STOPPING DISTANCE. I HIT A PARKED CAR IN A PARKING LOT DUE TO THIS DEFECT. MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT <5MPH ON DRY PAVEMENT WHEN THE BREAKS WENT INTO 'ABS MODE' AND HIT A STATIONARY PARKED CAR. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. WHEN I CONTACTED GMC I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY SERVICED FOR THIS RECALL IN 2006 AND THAT THE ISSUE WAS THEREFORE CLOSED. IN MY CASE THE ORIGINAL RECALL WAS NOT ADEQUATE AND MY CAR BREAKS STILL FAILED EVEN THOUGH SERVICED IN 2006. I HOPE THIS DOESN'T START TO OCCUR WITH ALL OF THE VEHICLES THAT WERE SERVICED ~10 YEARS AGO WHICH IS WHY I'M FILING THIS COMPLAINT. LINK TO RECALL: HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/ACM5671334/RCRIT-05V379-9258.PDF
THE BRAKES FAILED DUE TO RUSTED OUT STEEL BRAKE LINES WHILE DRIVING.
ANTI-LOCKING BRAKES COMING ON WHEN STOPPING. NO REGULAR BRAKES 100 FEET PASS STOP ON HIGHWAY AND ONCE TURNING WHILE PARKING SPACE,HIT A FENCE IN FRONT OF ME WHEN BRAKES FAILED.
WENT TO STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHT AND EXPERIENCED BRAKE LINE RUPTURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST. HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO COAST TO A STOP. FORTUNATE NO CARS WERE IN LANE.$1200.00 FOR REPAIR OF LINES.
I RESIDE IN MICHIGAN AND THE WINTERS HERE ARE SOMEWHAT BAD ON VEHICLES BUT THIS IS IN NO WAY ACCEPTABLE FOR GM TO GET AWAY WITH. I WAS OUT OF TOWN ON THE 15TH OF AUG ABOUT 80 MILES FROM HOME AND PREPARING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN TO ENTER ONTO THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED YELLOW AND THE DRIVER/CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED SUDDENLY AND THANKFULLY PROCEEDED TO TURN HENCE GETTING OUT OF MY WAY BECAUSE WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES THEIR WAS NOTHING RIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD, I HAD KNOWN WHAT JUST HAPPENED, RUPTURED A BRAKE LINE. I PROCEEDED TO MAKE THE TURN AND SOMEHOW GET THE TRUCK TO STOP WHILE GOING DOWN THE ON RAMP OF THE HIGHWAY. HERE IS MY BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH GM`S BRAKE SYSTEM. WHY WHEN 1 LINE RUPTURES ALL OF THE REST OF THE SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK TO AT LEAST GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP? ONCE I WAS ABLE TO HAVE A LOOK UNDER THE VEHICLE I NOTICED ALL BRAKE LINES APPEAR TO BE STEEL AND IN TERRIBLE CONDITION, SO NEXT QUESTION, WHY ARE AUTO COMPANY`S ALLOWED TO USE STEEL BRAKE LINES AND NOT A CORROSION PROOF STAINLESS?? OH, WAIT TO SAVE MONEY FOR BIGGER PROFITS AND CEO BONUS`S. I JUST CAN`T BELIEVE IN THIS DAY AND AGE WITH TECHNOLOGY WE CAN`T HAVE AN ABS SYSTEM WORK TO WHERE 1 LINE GOES YOU STILL HAVE SOME BRAKES FOR THE NAME OF SAFETY LIKE ON THE OLD CLASSICS WHERE EACH LINE IS INDEPENDENT TO EACH WHEEL. I`M JUST VERY LUCKY NOBODY WAS INJURED, COULD YOU IMAGINE IF I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THIS HAPPENED AT A HIGHER SPEED??? UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
BRAKE LINE RUSTED INTO OTHER LINES ARE RUSTY ALSO TRUCK HAD BEEN KEPT IN GARAGE FOR AT LEAST 6 YEARS ONLY DROVE ON BEACH MAYBE 5 TIMES ALWAYS WASHED OFF AFTERWARDS.LINES SHOULD HAVE BEEN S/S
BRAKE PEDAL MOVED ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR WITH NO APPARENT HYDRAULIC PRESSURE WHICH FAILED TO ENGAGE BRAKES WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE. INSPECTION OF BRAKE LINES BENEATH DRIVERS SIDE DOOR REVEALED EXCESSIVE RUST AND A HOLE IN STEEL BRAKE LINE LEAKING FLUID.
BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO FLOOR. HAD TO DOWN SHIFT AND USE EMERGENCY BRAKES TO STOP. FOUND BRAKE LINE HAD CORRODED LEFT FRONT ALONG CHASSIS. *TR
APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR, GOT VEHICLE TO A PARKING LOT TO FIND ALL LINES UNDER THE TRUCK RUSTY, ALL LINES INCLUDING THE FUEL LINES ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE REPLACED. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026