ABS module or sensor failure on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
When abs module or sensor failure gets reported
Owners of the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 report ABS module or sensor failure at a median of 45,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 40,000 miles and a quarter after 65,000 miles, from 10 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 95,000 miles. It is the 11th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 30,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 70,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 39,149 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
Reports bunched into a band this tight usually mean the component has a life of its own: it goes at roughly the same mileage regardless of who owns it.
20% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,100 miles | 41,580 miles | 47,212 miles | 65,550 miles | 70,249 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $500–$2,400 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 9 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 1997, at a median of 15,000 miles, and latest on the 1999 at 85,000 miles.
By volume the 2002 carries the most reports, with 36; the 2004 has 10. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
2004 chevrolet silverado 2500hd with approimately 32000 miles needed to replace all brakes and rotors. Rear rotors and pads were severely rusted and damaged. I believe it is a quality defect in either the rotors or I nthe brake system itself. This truck was bought at local dealership(poughkeepsie chevrolet). It went through nys inspection at this same local dealership. Tires were rotated regularly. Truck had been inspected at 25,000 miles with no indication(from dealer) that brakes were wearing. Took truck in to have them look at they quoted me a price of over $1,800.00 to replace all brakes and rotors. The mechanics and service manager pointed to a pile of rotors in the back and indicated it happens all the time. Further search of internet and talking to other chevrolet owners, indeed indicates that the brake system on this model year truck has not performed to a quality standard. I am an attentive person so I noticed that something was not right. Others may not be as attentive and without the right attention, these brakes systems could completely fail due to this defect and cause crash and injury. Chevrolet should acknowledge…
My 2004 silverado 2500hd has developed the following brake concern for the past year. When stopping as the truck slows to around 10 MPH the brake pedal pluses and drops to a very low position that results in extending the stopping distance. All four rotors & pads have been replaced along with removing cleaning of the wheel speed sensors. The problem continues and I have had some close calls that could have resulted in a rear end collision. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The contact was driving at approximately between 5-10 MPH coming to a complete stop. When the brakes were engaged an unintended activation of the anti-lock brake system occurred which required an increase in the stopping distance. The failure occurred intermittent at low speeds which had progressed. The contact inspected the vehicle and detected corrosion on the front wheel speed sensor. There was a safety related recall on the model years 1999-2000 chevrolet silverado 2500 hd. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Also reported on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
Instrument cluster or gauge failure
Loss of braking
Other brake problem
Brake line, hose or caliper failure
Other electrical problem
Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 10 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does abs module or sensor failure happen on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
Across 10 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 45,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 40,000 miles and a quarter after 65,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is abs module or sensor failure on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
10 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 34 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed