Parking brake failure on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500
Only 5 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When parking brake failure gets reported
There are 5 reports of parking brake failure on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500, 5 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 88,000 miles. It is the 10th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 79,617 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 $250–$1,300 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 15 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2020, at a median of 5,000 miles, and latest on the 1999 at 130,000 miles.
By volume the 2020 carries the most reports, with 24; the 2003 has 5. 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. While driving 25 MPH, the contact applied pressure to the brakes when the pedal was depressed into the floorboard and the vehicle did not stop. He activated the emergency brake and was able to idle the vehicle. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who informed the contact that the brake lines were rusted and needed to be replaced. The contact was awaiting repairs. The current and the failure mileages were 40,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving in reverse the brake pedal was stuck to the floor. The emergency brake had to be applied in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the failure was located within the brake lines due to corrosion. The manufacturer denied assistance with the repair because the warranty expired. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 65000. The brake lines burst due to rust and poor design. The consumer stated water and salt were trapped inside. The brake lines were replaced and positioned another way, so they would not hold salt and water from the roads. Updated 06/27/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and there was no response. In addition, the brake pedal traveled to the floor upon engaging. The vehicle accelerated through an intersection after repeatedly applying the brake pedal. The emergency brake was engaged in order for the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated the brake lines were completely corroded. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. There was an investigation associated with NHTSA action number pe10010 (service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: hydraulic: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000. The VIN was not available.
Also reported on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500
Instrument cluster or gauge failure
Loss of braking
Brake line, hose or caliper failure
Other brake problem
Rust or structural corrosion
ABS module or sensor failure
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 5 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 5 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 parking brake failure happen on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500?
Across 5 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 80,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is parking brake failure on the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500?
5 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 5.1 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