[Aaron]

I have a 99 Silverado that I bought back in 99. I have had nothing bad to say until now. I only have about 69000 miles on it. My communte is only about 3 miles. I have the 4.8 with a 5 speed.

Last March I just happen to be tooling around the yard with the windows down and heard the rear rotors making that horrible dragging noise. Well, I pulled the wheels to investigate and had to replace the rotors and calipers!!! If I had not been riding with the windows down I would of never found out. Could not hear anything inside and the pedal was fine.

About 4 months after that I get a recall reguarding the parking brake not fully disengaging which would cause the rear pads to drag. This was probably what happened to the rear brakes in March.

Well, in November the front rotors started to cause the truck to "bounce" on braking. I looked at the rotors and had them turned and replaced the pads. Problem was pretty much gone.

I still had a "bounce". So , I looked at the rears. They looked OK, but could use the rears turned. That is only 9 and 1/2 months on them. Less than 9000 miles!!!

It seems from talking to other owners they also experienced alot of problems with the brakes. Some were worst and some were better.

Heard today on the radio that GM is recalling my truck for a anti-lock problem.

Seems GM needs to get there 4 wheel disk brake program together.

 

[saturnstyl]

They didn't, they converted them to rear drums for 2005. Doesn't that make you feel warm and snuggly? I never had any trouble out of my '99s brakes, but I have heard many stories like yours. I really liked that truck!

 

[Aaron]

Yes, I really like the truck also. Just that the problems with my brakes lately has put a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[notstock71]

My 'oo Sierra has been pretty good. The throttle body needed replaced (under warranty) and a few other miscelanious things. Recently the truck did not want to start. The fuel pressure regulator was bad, too much fuel pressure. This is a very common problem part on these trucks. My trans is starting to act up. The torque converter isn't unlocking when I accelerate. The truck shutters. If I give it more gas the trans will downshift kinda hard and it is fine. I still have a slight stumble at an idle in gear. I've done the tune up stuff but I read carbon buildup on the throttle body is very common so I plan on pulling it off and giving it a good cleaning.


At 58,000 miles I'm not too happy about the trans problem. I have read many problem stories at www.fullsizechevy.com . At least my brakes are still good.

Almost forgot the front doors are starting to rust on the inside seams and the license plate lights quit working, not a fuse or bulb problem.

 

[Alwhite00]

Almost forgot the front doors are starting to rust on the inside seams

Mine was doing that too. (00 Sierra) It's like the paint is so thin that it's almost bare metal.

LK

 

[droptop396]

There is no perfect vehicle out there in existance.
Todays cars and trucks are alot more reliable than the older cars.
Every vehicle will eventually have a problem here and there.

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

But yet the older cars lasted longer and were easier to repair :clonk:

 

[sinned]

I have a 99 Silverado that I bought back in 99. I have had nothing bad to say until now. I only have about 69000 miles on it. My communte is only about 3 miles. I have the 4.8 with a 5 speed.

Last March I just happen to be tooling around the yard with the windows down and heard the rear rotors making that horrible dragging noise. Well, I pulled the wheels to investigate and had to replace the rotors and calipers!!! If I had not been riding with the windows down I would of never found out. Could not hear anything inside and the pedal was fine.

About 4 months after that I get a recall reguarding the parking brake not fully disengaging which would cause the rear pads to drag. This was probably what happened to the rear brakes in March.

Well, in November the front rotors started to cause the truck to "bounce" on braking. I looked at the rotors and had them turned and replaced the pads. Problem was pretty much gone.

I still had a "bounce". So , I looked at the rears. They looked OK, but could use the rears turned. That is only 9 and 1/2 months on them. Less than 9000 miles!!!

It seems from talking to other owners they also experienced alot of problems with the brakes. Some were worst and some were better.

Heard today on the radio that GM is recalling my truck for a anti-lock problem.

Seems GM needs to get there 4 wheel disk brake program together.

You are jumping to a lot of conclusions. The rear parking brake recall had zero to do with your caliper/rotor issue. The new anti lock recall also has zero to do with normal brake operation. Some vehicles wear brakes faster than others which is why regular brake inspections of any vehicle are the owner’s responsibility. Preventative maintenance is part of being a responsible vehicle owner and neglecting it doesn't make the manufacturer the bad guy.

I have over 30 new Silverado’s in our fleet and I typically get 20K-30K on fronts and 50K-80K on the rears.

 

[quikss]

But yet the older cars lasted longer and were easier to repair :clonk:

What are you basing this on?

Typically cars of the 60's and 70's saw thousands of miles less each year than cars do now. It is a proven fact most people drive way more miles per year now than people did in the 60's and 70's.

If our musclecars would have seen 30,000 miles per year like a lot of new cars do, the maintenance would have been outrageous on them as well. Look how many muscle cars are for sale with less than 200,000 miles on them, figure 35 years old comes up to less than 6,000 miles per year. I have a 92 with 200,000 miles on it. My best friend has a 2002 dodge ram with over 100,000 miles on it.

I will give you this tho, if you knew how to work on cars, they were easier.

Jeff

 

[frankf72malibu]

I have a 99 I bought with 80K on it. I now have over 100K and I have had no problems. I bought it since the 98 Dodge quadcab I had was what I would consider a lemon. A new shortblock at 60K and in the shop every 2 weeks or so...... As others have said, it just depends on the particular vehicle you happen to get. Some are bad, others are great.
Frank

 

[droptop396]

But yet the older cars lasted longer and were easier to repair :clonk:

Must not be that easy to repair with all the "how do I.........?????" questions on this site. LOL

 

[Dean]

Must not be that easy to repair with all the "how do I.........?????" questions on this site. LOL

Well they sure are a lot easier to work on than a danged ol' Ford that's for sure.
Just got done pulling the oil pump and pan off my grandson's pickup and then pulled the engine.

I think before the government stepped in we were driving those old cars with 200,000 miles on them and didn't know it.
Anytime someone was selling one with 160,000 miles they would say oh yeah it's an original 60,000 mile car.

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

What are you basing this on?

Yes I know more people drive today than they used to. I was referring to how cars were built well in the old days....and how back then you could work on one with a basic set of hand tools.....all this on a car not cluttered up with emissions and electronics.

Must not be that easy to repair with all the "how do I.........?????" questions on this site. LOL

I know you wern't directing that at me....because I don't seem to recall asking alot of "how to" questions....yeah I'll ask some here and there because I am still learning just like anyone else.....

 

[Aaron]

Dennis68

I'm not jumping to any conclusions. First, I love my truck and will not drive anything, but a Chevrolet. So I'm not bashing them at all! Second, I agree the anti lock issue has nothing to do with brake wear. Third, I do not agree about the emergency brake recall not causing the caliper and rotor wear. Each month I do a complete inspection of the vehicle. The brakes were fine, they were getting close to a change, I figured I would get another 5000 miles out of them. However, the rears were wore alot more than the fronts and have been since around 2002. I though this was strange. So I continued my rountine maintance schedule. In the one months time the rears were gone. So over a 30 day period I put 1000 miles on it and the brakes went that fast. Alot of things could of happened. Maybe I should be better at diagnosing the problems. However, I just find it strange that the rears began to wear more over the coarse of time. In the recall they mentioned that the brake MAY cause the pads to drag. The recall was for 99 Silverados with manuel transmissions. Autos were not included.

If you do a search, you will have hve several post about various issues with the Chevy trucks. Piston slap is a common one.

 

[sinned]

Third, I do not agree about the emergency brake recall not causing the caliper and rotor wear. The parking brake and service brakes are completely different operations. The parking brake is a set of small shoes inside the rotor while the calipers actuate the pads on the rotor surface. Dragging parking brakes will not have any effect on the caliper, pads, or rotors

Each month I do a complete inspection of the vehicle. The brakes were fine, they were getting close to a change, I figured I would get another 5000 miles out of them. However, the rears were wore a lot more than the fronts and have been since around 2002. I though this was strange. So I continued my routine maintance schedule. In the one months time the rears were gone. So over a 30 day period I put 1000 miles on it and the brakes went that fast. When brakes get down to the last 30% or so the wear rate is increased up to 50% or more depending on pad size (very small pads in the case of rear trucks).

A lot of things could of happened. Maybe I should be better at diagnosing the problems. However, I just find it strange that the rears began to wear more over the course of time. In the recall they mentioned that the brake MAY cause the pads to drag May cause the shoes to drag, not the pads. .

The recall was for 99 Silverados with manuel transmissions. Autos were not included.

If you do a search, you will have hve several post about various issues with the Chevy trucks. Piston slap is a common one.Yeah, no big deal. A lot of newer engines have characteristic concerns that really have no affect on longevity or performance, just annoying.

That should clear some of the concerns up.

 

[Aaron]

Dennis

I apolize (sp) for not understand the parking brake. I did not notice the difference when changing the pads. I just assumed it was like the old drum brake system, when you put on the brake it used the same shoes as the regular braking system.

I did not know the stat on how fast the pads wore.

Point taken.

Still, if I replaced the rotors and the pads on the rear in March, 9000 miles ago, does it not seem strange that they need to be turned now?

 

[chevymad]

Was it just the inside pad that disappeared? The calipers on these have a habit of corroding up on their slides. Then all the braking is done with just one pad and the brakes go away quick. As was said the parking brake is a totally different brake system then the main brakes.

As I understand it the last layer of brake pad that actually touches the metal backing is a different/softer formulation then the rest of the lining. It's more of a heat resistant/insulating type material.

 

[Aaron]

Yes, the inside is the one that wore the quickest.

Well, that is good info to know about it being softier. Wish I had know that before.

 

[7t]

i was asking a guy at work that just had his brakes done on his 99 chevy. how does the the parking brake work on 4 wheel disc he didn't know either. thanks for info guys.

 

[70malibumikey]

Im a tech at a gm dealership and silverdados are always in for these concerns. i went to a brake class that GM put on for its techs and they explained to us the pulsating problem we have with these trucks. Gm decided that its customers would rather have a quiet braking system than one that made noise, so they put "soft" brake pads in. These pads are quiet (less squeal) but do not clean the rotor surface like a "hard" pad that makes more noise. So since they arent being cleaned properly, theyre rotting. Now i understand that you wanna make the vehicle quiet as possible but id rather have a slightly noisy truck than spend a bunch of money on pads and rotors...some of these rotors are 300 bucks a whack. just my .02 Oh yeah and to fix the inside rear pads wearing more than the outside GM sells a hideous mudflap kit that hangs in front of your rear tires, suposedly dirt flys of the left front tire and ends up in the right rear caliper...