General Motors (GM) resisted recalling almost 1.8 million full-sized pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) made between 1999 and 2003 due to corrosion-related brake failures, insisting the problem was a maintenance issue rather than a production flaw.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been investigating the issue since 2010 and has received about 1,000 complaints from owners of the vehicles.
"Like all GM trucks in snow country, my brake lines rusted through, along with my rear backing plates. I don't know how many people have to be killed from blown brake lines for them to do anything. I guess a lot since they held off 10 years on their current problem," an owner of a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado wrote in a complaint in June, cited by the New York Times.
GM this year reviewed past safety problems that resulted in 54 recalls, translating to about 25.7 million vehicles, in the United States. However, the American carmaker resisted recalling the pickups and SUVs and told regulators rusted brake lines were a maintenance issue.
"Brake line wear on vehicles is a maintenance issue that affects the auto industry, not just General Motors," the company said.
The NHTSA's investigation of GM began when an owner from Ohio called for a defect petition in 2010, after the corroded brake lines from his 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 heavy-duty pickup caused the vehicle's brakes to fail.
The agency intensified its investigation with an engineering analysis in January 2011, which included 761 complaints from 26 reported crashes and three injuries.
According to a document obtained by the New York Times, the models that were originally under investigation included the 2002-3 Cadillac Escalade, the 1999-2003 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, the 1999-2003 Chevrolet Suburban, the 2000-3 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, the 2000 GMC Yukon XL and the 2002-3 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 and 2500. In 2012, a federal regulator asked GM for additional information covering 2004-2006 models as well.
