2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems
Owners have filed 116 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 26% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 68,650 miles. The words owners use most often: “brake lines” (49% of reports).
- 116service brakes, hydraulic complaints
- 68,650median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,150typical repair cost reported by owners
- 14%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Brake lines: mentioned in 57 of 116 complaints (49%)
- Went floor: mentioned in 22 of 116 complaints (19%)
- Applied brakes: mentioned in 10 of 116 complaints (9%)
- Chevy 2500HD: mentioned in 9 of 116 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical service brakes, hydraulic repair on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 at $2,150, and half of them between $770 and $3,100.
Based on 9 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2006–2012), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems happen?
Based on 112 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 116 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire.
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 service brakes, hydraulic complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Silverado 2500 | 1 | 10% | 24,052 |
| 2024 Silverado 2500 | 1 | 1% | 1,700 |
| 2020 Silverado 2500 | 3 | 3% | 74,000 |
| 2018 Silverado 2500 | 1 | 2% | 84,200 |
| 2016 Silverado 2500 | 1 | 1% | 52,000 |
| 2009 Silverado 2500 | 2 | 3% | 25,903 |
| 2008 Silverado 2500 | 2 | 1% | 11,540 |
| 2007 Silverado 2500 | 9 | 4% | 27,606 |
| 2006 Silverado 2500 | 24 | 13% | 38,655 |
| 2005 Silverado 2500 | 26 | 10% | 44,000 |
| 2004 Silverado 2500 | 68 | 18% | 63,491 |
| 2003 Silverado 2500 | 116 | 26% | 68,650 |
| 2002 Silverado 2500 | 117 | 33% | 68,500 |
| 2001 Silverado 2500 | 78 | 26% | 77,229 |
| 2000 Silverado 2500 | 53 | 40% | 85,000 |
| 1999 Silverado 2500 | 38 | 47% | 91,000 |
| 1998 Silverado 2500 | 30 | 41% | 36,000 |
| 1997 Silverado 2500 | 21 | 33% | 20,000 |
| 1996 Silverado 2500 | 1 | 50% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes, hydraulic for the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering failed causing the steering wheel to become hard to maneuver. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the hydro boost area when the brake pedal or accelerator pedal…
On wedfeb15/12 the abs light was on fully and upon braking the truck pulled towards on coming traffic sounding like metal on metal.-letter feb20/12 to gm.the steering wheel was pulled out of my hands-letter dec9/13 to gm.i have complained by letter to gm.mar14,apr5,jun4,oct19 and dec9/13 about this…
Started the truck and put into reverse. There was no brake and no steering control. I had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. All fluids were topped off as normal and i regularly maintain this vehicle. After reviewing this issue in the diesel forum numerous duramax owners have endured…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500s have service brakes, hydraulic problems?
No. NHTSA has 116 owner complaints about service brakes, hydraulic for the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 (26% of the 449 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 service brakes, hydraulic?
No recall currently lists service brakes, hydraulic for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems start?
The median reported mileage is 68,650 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,150 (half paid between $770 and $3,100), from 9 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
The most frequent phrase is “brake lines”, in 57 of 116 complaints, followed by “went floor” (22).
Other 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems
See all 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems or service brakes, hydraulic problems across all Silverado 2500 years.