Brake Line Update - underhood
 

Well here is what happened so far so if this happens to anyone else, be prepared...

As I had stated, all of a sudden whitish smoke stated coming out from under my hood, it was determined to be a brake line to be bad...

Now on to the bad news...

The tech guy who parked the car did not realize that you had to place the transmission in reverse so I got a call on Tuesday that they needed my key to get in... To their credit, they offered to put a brand new battery in (more so since the old one would not charge anymore (5 months old)...

Then they found out that GM DOES NOT MAKE THIS BRAKE LINE... They are sending back mine and GM is going to fabricate one to send back...

I really don't know how to take this, the dealer is fairly good so I don't see the reason for the story unless its really true, but you would have to assume they could get one from BG or something, and not manufacture a new one (1 off???)...

Anyway, thoughts, comments, replies???

Prototype, very, very rare.

I believe this to be true. I do not know the specific brake line, but most brake lines are very long and have a convoluted shape. They are almost impossible to ship, let alone ship without damage. Designing a shipping container is another issue. Also at BG the OEM brake lines go on the chassis prior to the powertrain and body. It can be very difficult or impossible to install an entire brake line on a completed vehicle, let along not bending it out of shape or kinking the line which is cause for scrapping. Even if BG send the dealer the correct brake line, the dealer may not be able to do anything with it.

just happened to me
 

Just happened to me today, at 5800 miles. Driving on a highway, applied the brakes, the brake pedal slowly sank to the floor and lots of pure white smoke came out of the hood. Scary as heck, believe me!! I pulled over, called OnStar, waited for the tow, and now find that I have a ruptured brake line. The dealer (Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg) does not know when they will get a new one from GM. They have given me a new Suburban to tool around in until the brake line arrives -- a slightly different experience from the Corvette.

Has anyone else had this problem? And why did no warning light go on indicating that I had lost most of my braking ability?

This looks to be the start of a serious safety recall.

FYI, you can patch in a new section of brake line with the proper fittings and flaring tool. You can also replace sections of solid brake tube/line with braided brake line/hose. Any good hydralic shop could make what you need to get the car back on the road.

Think about this when you're going into that corner a little too hot on the canyon road!! :sadangel:

Wonder if we'll be seeing a recall?

:lurk:

Brake line bad? Exactly what went wrong? Did a hose pop or burn? Or did a solid line get bent / crushed? What actually broke? Is this problem merely due to a weak brake line or hose, or is it a routing issue (such as being too close to exhaust, etc.)? What should everyone be looking out for? Is this preventable?

I thought the same thing, but still, they are sending the line back and I hope they get a new one soon...

This truly worries me because that is exactly what is happening...

The line is being sent to GM for fab and then shipped for install to the dealer...

You shouldn't have lost pedal completely because there are two separate hydraulic systems...one for the front and one for the rear. I can't see how one line could break, and cause all braking to be lost...not since the sixties anyway. How did you get it stopped?

If this has happened to you, please call national highway transporation safety administration to report it. They are the basis for any future recall. GM is supposed to report safety related failures to them and while I suspect they do (the fines for not doing so are horrendous), I'm not sure how fast they send in the data. If this is a design failure, then the sooner a recall is initiated the better for all of us. This is one of those things that cannot be induced by driver error, misuse, lack of maintenance etc. and is purely design related. If there is white smoke involved, it may be rupturing/breaking very close to the exhaust since the fluid is making it onto a hot part of the system. Let me see if I have this straight; they need to drop the whole rear out of the car to change the fuel sending card, the front of the car to fix the crank pulley and now the rest of the car to replace brake lines - sounds to me like it would be easier to take the car back to BG and let it go down the assembly line again!

You are exactly right. Not all braking was lost. The brakes continued to work, but much less effectively. The car slowed down, but the rate of deceleration was greatly decreased. Had I needed to brake quickly, or had I been suddenly cut off by someone, a collision would have ensued. The brake pedal felt soft, and slowly, very slowly, depressed almost all the way to the floor before the car stopped. Then a gush of white smoke came out of the hood (and also, I might add, into the passenger compartment via the air vents). The smoke, I assume, was brake fluids coming into contact with something that is very hot.

No warning light ever came on, and there was no gradual sign that anything was wrong.

VINs on the cars with this problem??
Michael

12926

My C6 is exactly five months' old, just like ttomczak's.

So I really fear others may be driving coupes with potential failures. Could anyone with access to GM determine whether they have established a file on this?

Do You Know The Location Of The Brake Line Rupture? Also, Was It Rubbed Through, Burst Or Was The Release At A Fitting/line Union? I Work At A Dealership And Have Checked For Any Bulletins, None Found To Date. If You Have The General Location In Can Later Today Put My 05' Up On The Lift And See If It Looks Like A Design Issue And Forward This Info.
Back To The Forum, And To Tech. Assistance For Review.

Thanks....

Sorry, I didn't check. So much smoke was coming from the hood that I feared a fire would break out. When the smoke cleared, and while waiting for a tow, I popped the hood, and of course everything looked normal. I assumed there was a brake fluid leak, and would never have thought of looking at the brake line until my dealer, in disbelief, phoned me and told me the news. [The dealer had never seen this happen either.] Didn't ask them the details you seek.

Ttomczak, why not IM me -- we should coordinate and share as much info as we have. I hope the forum will incite others to report this failure if they have one.

Mine is 11810... Built 12/15/05, purchased late Jan 05...