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Completely Lost Brakes after dealer service doing 70mph!

4K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  Ipaman 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
The title gives it all away, but this is scary event #2 where I could have been killed by a negligent tech (last time it was loose lug nuts and a rogue rear wheel flying off).

Backstory: Took the truck in to my local GMC dealer on Thursday for new rotors and pads. Caliper boots were all torn so I had them replace too (whole caliper assembly). Basically completely brand new front brakes (all GM parts), and they worked really well, much improved over the old rusty rotors, etc. That lasted about a day...
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Today: Loaded the truck up with 6 people and bikes for a day of downhill mountain biking. We were going about 65-70 on a long straight stretch of dirt road when i hear a loud clunk and see something black go flying away from the truck out of the corner of my eye. It was pretty loud, got everyones attention, then one of the girls in the back goes "oh, it was just a rock." I press the brakes, and the pedal goes to the floor. Long story short, I downshifted and pressed the Emergency Brake all the way in and it took us about a quarter mile to stop on a gradual downhill. Slammed the truck into park going about 5mph.

We all get out, and my buddy and I look under the truck. Sure enough, the caliper has fallen completely off the drivers side wheel and is hanging by the brake line. Two other friends walked back and found one of the brake pads. Everyone was glad to be alive!
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Called up the dealer and the same service advisor was working. Told her what happened, and I could tell she was freaking out a little. Her manager said he'd send their service shuttle out... I said no, get me a rental truck or a used one off the lot, we can't fit in a minivan. So I now have a 08 Silverado off their used lot instead! Took about 2 hours for the tow and the dealer gal to get there, so we had a few beers on the side of the road, and one friend actually managed to shoot a buck while we were waiting (today was opening day, gotta love Montana). So, we got the new truck, went riding, and brought the deer back in the dealer's used truck :lol: So I guess its true, you win some, you lose some!
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They've treated me pretty well, but I still am in shock this happened. Has anyone heard of caliper bolts completely shearing off before on a brand new set of brakes? They worked fine for a day, and then all of a sudden completely fell off! Maybe he forgot loctite?
 

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#2 ·
Woah... glad to hear you and your passengers are all okay. At least you were quick thinking and knew how to react.. my fear is that this will happen to someone who will just freak out and not know what to do.
 
#3 ·
Well at least you guy's got some meat for the freezer. I'll be headed home to MT on the 10th for hunting season. Hope they get your truck figured out.
 
#4 ·
Wow, glad everyone is ok. I worked at a garage for a while and done my fair share of complete brake jobs including on my own vehicles...and I can say I have NEVER seen or heard of this happening before. My first assumption is that the caliper bolts weren't tightened down(maybe hand tight) and managed to back off to the point where they let go.
 
#7 ·
wildchevy said:
So a caliper came flying off the truck? I didn't think there was enoght room between the rotor and wheel for it it come out, are those 26's? 65-70 on a dirt road is this normal?
No, as I said, the brake pads, backing plates, and caliper bolts all flew out. The caliper fell off and remained hanging by the brake line (as shown in the pic). And if you know what you're doing, going 65+ on straight, flat dirt roads is absolutely normal. They're like country highways, everyone with a truck does it.

Having done a brake job or two on friends' trucks, I can't even begin to wrap my head around how dumb this tech must have been...

Last time my truck almost killed me it was an independent shop's fault. I've worked for dealers since, and always get service at GMC/Chevy if I'm not doing the work myself. Now I don't know who to trust, and am starting to think my truck has a damn curse!

I'm heading in to the dealer tomorrow to sort this all out with their service manager (and General Manager as well). Is there another route I should take? Even though nobody died or was injured (which is VERY lucky) I could still sue them, and regardless should probably be worried about their reputation. I'm not the suing type, but I don't know what else to ask for besides a refund of all the service I had done (about $900) and maybe one other thing the truck needs fixed...
 
#8 ·
I am pretty sure you can't sue someone because you might have been hurt, shit if that was possible no one would leave their homes. Be happy it turned out well while driving on the dirt freeway and no one in your care was killed. I am sure the dealership is smart enough to make it right with you and Christine, the truck from hell. If your depending on dealerships and small shops to do your repairs expect more and more of this to happen since finding and then retaining good techs is getting harder to do every day. Something I battle every time we hire.
 
#9 ·
I'd never sue... Technically all they need to do is fix it under the service warranty. But they F**KD up pretty bad, and the right thing to do is refund me for the trouble. Since I've incurred no losses, theres no grounds for a negligence/loss suit. I know it's hard to hire good techs and keep them around, I've worked for dealers for a few years. But there's absolutely no excuse for someone screwing up a brake job this bad!
 
#10 ·
I would request to have it sent to a very reputable shop of your choosing to have the brakes completely replaced and double/triple/quadruple checked before accepting anything from them. On top of that I'd never go back to that dealership. I've had a horrible experience with my local dealership lately and it's put a seriously sour taste in my mouth.

Another thing you might want to consider is having your transmission rebuilt at a transmission shop, slamming your truck into park is not good for your tranny and who knows if it caused any damage inside that may become a problem later on in the life of your truck. You had to do that in order to stay safe and not cause an accident due to their mistake.

You could sue for negligence, however for serious losses probably not. It all depends on how good your attorney is. I suppose the main point you could sue for would be the lack of workmanship, cost of labor/parts, and the potential damage to your transmission, and drive train. This is something I wouldn't hold back on, I'm not one to sue either but you have a valid point and this could of turned out much much worse. Any time you're working on something that is a safety aspect to the truck, it should be checked and then verified by another tech, IMO. The auto repair industry has a lot to learn from other industries (aviation specifically) when it comes to safety verification and standardization...
 
#11 ·
Glad everyone is okay and nice job on the buck! This exact same issue happened to a guy my girlfriend works with yesterday after getting his brakes serviced at the dealership but he was only pulling out of his driveway when it happened. Talk about freak coincidence... :shock:
 
#12 ·
That is certainly a weird coincidence, sounds like last week was a bad one for brake jobs at GM dealers...

I'm going to go in tomorrow and ask for them to have the vehicle moved to the chevy dealer down the road (who has a bigger/better service department) and have them re-do the brake job and inspect the transmission on the GMC dealer's dime. They might not want to do this, we'll see what happens. This was the first time I went to the GMC dealer that screwed up, and it will certainly also be the last. They already agreed to give me the loaner truck or a rental until the job is done. And the whole service bill (brake job, oil change, tire balance, diff service) I'm gonna ask/insist be refunded. As long as they do that, I'll be happy, but I do have a good attorney friend in town who's ready to help out just in case!
 
#16 ·
I would at least "ask" them to warrant your tranny/drivetrain for a few months in case "odd" noises and issues start to present themselves. 5mph is pretty slow in driving terms, but 5mph to instant stop against almost 3 tons is a physical nightmare. If you don't think so, just let your truck roll into a brick wall at 5mph. Who knows what might have been bent, twisted or broken. Just lucky you had room/time/expertise to get the truck down to 5 mph before you needed to take such drastic action to actually halt the vehicle.
 
#17 ·
Well, I'm pretty frustrated with the dealer at this point.

Got the truck back Monday afternoon with a new caliper installed on the drivers side. I wanted the Chevy dealer to do it, but they refused. Everything works now at least. But here's my list of things I'm pissed off about:

1) They used aftermarket parts without asking me (calipers), and blamed the failure on NAPA "not torquing the bolts properly." Which is absolute BS. The mechanic is the one who torques the slide pin bolts, and that's what caused the failure. :evil:

2) Instead of refunding the original bill (as one of their service writers had said to me before) they offered me four free oil changes "so I'll keep returning as a customer." told him I'd get back to him on that.

3) Their General Manager was totally unapologetic. His "CERTIFIED GM" service department almost killed me and five others after screwing up a simple job on the most important part of a vehicle. He said "well, sometimes things don't go right. That's why there are parts warranties!" I know dealing with frustrated customers is the worst part of managing a dealership, but this guy was such an idiot.

Talking with my attorney next week, and maybe GM customer service.
 
#19 ·
nwsierra said:
Well, I'm pretty frustrated with the dealer at this point.

Got the truck back Monday afternoon with a new caliper installed on the drivers side. I wanted the Chevy dealer to do it, but they refused. Everything works now at least. But here's my list of things I'm pissed off about:

1) They used aftermarket parts without asking me (calipers), and blamed the failure on NAPA "not torquing the bolts properly." Which is absolute BS. The mechanic is the one who torques the slide pin bolts, and that's what caused the failure. :evil:

2) Instead of refunding the original bill (as one of their service writers had said to me before) they offered me four free oil changes "so I'll keep returning as a customer." told him I'd get back to him on that.

3) Their General Manager was totally unapologetic. His "CERTIFIED GM" service department almost killed me and five others after screwing up a simple job on the most important part of a vehicle. He said "well, sometimes things don't go right. That's why there are parts warranties!" I know dealing with frustrated customers is the worst part of managing a dealership, but this guy was such an idiot.

Talking with my attorney next week, and maybe GM customer service.
1) I would be livid over them using Napa parts in the first place, so I agree with you there, however I bet they got the "loaded" calipers from Napa, they come with the bridge and pads already assembled, the idea is you just bolt on the whole assembly, so they may be right about Napa's part not having the bolt torques correct....however I would never trust a loaded caliper to come assembled properly, so I ALWAYS check the caliper to bridge bolts as part of the repair if I am forced to use aftermarket parts (and they have to force me pretty damned hard to get me to budge from that...they come to us for GM parts...duh!).
 
#20 ·
I take it you're a dealer tech?

I didn't know the Napa calipers came preassembled. That makes a lot more sense, but I've never personally seen or used them. And holy hell, why doesn't everyone have the common sense to double check them with a torque wrench! That's really what I can't understand. I'm pretty sure they're required by law to ask you about aftermarket vs GM parts as a part of the quote before service (at least in Montana). And the reason I go to the dealer is for the damn GM parts and techs that theoretically know what they're doing!
 
#21 ·
ummmmm, you said in your original post that you had all GM parts installed. And now you are saying they used aftermarket parts? I think GM dealers are supposed to use GM parts unless that is stipulated up front. Not sure, but I have found that you have to basically ask for aftermarket parts or you get GM parts (and the price for them) by default. It sure seems like you were expecting genuine GM parts. The certainly promote "GENUINE GM PARTS" in their service areas.

And why would they blame NAPA for not torquing the bolts properly? I thought they did the repairs.

I am assuming you are telling the story and what you are telling me is actually how things have gone down. We don't get to hear or see the dealer side of things. But if it is as you say, then I would hold off on the lawyer but I would definitely contact the GM reps on this site and maybe even call them at the corporate headquarters. GM doesn't like their overall reputation getting hammered so they might want to intervene. It sure seems like you have a case here for more than a canned or non-existent "I'm sorry". Fixing the screwed up job was the first thing he should have done to remedy the situation. It sure seems like you should have been treated a lot better. They should have stood by their original offer to refund your original bill. "four free oil changes"???? what kind of "sorry" is that. I have had my truck in twice for oil changes at the dealer and both times they jacked it up. First time, they underfilled my truck and left the filter only finger tight...I actually removed it with three fingers the next time when I did it. And they didn't reset the TPMS after rotating tires. The second time, they over filled the oil by about two notches above the full line. At least I can do those myself. I think they use the lowest and worst techs for oil changes.
But back to you. Aside from using aftermarket parts without telling you, I think they could have gone further than 4 oil changes to make things right. You might mention that you and your passengers are thinking about seeing a shrink since you are now scared to ride in a vehicle over 5mph. J/K!
I would get the forum GM reps and corporate reps involved to begin with before getting a lawyer involved. When you do that, it tends to make the other party clam up and quit negotiating. In fact, I am thinking one of the forum GM reps will be posting to this thread at some point with an offer to help out.
Oh, by the way, did they install new GM brake parts to fix the defective NAPA ones or did they throw on another set of NAPA parts? I know that when I inquired about a brake job on my daughter's cobalt a couple months back and balked at the quote, the service tech touted genuine "GM ceramic brakes" vice some aftermarket junk.
Good luck, keep us in updated.
 
#22 ·
nwsierra said:
I take it you're a dealer tech?

I didn't know the Napa calipers came preassembled. That makes a lot more sense, but I've never personally seen or used them. And holy hell, why doesn't everyone have the common sense to double check them with a torque wrench! That's really what I can't understand. I'm pretty sure they're required by law to ask you about aftermarket vs GM parts as a part of the quote before service (at least in Montana). And the reason I go to the dealer is for the damn GM parts and techs that theoretically know what they're doing!
Yes, I am a dealer tech. And most places don't have to disclose the source of the parts, we don't here, but you can't misrepresent what was sold. Look at your original invoice, what does it show for the parts? Does it have GM part numbers (if so, you have a seriously valid complaint there).
 
#23 ·
oooooh, yah, didnt think of that Ragsmatt. Good call. If that is so, I would show that to the service manager. My guess is that you will get a whole lot more satisfaction from that point on.
 
#24 ·
At the shop I work at we usually go with napa stuff unless the customer specifies. We have had any problems with their stuff yet.

But, like said above, if the customer asks what parts were installed or asks of they are Oem parts, we tell them what was actually used. In fact, I always give the customer a copy of the actual parts invoice from napa. So there's no question as to what parts are new or reman (we get a lot of customers wanting new parts, not remans)
 
#26 ·
Alright so after several weeks of back and forth with GM Customer Service it seems like they're completely useless and unwilling to help.
I've been out of town for a few weeks and working so I finally have the chance to sit back down and decide what to do next.

To clarify:

1) Brought truck in for new rotors/pads. Was advised that new calipers were needed as well. DEALER DID NOT SPECIFY THAT AFTERMARKET (NAPA) PARTS WOULD BE USED. I was provided a "ballpark" estimate for the cost of repairs, and assumed they would use Genuine GM Parts. Picked up truck later that afternoon. Bill was $890, no part numbers were listed on invoice.

2) Next day (saturday) brake caliper completely fell off drivers side rotor at 65+ mph. Slide pin nuts completely let go, brake pads flew out, rotor left dangling by brake line. Used downshifting and Ebrake to stop. Discussed with Service Advisor options for compensation, she was new and said maybe a refund but she had to check with her manager.

3) Dealer towed vehicle back to shop and provided me a used Silverado off their lot to use as a loaner. They paid for the tow.

4) Picked up truck monday afternoon. They replaced the rotor with a NAPA parts. Brakes worked properly.

5) Met with Service Manager and Dealership General Manager. Was told "this is why we have parts warranties" and it "wasn't their fault NAPA didn't torque the slide pins on the loaded caliper they installed." General Manager offered me four free oil changes "to keep me as a loyal happy customer." I explained they violated state law by not providing me a written estimate for repairs, and specifying that aftermarket parts were used (state of Montana). He didn't seem to care and said if I wasn't going to return as a customer then he wouldn't want to give me free oil changes anyway. I said I'm sorry but you almost killed me and 5 others, I'll get back to you about the oil changes.

6) Contacted GM Customer service and opened a case. The rep i was working with contacted the dealership multiple times before they responded. She also claims to have spoken to the GM Field Rep in the area.

7) Almost a month later, she contacts me saying they aren't willing to do anything beyond the oil changes and there's nothing more they can do.

I'm sufficiently pissed off and disappointed in GM at this point. I talked to a few friends in the service dept at the GMC dealer I used to work for, and a few buddies at independent shops, and they would have dealt with the whole situation much differently (i.e. refunding at least the labor cost). In montana, you're required to provide a written estimate for the cost of repairs which they didn't do. They also completely didn't take responsibility for completely f**king up a brake job, blaming it on "loaded calipers always have the slide pins torqued properly, so NAPA messed up."

Is there a Customer Service Department at GM that can actually get things done? The lady I worked with did exactly the same thing I did, contacting the service manager, and surprise! it accomplished nothing. It's just sad to see dealers going to sh*t these days.
 
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