On August 13th 2009 I purchased a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid from Wittmeier Auto Center in Chico, California. The vehicle had approx. 54,900 miles on it when purchased and appeared to be in overall great condition. The vehicle now has roughly 57,500 miles.

Friday, November 20th, 2009, I had just gotten into my vehicle to drive home from work. Within two minutes of leaving the office my vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure that caused the power steering, and more importantly, the power brakes to fail! This happened in the middle of a corner while traveling around 50mph. Fortunately there was nobody in the oncoming lane as my vehicle was unexpectedly much more difficult to steer and drifted into the other lane. After realizing I had no power steering I tried to hit the brakes to slow down and pull over and see what the issue was, however hitting the brakes did almost nothing! I then saw the following messages on the display console; “Service Power Steering”, “Service Brake System”, and finally “Service 42v Batteries.”

I limped the car home and the next business day had the car taken to Wittmeier for inspection. I still do not have my truck back.

Obviously this is extremely unsafe for not only myself, but for anybody around my vehicle. If I was on the freeway and needed to make an immediate stop, I may have rear-ended somebody causing serious injury or death because the power brakes happened to fail with no warning whatsoever. I am absolutely scared to death to drive this vehicle any longer and refuse to put myself or anybody else in danger. The failures within this truck are unacceptable and now I will always have a fear of my brakes or steering going out and next time, I may not be able to walk away. Furthermore, I will NOT sell this vehicle knowing that these defects may cause the new owner harm.


Edit:
After talking with a few people I am told I really have no case because nobody was hurt. I always told myself I would never buy an American vehicle, and the first one I buy, I get burned on.

 

It would be most interesting to hear what caused this incident. What did the dealership tell you?

 

The hybrid battery failed and because the power steering and power brakes run directly off of the batteries, they failed as well.

 

I didn't know they existed in 2005...well not really but they were FAR different than our current vehicles

"Instead of a conventional starter and alternator, the Silverado Hybrid uses a 14-kilowatt electric motor/generator sandwiched between the engine and a compact torque converter. Though the motor doesn't provide propulsion (like Honda's IMA systems do), it does operate as a generator during coasting and braking. The icing on the cake here is that this whole setup fits in a traditional transmission case, and bolts right up just like a conventional powertrain. Under the backseat is a box with three deep-cycle lead-acid batteries. Other than a computer to manage the system, the only other major change is an electrohydraulic pump for the steering and brakes."

 

My understanding with hybrids (I have one) is the hybrid battery is covered by a 8 year and/or 100,000 mile warranty. In your state, it is 10 year, 150,000 mile warranty. The repair of this item should be free. The question becomes why did the hybrid battery pack fail and is this a common issue with this type of GM vehicle? I won't add anything else other than to say if you are that unhappy, I would demand a free repair and then move onto some other vehicle.

 

lead acid batteries have a life cycle just like anything.

 

They are repairing the vehicle for free, I believe the dealership is still waiting for parts.

The issue is not whether or not they will pay for it, the real issue is that the hybrid batteries failed with no warning whatsoever and could do so again, but perhaps this time it could cause serious injuries or death to me or somebody else.

That is simply unacceptable.

 

Hybrid battery packs are not made of lead acid--they are NiMH batteries. OOPS! The Silverado does use three sealed 12V valve-regulated lead-acid battery packs under the rear seat. What a learning experience for this individual.

 

This is the 2005 Mild Hybrid (has the 42V lead acid batteries for accessories) he is talking about, not the new 2-mode hybrids...a completely different animal than the new hybrids, which all have the 300V NiMH batteries (including the '09 Silverado/Sierra).

I am glad to hear that GM is replacing the battery and fixing the vehicle at their expense because I don't know if the same 8yr/100K warranty applied to those vehicles as it does now. Again I do not know, but jmarshall, you have owned this used vehicle for 2600 miles? I think I would be saying thank you for taking care of the repair. Please, I do understand your fear in having an unexpected failure like that. But if I were on the jury, I would have a hard time finding in your favor against GM, they agreed to fix your vehicle. Shouldn't your beef be with the dealership, not GM. This used vehicle was maintained and possibly abused by another owner for almost 55,000 miles. I guess dealership took it in trade or possibly bought it outright, they are the most directly responsible. I know GM has the deeper pockets but naming them may lose your case, if you have one. The fact they fix this out of warranty is big. I wish you the best and again, I am not on the jury but wanted to share my limited perception with you. Good luck.

 

It sounds like I am out of luck because nobody was injured.