General Motors Corp.: Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Fluid
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 16, 2005 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 6,698. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN 2003-2005 MODEL YEAR 4500/5500 SERIES CHEVROLET KODIAK, SCHOOL BUS CHASSIS, AND GMC TOPKICK VEHICLES; AND 2003-2004 MODEL YEAR GMC SCHOOL BUS CHASSIS VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN 8.1L ENGINE AND HYDROMAX BRAKE SYSTEM. THE POWER STEERING HOSE MAY COME INTO CONTACT WITH A PORTION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. A HOLE COULD BE WORN IN THE HOSE AND A LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID WOULD OCCUR.
The risk
IF THERE IS SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FLUID LOSS, THE DRIVER WILL HEAR A NOISE FROM THE POWER STEERING PUMP, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND WARNING TONE WILL ACTIVATE. INCREASED EFFORT MAY BE REQUIRED FOR STEERING AND BRAKING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
GM WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND DEALERS WILL REROUTE THE POWER STEERING HOSE. IF THE STEEL BRAIDING OF THE HOSE IS EXPOSED, DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE HOSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 800-630-2438 OR GMC AT 866-996-9463.
6 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Chevrolet Kodiak | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 GMC Topkick | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Kodiak | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 GMC Topkick | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Kodiak | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 GMC Topkick | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 05V288000.
Full record for the 2005 Chevrolet Kodiak → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →