Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 02/22/2013 | 120000 | ||
| Brake line failure | |||
| 11/23/2012 | 222000 | 1 | |
| Started to pull out of driveway and brake pedal went to the floor. inspection revealed that a rear brake line had rusted through, leaving a puddle of brake fluid on the ground. *tr | |||
| 11/23/2012 | 222000 | ||
| Started to pull out of driveway and brake pedal went to the floor. inspection revealed that a rear brake line had rusted through, leaving a puddle of brake fluid on the ground. | |||
| 11/10/2012 | 194600 | 1 | |
| I was backing up my 2000 chevy suburban 1500 in my drive way and the brakes failed completely while backing up the vehicle. the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. i pumped the brakes several and the pedal went to the floor each time. there was no warning that the brakes were going to fail. i was able to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. the rear brake line is severely corroded and the line failed at the chassis location above the rear axle above the coil spring bracket. there was a large about of brake fluid on the inside of the tire, chassis and on the ground. this failure also indicates the master cylinder failed because there were no front brakes either. upon inspection, all the brake lines on the vehicle are severely corroded and will need to be replaced. i am disappointed in gm engineers to produce a vehicle that could have a failure of this nature. their design controls and process using a dfmea (design failure mode and effects analysis) would have had corrosion on brake lines as a potential failure mode. if their marketing knows that a large percentage of vehicles would be sold into regions that use corrosive agents to keep our roads and highways clean in the winter, then they should have shown that the break lines could fail given their choice in brake line materials and coatings used on this vehicle. also, i am disappointed in my gm dealer and the state safety inspection process where i live that should also have caught the fact that the brake lines were severely corroded, especially since i had to have had my rear backing plates replaced on the same vehicle last year due to a corrosion failure that rendered the emergency brakes useless and would not pass the state inspection process. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2012 | 194600 | ||
| I was backing up my 2000 chevy suburban 1500 in my drive way and the the brakes failed completely while backing up the vehicle. the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. i pumped the brakes several and the pedal went to the floor each time. there was no warning that the brakes were going to fail. i was able to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. the rear brake line is severely corroded and the line failed at the chassis location above the rear axle above the coil spring bracket. there was a large about of brake fluid on the inside of the tire, chassis and on the ground. this failure also indicates the master cylinder failed because there were no front brakes either. upon inspection, all the brake lines on the vehicle are severely corroded and will need to be replaced. i am disappointed in gm engineers to produce a vehicle that could have a failure of this nature. their design controls and process using a dfmea (design failure mode and effects analysis) would have had corrosion on brake lines as a potential failure mode. if their marketing knows that a large percentage of vehicles would be sold into regions that use corrosive agents to keep our roads and highways clean in the winter, then they should have shown that the break lines could fail given their choice in brake line materials and coatings used on this vehicle. also, i am dissapointed in my gm dealer and the state safety inspection process where i live that should also have caught the fact that the brake lines were severly corroded, expecially since i had to have had my rear backing plates replaced on the same vehicle last year due to a corrosion failure that rendered the emergency brakes useless and would not pass the state inspection process. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 06/17/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Brake light on dash intermittently turns on and flashes. turns of when vehicle is turned off a restarted. dealer said they had to reground the wires because a the grounding was an issue. $250 to resolve the issue. problem reappearred a week later. they then said the ebcm (electronic brake control module) needs to be replaced at an addition $1100 charge. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 160000 | ||
| Brake lines rusted and now leaking in front of and under the front driver side door where the brake lines start running down the frame rail of the truck body towards the abs module. last week the truck was fine, and i decided it would be a good time to bring it to my chevy dealer to have any outstanding recall work done. they told me among other recall orders due on my truck, one in particular is to have a 2 ft stretch of one of the lines replaced, and they replaced it. less than a week after getting the truck back i now have a leak coming from one or two of the other brake lines in that area where the work was just done last week. i have lots of questions. nothing was leaking till the dealer touched it, so why am i left with a new problem that was dealer caused. secondly, what's up with a recall that chooses to replace one part of 1 of 4 lines all running parallel, and all rusted to the same degree? thirdly, why is chevy which has a built like a rock suggested reputation using brake lines that can so easily succumb to rust, there lots of other solutions for this auto maker. for instance during manufacture, installing stainless steel lines, copper lines or copper nickel alloy lines just to name a few, instead of using cheap steel lines, what gives? | |||
| 03/19/2008 | 160000 | ||
| My rear brake lines rusted through, fortunately i was going slow at the time. i was able to stop. expensive repair as the fuel tank had to be dropped to get at the lines. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 175501 | ||
| While replacing front brake pads, i noticed severe rust/corrosion on the hard brake lines coming from the ebcm. i conducted a through inspection and found all the brake lines were severely rusted/corroded. the main brake line to the rear wheel was oozing brake fluid where it bends from on top of the frame rail towards the diverting valve. i had to replace all the brake lines to prevent a catastrophic brake failure. | |||
| 11/18/2011 | |||
| November 18 2000 driving to a mc donald's restaurant went to stop and brakes failed. a loud sound of air and the pedal going all the way to the floor. thank god i was not driving on a main road or my 3 kids and i would have had an accident and possibly injured. i am aware that this problem has happened to others with the same type of vehicle. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 175501 | ||
| While replacing front brake pads, i noticed severe rust/corrosion on the hard brake lines coming from the ebcm. i conducted a through inspection and found all the brake lines were severely rusted/corroded. the main brake line to the rear wheel was oozing brake fluid where it bends from on top of the frame rail towards the diverting valve. i had to replace all the brake lines to prevent a catastrophic brake failure. | |||
| 11/18/2011 | |||
| November 18 2000 driving to a mc donald's restaurant went to stop and brakes failed. a loud sound of air and the pedal going all the way to the floor. thank god i was not driving on a main road or my 3 kids and i would have had an accident and possibly injured. i am aware that this problem has happened to others with the same type of vehicle. | |||
| 10/26/2011 | 136654 | ||
| Upon stopping the suburban's anti-lock braking system kicked in at a low speed resulting in a accident and rear ending the car in front of us. i'm worried for my families safety with this suburban. | |||
| 10/11/2011 | 118000 | ||
| I was driving along a 3 lane stretch of divided roadway in the fast lane. i approached a new intersection, the light changed to red and cars in all three lanes ahead of me proceeded to stop. i applied the brake pedal and it immediately went to the floor. being in the fast lane and traveling at 55 mph with a concrete divider wall and no shoulder to my left i immediately downshifted while holding the pedal to the floor and cut the wheel hard to head across lanes of traffic. the rear end fishtailed out towards the drivers side barely missing the line of traffic in the fast lane. luckily i had enough distance to slide the car sideways facing slow lane shoulder, and then cut the wheel opposite to avoid the cars in the slow lane. i barely got around them and fishtailed the backend the opposite direction in the suburban as it grazed the guardrail. at this point the brakes were still out, pedal to the floor, and i traveled through a very busy intersection under construction (rt 24 and rt 95) still rolling at approximately 30 mph. i glided along the shoulder several hundred feet in low range gear with pedal mashed to the floor before using parking brake to stop! once home i inspected the brakes and the brake lines as others have found, are corroded beyond belief. i live in maryland and we see icy conditions, but i find it hard to believe that a vehicle as heavy as a suburban was equipped with brake lines that would corrode away to nothing. all the lines running along the frame rail are completely corroded out now and all lines need to be replaced. this is a major safety hazard and from a simple search i am not the only one dealing with this issue. the only reason there wasn't a four car mangled 55 mph crash was due to me sliding a 5000 lb vehicle completely across a three lane highway. please help before someone like my wife is killed due to these brake lines! | |||
| 06/29/2011 | 113000 | ||
| June 29,2011-my 2000 chevy-suburban 1500 brake line ruptured. due to severe rust,mechanic has to replace all brake lines,hoses and 4 brake calipers. aprox.cost $1,000 | |||
| 06/11/2011 | 133652 | ||
| Brake lines on my 2000 gm suburban rotted out, lost my brakes while driving. i see a lot of people have the same problem so there must be a recall by now, how do i get this recall, thank god know one got hurt. i will be going to tv and the local papers with this plus my lawyer to make sure know one gets hurt. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 116000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated while driving 25 mph and attempting to engage the brakes the pedal extended to the floor. he was forced to stop to the vehicle by placing applying the emergency brake and shifting into neutral gear. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic test that confirmed the failure was corroded brake lines. a local mechanic replaced the brake lines. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current miles were 116,000. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 116000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated while driving 25mph and attempting to brake the brake pedal went to the floor he had to bring the vehicle to a stop by placing the emergency brake and shifting the gear into neutral. the vehicle was towed to the local mechanic whom performed a diagnosed that located the failure at the brake lines corroded. the local mechanic replaced the brake lines. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current miles was 116,000. li | |||
| 05/09/2011 | 170000 | ||
| I own a 2000 chevy suburban 1500 4x4, on my was back from camping with my twin 3yr old girls the wife and the dog. as soon as i parked the camper in my driveway the brake pedal went to the floor, found two brake lines under the driver side door above the fuel filter had exploded. thankfully it held out till we got home rather than on the interstate! have not made repairs yet, but i have ordered a 7pc stainless steel brake line set pre bent. $300.00 for parts so far dont know what the shop is going to charge for labor. | |||
| 11/28/2010 | 46000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet suburban 1500. the contact state on october 28, 2010 while driving the 30 mph the brake light illuminated after a few minutes when attempting to break the pedal went to the floor the rear end made an explosive noise. the vehicle was towed to the garage diagnosed located the failure at the rear brake spider gear failed causing the rear brake lines to fail, and other parts in the rear had to replaced, the contact didn't have the name of the other parts that were replaced. on november 26, 2010 the emergency brake light illuminated she noticed brake fluid on the ground. the vehicle was towed to the garage diagnosed found the front brake lines corroded. the vehicle wasn't repaired. the vin information wasn't available. the failure a the current mileage were 46,000. li | |||
| 09/29/2010 | 105000 | ||
| The brakes in my 2000 suburban failed due to at least one corrosion-related leak in a brake line at the abs controller under the truck. the brakes seem to have failed completely, and i had to rely on the parking brake to bring the vehicle to a stop. i had a local mechanic replace the first leaking line he could find, but while testing that he found that others were leaking. because of the extensive corrosion, he could not say whether the second leak was there before he started work. i am having all the brake lines attached to the front of the abs controller replaced as a precaution. | |||
| 06/06/2007 | 115000 | ||
| Vehicle 2000 chevy suburban 1500 4x4 - june 2007 rear brake line failure complete loss of braking, fractured line found behind rear axle. repaired with new line. -august 2007 failure of abs system, at very slow speed less than 5 mph brake pedal would become very hard and there would be no brake effect. abs examined and disconnected, braking is now as normal but without abs. -october 2007 front brake line failure resulting in total loss of braking effect. both front lines replaced, lines showed massive internal corrosion, repair with new lines | |||
| 03/30/2010 | 43000 | ||
| I was driving my 2000 subirban on a highway. i attempted to slow for traffic and the brake pedal went to the floor, taking the brakes with it. the chevrolet dealer determined all the brake lines and fuel lines had rusted out. this truck has only 43,000 miles on it. | |||
| 04/12/2010 | 102660 | ||
| I was backing my 2000 chevy suburban down my driveway (about a 10% grade) when the brake pedal suddenly went to within 1/2 of the floor before the car stopped. brake fluild was on the driveway, axle housing, spring, tire and undercarriage. upon investigation the brake tubing (metal & ridgid) that runs from the front to the rear of the car, along the frame, had ruptured. the area where it ruptured was on top of the frame near the left rear wheel and was due to corrosion and possibly rubbing on the frame. fortunately there was no damage or anyone hurt. i was thankful it happened in my driveway and not on the open road. i have had a number of cars 10+ years and none have expenienced a brake line rupture. i am in the process of decideing where to have the line replaced or to repair it myself. the part is still on the car. car is not driveable. | |||
| 11/28/2009 | 113977 | ||
| We own 2000 gm suburban. i was driving down a hill about a mile from home when there was a total brake failure. i slowed the truck by putting the automatic transmission in third gear, however i was unable to stop at a stop sign. because of the nature of the emergency brake, it requires both a foot and a hand to moderate its effect, i did not want to use it. also while i was not able to stop i was able to slow the truck by the stop sign. the dealer, jim mckay chevrolet, fairfax, virginia, said it was corrosion of the brake lines. they replaced some brake lines, not others, charged us $1,200+, but did not tell us that there was a problem. we have a 16 year old daughter driving. if she had been driving there would have been a wreck. we let her drive the suburban because we consider it safe. | |||
| 01/01/2009 | 141364 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet suburban 1500. the contact stated that the brake pedal felt spongy and mushy. his vin was not included in a recall. while driving less than 20 mph, one of the brake lines failed and the brakes became completely inoperable. he was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road to safety. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were less than 141,364. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 06/05/2006 | 73000 | 1 | 09/03/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the check engine, abs, and emergency brake light illuminated. an nhtsa recall, # 05v379000 was performed on the vehicle concerning, the service brakes, hydraulic: antilock however, the recall did not remedy the problem. the dealership would not offer a second repair without charge under the recall. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 2 | ||
| The abs electric motor continues to run after vehicle has been shut off. this has happened before and i replaced it the cost was over $1000.00 to have it repaired. i have done some research and this happens a lot to gm vehicles. *jb | |||
| 07/26/2006 | 107800 | 2 | 09/30/1999 |
| Ebcm failure - abs pump runs continuously and will run down the battery. 2nd time ebcm has failed on this vehicle. called 800 number for chevy - they would not help me. dealer wants $1100 to fix. *nm | |||
| 02/01/2006 | 100000 | 2 | |
| Re: 2000 chevrolet suburban - antilock brake pump motor/assembly, which when not working makes the antilock brake function inoperable, failed and was replaced by dealer at approximately 41000 miles. vehicle now has 102,000 miles and antilock brake pump motor/assembly has failed again. dealer and chevrolet both say that, due to the mileage of the vehicle, they cannot financially assist in the repair of this vehicle and i will have to pay for it myself. three (3) independent repair shops have told me that this malfunction is so common of a problem that it is almost inevitable that a recall will be issued once the nhtsa becomes aware of the magnitude of the problem. parts alone can cost over $1500 for this repair. *nm | |||