Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 09/22/2012 | 115700 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. the contact stated that while performing routine maintenance on the vehicle, he attempted to engage the parking brake but the vehicle continued to move. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was confirmed that the emergency brake failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted. the failure mileage was 115,700 and the current mileage was 115,736. kmj | |||
| 09/22/2012 | 115700 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. the contact stated while performing routine maintenance he attempted to engage the parking brake but the vehicle continued to move. the vehicle was taken to a chevy dealership where it was confirmed that the emergency brake had failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted. the failure mileage was 115,700 and the current mileage was 115,736. mh | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 08/13/2009 | 60000 | ||
| Our 2001 chevrolet suburban is experiencing brake problems which were supposed to be fixed during a 2005 recall of the vehicle. the car is experiencing a sudden activation of anti-lock brakes as described in recall # 05068. i have been told by gm to basically fix it out of my own pocket which i find hard to believe sine they have had recall issues with the same problem. | |||
| 02/25/2007 | 90000 | ||
| I having a problem with my 2001 chevy suburban 1500 regurding the abs brake module control that failed, after resurce its looks like many thousand of 2000-2002 have the same problem , i call gm and they saying their is no recall. if you check that issue would you think it should be a recall ? thanks ilan david | |||
| 08/17/2008 | 71000 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) the abs computer on my 2001 chevrolet suburban failed at just over 70,000 miles. i contacted chevy about this and was told it occurred often and that it wasn't covered.. i have searched the internet and have found numerous other complaints about this same issue and everyone thinks it should be a safety recall issue. can you please investigate this and get back in touch with me? [xxx] *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 12/16/2011 | 97000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. while driving approximately 20 mph, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle failed to reduce speed. the vehicle uncontrollably crashed into a building. there was no personal injury; however there were exterior damages to the building. the vehicle sustained minor damage. a police report was not filed of the incident. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the four brake lines and gear shifter cable were replaced. also, the abs would need to be replaced. the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign id number: 05v379000 (service brakes, hydraulic: antilock). the failure recurred after the repair. the abs had been replaced a total of seven times. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 97,000. kmj | |||
| 12/16/2011 | 97000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. while driving approximately 20 mph, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle failed to reduce speed. the vehicle uncontrollably crashed into a building. there was no personal injury; however there were exterior damages to the building. the vehicle sustained minor damage. a police report was not filed of the incident. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the four brake lines and gear shifter cable were replaced. also, the abs would need to be replaced. the vehicle was previously repaired under a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 05v379000 (service brakes, hydraulic: antilock). the failure occurred after the repair. the abs had been replaced a total of seven. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 97,000. js | |||
| 10/12/2011 | 140000 | ||
| I was driving my 2001 suburban and when i stepped on the brakes, the pedal went to the floor...no warning or brake light came on. i was able to limp the truck home and i saw the rear axle was wet with brakefluid. the left rear brake line had rotted and broke.the truck is very well kept up and i alwasy pressure wash the undercarraige after the snow & winter. | |||
| 09/17/2011 | 80015 | ||
| After entering the parking lot of the local shopping center i applied the brake pedal to park in the marked space but the truck did not stop, the pedal travel all the way down but no breaking effect at all, fortunately that section of the lot was mostly empty and i let the truck roll to almost a stop, push the brake pedal again and did not stop so ended up using the parking brake to stop the truck. no warning light ever came on so i went to check the rubber hoses and brake lines under the truck finding a brake fluid dripping from the area under the driver's seat, close to a big rubber doughnut ( chassis mount ). i pushed the brake pedal and fluid sprayed again from that area. there are several brake pipes running to and from a sensor or equalizing valve mounted on the chassis in that area. after towing the truck home i went under it and follow the tubing leaving from that area to the front and the rear of the truck, and it is all rusted with the exception of the flexible hoses going to the calipers. i own two other cars ( not chevy's) that are older and used under the same conditions as the suburban and the brake piping looks like new on those, so i'm inclined to think this condition is particular to suburbans or chevrolet in general. would this incident had not occurred in a parking lot it would have ended in an accident or a fatality. i'm calling the local chevy dealership monday to check for any outstanding recall for my truck but never received a recall notice. this truck was bought new and have always been used in maryland, the winters are not extreme here and my only theory for the excessive rusting is that the brake lines are too cheap. truck will be parked indefinitely and available for inspection if requested. | |||
| 07/30/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated that while attempting to park, the brakes were applied, but the pedal depressed to the floor. the vehicle continued to move forward until crashing into a median. as a result, the median moved and crashed into another vehicle head on. a police report was filed. an independent mechanic examined the vehicle and stated that the brakes lines were completely rusted through. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 05v379000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock). the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the dealer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileages were 110,000. sm. | |||
| 07/30/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban. the contact was in a crash. the contact stated that while attempting to park, the contact depressed the brake. the brake then went straight to the ground and the vehicle did not stop. the contact hit a median and the median hit another vehicle head on. a police report was filed. a local mechanic diagnosed that the brake lines had completely rusted out. the manufacturer made the contact aware of the nhtsa campaign id number: 05v379000 (service brakes, hydraulic:antilock) recall, but the vin was not apart of the recall. the vehicle was in the process of repair. the dealer was notified of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 110,000. nw | |||
| 02/16/2011 | 104150 | ||
| Main brake line leak, located on top of chassis leading to rear brakes, leaked at clip point under passenger door where road salt residue can sit and corrode line. line was also heavily rusted in other areas of line on top of chassis. entire line needed to be replaced! | |||
| 01/19/2011 | 78000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated his abs braking system failed due to rust and leakage. while stopping at slow speed the brakes does not hold it goes all the way to the floor and keep moving. the vehicle was taken to mechanic shop who replaced the abs control module; reprogram the computer, the front hubs and the bearings on both the right and left front wheels at a cost of $2000. the vehicle was never taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage were 78,000...mw | |||
| 09/15/2010 | 108650 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. while driving approximately 10 mph or less the abs system activated at a low speed and makes the vehicle difficult to stop. he stated he had to engaged the brake pedal extremely hard to stop the vehicle. he called the manufacture and was advised that his vehicle was not part of recall 05v379000, service brakes, hydraulic:anti lock. he stated the failure was getting worse.. the vehicle had not been repaired. the vehicle was purchased used in august 2010. the failure mileage was 108,650 and the current mileage was 111,821. vwb | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 65000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. the anti-lock brake sensor activates at low speed causing a longer stopping distance. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2005 for recall 05v3790000 service brakes, hydraulic: anti-lock, but the failure wasn't corrected. the dealer and service manager advised the vehicle was over 100,000 miles therefore they will not assist with the repair. the manufacturer will be contacted. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 113,000. li | |||
| 06/04/2010 | 86924 | ||
| 2001 chevrolet suburban brake failure due to corrosion on left rear brake line. i verified the corrosion by climbing under the truck to see what happened. this failure is not due to an accident with the truck nor has the brake line been crushed due to running over a large obstruction. the brake line is located above the vehicle frame rail. no accident occurred due to this failure as it happened while exiting my driveway. i managed to stop the truck using my emergency brake. i understand there is a current investigation concerning this problem on chevy and gm trucks and suvs. i went to my local chevrolet dealers service department but was informed that as there is no recall the expense would not be covered by gm. | |||
| 05/08/2010 | 98438 | ||
| The abs system activated for no apparent reason, this is the first time it happened with just the pedal application, on dry pavement under 20 mph. activated and increased stopping distance, while keeping pedal pressure on. luckily i try not to follow cars closely. have had similar problems when hitting a bump, which can activate abs system due to loss of wheel traction. it should not happen on dry pavement, and can cause an accident. gm should address this problem, i did the previous recall but i still had the problem. | |||
| 01/20/2009 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Service brakes,hydraulic,antilock. *tr | |||
| 11/11/2001 | 125000 | 1 | |
| 2001 chevy suburban 1500 lt, abs problem. recurrence of failure of abs pump to deactivate. pump runs continuously until it burns up. replaced previously (not under warranty). over $1000. at this time the abs fuse is pulled so pump won't burn up again, but i have no antilock brakes. apparently a sensor or something is failing and causing an expensive repair. *tr | |||
| 08/11/2009 | 104000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2001 chevy suburban. yesterday, for the 2nd time since i have owned the vehicle the abs light came on and stayed on. when i got home and turned off the ignition, a noise that sounded like a generator was running under the truck. we disconnected the abs fuses both inside the truck and the engine to make the noise stop. called chevy dealer and was informed that a bulletin has been issued about the abs system, but no recalls. was also informed it would be $1500 to fix. i had it replaced the first time in 2005. a mechanic has told us that the abs pumps should never go bad. *tr | |||
| 03/05/2009 | 104786 | 1 | |
| I have a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. i had rear brakes and rotors replaced at 87813 miles in 02/08. at approximately 78713 miles the front brake pads were replaced. the vehicle now has approximately 104783 miles on it and the rear pads are gone and the rear rotors are warped. the front pads curiously still have 2/3 of the pad left. when going online i found a recall effecting the brake system of the vehicle nhtsa # 05v379000. doing my due diligence i called gm customer service about the problem and they stated that this particular recall is not open for the vin # of my vehicle. after reading the actual recall on your website it would appear my vehicle which is in fact registered in the state of ohio a salt-belt state which was one of the primary considerations for the recall. i am curious as to why the recall would not be in effect on my vehicle. does my vehicle first have to be involved in an accident causing injuries because of a brake failure before this will be addressed? no common car owner would suspect that after 15k miles rear brakes would need to be replaced and would more than likely continue driving the vehicle until there was a catastrophic brake failure that could lead to serious injury. i would like someone to get an explanation from general motors as to why this is not being addressed in these vehicles not supposedly affected by this recall. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 89000 | 1 | |
| Initially purchased suburban with 61,000 mi. had no problems with anything. i received a notice from gm for a recall on 2001's for activation of abs braking system at slow speeds. having no problems with it at the time i waited a few weeks before going to bergstrom chevy in neenah wi. i let them take the vehicle in the garage to do the recall work. 2 and a half hours later they called me from the waiting area and said it was ready. i drove away and continued to have no problems until approx. 14 months later when the abs started to activate at every stop at around 5mph. it continues to do this now and has since the summer of 2008. i contacted bergstrom and gm about the problem and they say they no longer do this recall work without charge. i looked at the bolt heads on the front brake calipers to see if they were marred by removal and there is no evidence that these bolts were ever removed for servicing the sensors. the facing of the bolts is still intact with no marking of any kind on these bolts so i am certain bergstrom never removed the calipers to clean the sensors. i am furious with gm and their products - i have always been a gm customer since beginning to drive in 1976 but with the products they've been producing in the last 10-15 years i will never buy another late model gm product.( i am also having issues with the intake manifold on my 1998 buick park ave - another inferior gm product) it's no wonder the company is having financial difficulty with all the complaints i've been hearing about and experiencing with their products. *tr | |||
| 06/16/2006 | 55977 | 1 | |
| Abs recall 05068, clean & inspect wheel sensors, 18 nov 2005. abs & traction control warning lights on,16 jun 2006 (55977 miles). dealer diagnostic code c0265, ecbm ($925.59 part) and also bpmv ($761.14 part) plus approx 2hrs labor. i asked if it would be safe to disconnect the pump from the abs system until i could see if the recall would cover this cost, it hasn't happened as of this date. the vehicle has been in operation since this system failure. i now have learned that the relay on the ebcm that controls the power has contacts that weld closed which causes the pump to run continuously. i asked if i could have the old part when i get it fixed and was told no because it must be returned. i also feel that when i was told it may also need the bpmv that the check valve holding the pump pressure could be the true cause of system failure. i feel that people that buy this safety feature should have it work for the life of the vehicle. i also know that the repair costs have since gone up. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 12/10/2009 | 8500 | 1 | |
| The nhtsa campaign id #l 05v379000 on my 2001 chevrolet suburban was performed in 2005 at the valenti auto mall in mystic, ct. the intent was to treat a gm recall no. 05068 to fix abs front hub sensors that would corrode. supposedly they did this at 85,000 miles in 2005. in 2009, i have been having recurring abs issues and they replaced the inaccurate sensor signal at $675. recurring issues they now need to replace the passenger side sensor at $675. the issue is that the sensor recall did not solve the problem, gm has stated the customer must pay for the very issue the recall called out, which was corroded senor hub assemblies and the customer must pay. this has been a very dangerous condition that gm/chevrolet knew of and did not fix in an appropriate manner. the suburban barely does not stop well at all and is very dangerous. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 30000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban 1500. the contact stated that the abs was engaging prematurely. while attempting to park the vehicle at 5 mph, the contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not stop. the vehicle crashed into the wall of his garage. the dealer repaired the front hubs and abs sensors for free and the contact was reimbursed for the damages made to his garage doors. shortly after the repairs were made, the manufacturer issued a recall on the same defect he experienced. the contact stated that the failure recurred at 87,000 miles. the abs light illuminated and the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop until a few seconds after the brake pedal was depressed. he called the manufacturer to notify them of the failure, but they were not willing to authorize the repair of the abs for free. the vin and recall number were unknown. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 87,000. | |||
| 10/02/2007 | 1 | 02/27/2004 | |
| Abs kicks in at speeds under 10 mph even after recall fix in oct 2005 dealer kindly did a goodwill repair at minimal cost to me on 11/7/2007 i just want people to know this problem is recurring. *tr | |||
| 08/24/2007 | 114800 | 8 | 04/06/2001 |
| Same symptoms as was subject of a recall to brakes done 09-06-06 (service ticket ctcs224790). intermittent abs activation on slow speed stop that causes the stopping distance to increase. no slippery surface or tire skidding that would cause the activation. prior to the 2006 recall, these same symptoms had begun on the vehicle and gradually worsened. i took the vehicle to the dealer (damascus chevrolet 301-253-2151) on 8-24-07 (service ticket ctcs233310). service writer butch eccard states the mechanic could find nothing wrong except one front backing plate touching the rotor. no code stored in the computer. abs activation occurred two more times since the service. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 2 | 10/15/2001 | |
| The abs electronic module failed again today. this will be my second module. the first module failed in 2004 and was replaced. the cost of replacing these has risen to over $1200.00 a pop. why doesn't nhtsa investigate these failures? this module failure results in no abs when you need it in a crisis situation. *tr | |||
| 09/04/2007 | 2 | ||
| Ltr re his 2001 suburban which caught on fire after noticing the abs system sensor appearing on the dash board; seeking reimbursement for repairs. *kb when the consumer attempted to start the vehicle, he discovered the battery was dead. after the consumer jump started the vehicle, that was when the vehicle caught on fire. the consumer had the vehicle towed and was informed the abs was bad, but it was not the cause of the fire. the cause was a computer system that had overheated as a result of the abs malfunction. the consumer had replaced the abs module previously. the dealer replaced the electronic brake control module and brake pressure modulator. *jb | |||
| 10/09/2006 | 1 | 10/11/2001 | |
| My wife was driving to work and the abs light came on. this was accompanied by a loud noise from underneath the suburban. after the car was shut off the loud noise persisted. she turned the car off and on several times and there was still a loud noise. she called me and i came over to her work and crawled under the car. i found that the electric motor on the electro-hydraulic control unit (ehcu) was constantly running and the unit was very hot. the only way to stop the unit from running was to disconnect the power harness. the ehcu is right next to the fuel filter and it was so hot that it could have caused a fire in the fuel line/fuel filter if i had not disconnected it. it might have also got hot enough to start the car interior on fire. there should be some sort of shut off mechanism when the ehcu fails. i talked to a number of mechanics and they said that the problem is normally with a relay in the ehcu and this causes the motor to run non-stop. they said this is a very common problem for 1999 + chevrolet silverado, gmc sierra, and the 2000 + chevrolet suburban/tahoe and the gmc yukon/yukon xl. they thought there was probably a recall on them but apparently there is not. the part is only available from the dealer and costs approximately $950. it takes almost two hours of labor to install it so the repair costs about $1150. the suburban is now in the shop being repaired. the car only has 51,000 miles and this module should not fail with such low miles and it should not cost nearly this much to repair. *nm | |||
| 08/25/2006 | 107035 | 1 | 08/08/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 55 mph, the vehicle's abs and parking lights illuminated. the vehicle was driven to the service dealer, where computer diagnostics identified the component failure as the service brake; electronic brake control module, had an internal failure. the service dealer mechanic also determined that the pump might damage a new module. the manufacturer was notified. | |||