This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while reversing, the brakes failed to respond to deceleration attempts and the brake pedal was able to be fully depressed. Upon inspection, it was found there was a brake fluid leak. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was confirmed that the master cylinder brake lines had corroded, which caused the leak. The mechanic repaired the vehicle by replacing the master cylinder brake lines. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 32,000. Updated 02/26/13 the consumer stated the dealer tech advised that the failure was prevalent in that area. Updated 03/1/2013
While depressing brakes at a complete stop, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I proceeded at a slow rate of speed and tested the brake system. The brake pedal has to be pushed all the way down to the floor just to get the vehicle to come to a slow/crawling stop. After inspecting underneath the vehicle, I discovered the left rear brake line leaking. Vehicle was taken to a local repair shop.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while trying to decelerate to a stop, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard abnormally. The contact moved off the roadway to further inspect the failure where he then noticed that brake fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection where they stated that the brake line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred a few months later. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.
- Huntington, NY, USA
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On 10-5-12 I was driving my 2002 Chevy Suburban in eaton rapids Michigan. I went to apply the brakes and the pedal went all the way to the floor. I was able to coast and slow enough to get off the roadway and into a parking lot. I noted smoke coming from under the hood. I checked and noted the right front brake line had blown and sprayed brake fluid onto the engine. I noted fluid on the ground under the truck and the reservoir was low on fluid. There was no warning and no warning light on the in dash computer. The brakes went from working just fine to nothing! I had the vehicle serviced at andrews automotive in mason, mi. They advised that two of the lines had blown and the other two were so rusty that they could go at anytime and recommended they be replaced as well. I had them replace all the brake lines. After doing some research I found that this is a known problem. This is very scary because my wife and I traveled to South Dakota from Michigan over the July 4th holiday. 1100 miles each way. If this would have happened hauling the motorcycle trailer, or the camper over the summer, a crash would have been inevitable. I hope Chevy steps up and recalls the vehicles before someone is killed in one of these vehicles. If you own one, have the lines replaced immediately. I was very lucky. Someone is bound not to be. The bill to replace the brake lines was $818.50.
Severe metal brake line corrosion: On surface streets, while approaching an intersection at about 35 mph, the brakes were applied and the pedal immediately went to the floor while towing a dual-axle travel trailer. The driver was able to use the trailer brake override to stop the truck-trailer combination before hitting anything. Brake fluid was dripping under the driver's side door. Closer examination revealed severe corrosion of the four 1/4" brake lines that follow the frame rail from the ABS module on the inside of the left frame rail up into the engine compartment to the master cylinder and the two front wheels. One of the two lines from the master cylinder to the ABS module had burst. The rust on these 1/4" lines was flaking off in large chunks. Also observed very significant rust on the 3/16" hard lines on the rear axle and the hard lines mounted to the frame and body leading to the rear axle. These lines are very close to failure. What is further distressing about this situation is that when one brake circuit failed there was none to very little braking effectiveness from the other brake circuit. The brake pedal went right to the floor with little resistance. This suggests that the master cylinder does not provide independent braking circuits like it should. Later, using a pair of locking-type pliers, the failed line was clamped off and it would build pressure and restore a modicum of braking effectiveness from the other circuit. The general condition of the truck is good with only a small amount of surface rust on some of the underbody components. This truck is not a rust-bucket. Salt exposure is minimal as a Maryland truck (one owner) that is used primarily for towing a camper trailer in fairer weather and is not used as a daily commuter. Failure: 7oct2012. Truck: 2002 1/2-T chev Suburban ls, 4WD with approximately 190,000 miles.
Traveling downhill toward a T-intersection, applied brakes and pedal went to the floor. Missed an approaching vehicle from the left by inches as I swung to the right, thru a stop sign. Returned home, thinking a rubber brake line had failed. Upon inspection, the steel brake pipe approximately ten inches in front of the right front caliper had split open due to corrosion. When I inspected the tubing prior to purchasing replacement parts, I discovered virtually all the steel brake lines were corroded to the point of failure, and in fact, I created another break in the same line as I attempted to loosen it from the plastic hold-down clamps under the left frame rail. Accessing the brake lines as they are routed between body and frame proved almost impossible, and am currently awaiting a recovery vehicle to take the truck to my inspection mechanic for replacement of all brake fluid lines/hoses from the master cylinder to the ebcm to each wheel caliper. The factory service manual mandates a minimum of 3/4" between any parallel brake lines, presumably to prevent bridging with mud/debris which might abet corrosion. In many cases, my steel brake lines were within 1/4" of one another. Some steel lines lay against steel frame rails with no clearance. This, however, would not account for the level of corrosion I discovered throughout the entire underbody of the truck. The only non-corroded portion of my brake system is the two lines immediately from the master cylinder downward to where they travel rearward along the left frame rail. Everything else is at the point of failure.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph the ABS light illuminated. As a result, the braking distances increased. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the ABS system needed to be replaced. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 125,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph she attempted to brake at an intersection and heard a cranking noise before the brakes failed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnose that there was rust damage on the brake lines. As a result, front break lines needed to be replaced. Three months later the rear brakes failed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that the rust damage was extensive. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 177,000 and the current mileage was 179,000. Updated 11/13/12
Rear brake line failure due to excessive corrosion. I had to stop short as the car infront of me stopped unexpectedly. My car stopped, but in the last few feet the peddle went to the floor. I pulled the car to the side of the road looked under the car. In the rear of the car I could see fluid in a puddle under the rear end housing. The fluid continued to stream out of the brakelines. After towing the car home I looked at the brake lines. When I touched them they crumbled in my hands.
My wife was driving our Suburban to her job which is less than 2 miles from home. When she stepped on the brake after leaving our drive way, she thought she heard something that sounded like a woosh of air and noticed that she had to depress the brake pedal more than usual. On her way home from work, when she depressed the brake, the pedal went all the way down to the floor and the brake light came on the dashboard. She was able to bring it home safely without incident. I had the vehicle taken to a repair shop and they told me that the rear brake lines and calipers were corroded which I had to have repaired for a significant price. They told me that the front brake line and calipers will also need to be replaced shortly before those fail as they are corroded as well.
While parking my 02 Suburban, I completely lost my brakes!! the brake pedal went down to the floor; brake fluid all over the driveway. What happened? the brake line underneath the truck just below the driver seat had rotted through. After doing some research, I found out that this is a common problem with Chevy trucks. However, GM has failed to initiate a recall. Hopefully GM will decide to recall these trucks and fix the obvious engineering glitch before some unfortunate person or family ends up seriously injured or killed in an unnecessary accident.
While driving down to the jersey shore on the garden state parkway with my family to go on vacation I went to get off the exit and when I tried to stop my brake pedal went to the floor......when I looked under the truck I realized that the steel brake line above the spare tire was completely rusted through. Thank god there was no one in front of us. Or we would have crashed into them and been hurt or even killed. Ps I bought this truck brand new...it was a very scary experience.
When driving from work, my husband noticed the vehicle was slow to stop. When the vehicle finally arrived home, we noticed a sizable amount of brake fluid in the driveway. The trail led all the way to the garage. Since I cannot safely drive it to a mechanic for a formal assessment, my husband went under the vehicle myself and noticed it had excessive corrosion throughout the entire undercarriage. It is especially, extremely, and exaggeratedly severe with the brake lines. There is a small metal junction where the rear brake lines branch out to the respective left and right hub/caliper. The lines branching from this small union -that is just above the spare tire- are very wiry. He also noted that all of the lines from the front of the vehicle to the back, have a lot of corrosion on them.
The brake failed as I was stopping at an intersection. The brake peddle started to hold and then just pressed to the floor. The brake line has failed. This is the third brake line failure on this vehicle in the last 14 months. We've had the both rear and both front lines replaced already, this last failure appears to be between master and ABS.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Park Ridge , NJ, USA