2001 Chevrolet Astro

1) NOTICED THAT MY BRAKES WOULD "PRESSURIZE" WHEN COMING TO A STOP AS IF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES WERE ACTIVATING. I'VE EXPERIENCED NORMAL ACTIVATION BEFORE ON ICE, SNOW, AND LOOSE GRAVEL SO I KNEW WHAT IT WAS DOING. IT BEGAN HAPPENING A LOT SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER (BASIL CHEVROLET, WELLSVILLE, NY) ON 9/24/07. THEY REPLACED THE ROTORS, PADS AND TOLD ME "ROAD TEST OK...ON ROAD TEST DID EXPERIENCE ANTILOCK PROBLEM. ONLY ONCE FELT - UNABLE TO VERIFY". 2) TOOK MY VAN HOME AND WAS SEEING THE PROBLEM AS MUCH IF NOT MORE SO THAN BEFORE. WAS QUITE UPSET THAT AFTER SPENDING OVER $400 DOLLARS ON THE AUTO, I STILL DIDN'T HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED THAT I TOOK THE VAN IN FOR. COMPLAINED ABOUT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY COULD BRING IT IN TO "CLEAN THE SENSORS" FOR ME BUT COULDN'T GET ME IN UNTIL "NEXT WEEK". THE VERY NEXT DAY THE PROBLEM AROSE WHILE PARKING MY VEHICLE AT WORK. I LOST ALL BRAKING ABILITY AND SMASHED INTO THE REAR END OF A TRUCK. NO DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK AT ALL BUT EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. SMASHED GRILL, BUMPER, HOOD, HEADLIGHT, AND POSSIBLY MORE THAT I HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED YET. GOT STOPPED BY THE LOCAL POLICE FOR THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE. 3) NOTHING DONE YET TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I LEFT THE VAN AT THE AFOREMENTIONED DEALER FOR REPAIR WORK ON THE BRAKES AND THE HEADLIGHT. HOPING TO PICK IT UP TODAY. *TR

2001 CHEVY ASTRO -- DOES NOT STOP WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. JUST KEEPS "SLIDING". ONLY WAY TO FIX IS TO REMOVE THE FUSE FOR THE ABS BRAKES. IF FUSE IS IN, WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE VEHICLE SHUTTERS AND GROWLS AND JUST CONTINUES TO SLIDE AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT STOP. THIS HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING AT SLOW SPEEDS SUCH AS COMING TO A STOP OR PULLING INTO PARKING SPACES. ---VERY DANGEROUS--THANK GOD HUSBAND IS A MECHANIC AND REALIZED THAT TAKING THE FUSE OUT WOULD STOP THIS PROBLEM, BUT CAUSES IT SO THAT THERE IS NO ABS. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN THE DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO STOP. THE CURRENT MILEAGE AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000 MILES. THE FIRST FAILURE RESULTED IN A CRASH INTO A FENCE. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS A OF COUPLE MONTHS LATER, THE DRIVER DROVE THROUGH THE GARAGE DOOR AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKES AND FAILING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO GET OUT OF THE VAN AT THAT TIME. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE VAN IN REVERSE ,AND NOTICED THAT THE PEDAL'S PLACEMENT WAS IN AN AWKWARD POSITION, IT SEEMED HIGHER THAN USUAL. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING IN A STORM AND EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR INCIDENT WITH THE BRAKES. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRED DECEMBER 28, 2006 WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND THE ENGINE ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VAN DIDN'T STOP. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED HE SCHEMATICS AND NOTED THAT THE ABS SYSTEM COULD BE AFFECTED BY A FUNCTION IN THE STEERING SYSTEM AND IT COULD LOCK. THE CONTACT USED A HYDRAULIC JACK, AND WHEN HE STARTED THE CAR THE WHEELS SPUN; HOWEVER WHEN HE PUT THE VAN BACK ON THE GROUND AND APPLIED THE BRAKES THERE WAS NO INCIDENT OR FAILURE IN THE BRAKES AT THAT TIME. THE CONTACT STATED THE GENERAL MOTORS MANUAL , VOLUME 1 OF 2 GM-401 FOR THE ASTRO AND MINI VAN, PAGE 5-4 UNDER HYDRAULICS LIST DETAILED INFORMATION THAT COULD BE RELATED. *AK

I HAVE A 2001 ASTRO AWD THAT WAS TAKEN TO MEINEKE BRAKE CARE CENTER WHERE THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS ANALYZED. THE FRONT DRIVER (ABS) WHEEL SENSOR NEEDED REPLACED. NOTE PRIOR TO HAVING THIS DONE THE (ABS) LIGHT CAME ON THEREFORE I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG BECAUSE AT A VERY SLOW STOP THE BRAKE WOULD RELEASE ITSELF AND WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE. AFTER MEINEKE ANALYZED THE PROBLEM I HAD THE BRAKE SENSOR REPLACED, AND THE (ABS) LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE BRAKES SEEMED TO BE WORKING NORMAL AGAIN. HOWEVER JUST ONE WEEK AGO I WAS DRIVING AND CAME TO A VERY SLOW STOP, MIND YOU THE LIGHT (ABS) IS OFF AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AND THE BRAKES RELEASED ALL THE WAY CAUSING ME TO RUN INTO A FENCE. HOWEVER, LUCKILY NO ON WAS HURT OR PROPERTY DAMAGED CAUSED BUT WITHOUT WARNING THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE SERIOUS TRAVELING BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE OR LARGE TRUCK. THE BRAKES HAS ONCE AGAIN BEEN ANALYZED FOR PROBLEMS AND THE SENSOR THAT WAS REPLACED SHOWS NO ISSUES. CAN THIS POSSIBLY BE A MANUFACTURING ISSUE THAT NO ONE HAS REPORTED? PLEASE ADVISE WITH ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THIS MATTER, IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. *JB

ABS NOT STOPPING THE VEHICLE AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED. VEHICLE IS STILL MOVING BUT THE ABS SENSOR THINKS THE WHEELS HAVE STOPPED THEIR FOR NOT STOPPING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THE CHEVY SILVERADO'S WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT CHEVY HAS NOT RECALLED THIS VAN WHICH HAS THE SAME BRAKING SYSTEM AS THE SILVERADO. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS WITH OUR VAN. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE, AT A VARIETY OF LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE SPEED SENSORS AND THE HYDRO BOOSTER. THE SPEED SENSORS WERE WORN AND THE BOOSTER WAS LEAKING FLUID. THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY AND THE VEHICLE HAS OPERATED NORMALLY SINCE THAT TIME. UPDATED 7/3/2006 - *NM