2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500

ON THE ABOVE LISTED DATE AT APPROXIMATELY 0730 HOURS, I WAS RUNNING ERRANDS AFTER GETTING OFF WORK AND BEFORE RETURNING HOME. I STARTED TO DRIVE DOWN A SLOPED ROAD APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT AT A FOUR WAY INTERSECTION. THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED RED AS I WAS APPROACHING IT AND I APPLIED THE BRAKES WHILE TRAVELING AT 30 MPH. UPON APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR WITH ZERO FUNCTIONING OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM. THE BRAKE LIGHT THEN ILLUMINATED AND A NOTIFICATION CAME ACROSS TO "SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM". I DOWN SHIFTED DOWN FROM "D" TO "3-2-1", ALL THE WHILE PUMPING THE BRAKES. IT WASN'T UNTIL I REACHED AROUND 5 MPH THAT IT SEEMED THAT THE BRAKES HAD ANY AFFECT, AND I CAME TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. SINCE I WAS ROUGHLY A MILE FROM MY HOUSE AT THIS POINT I LIMPED MY TRUCK HOME, MOSTLY USING GEARING "2" AND "1". I PARKED THE TRUCK, ENTERED MY HOUSE AND INFORMED MY WIFE AS TO WHAT HAPPENED. THEN I RETURNED TO THE TRUCK TO FIND A PUDDLE OF FLUID UNDER AND AROUND THE DRIVERS DOOR. I CHECKED THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR AND IT WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED AT THIS POINT. THERE IS NO DOUBT IF SOMEONE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN FRONT OF ME OR COMING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AT THE TIME THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED I WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO THIS HAVE I HAD ANY INDICATION OF THE BRAKES GOING BAD, IE: BRAKE WARNING LIGHT OR ABS, SOFT BRAKE PEDAL OR FLUID LOSS. IT SEEMS AS IF THIS HAPPENED ALL AT ONCE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO A MECHANICS GARAGE LATER ON THAT DAY TO BE REPAIRED. *TR

TRAVELING APPX 35MPH APPLIED BRAKES TO MAKE LEFT TURN, PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. NO TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME OR WE WOULD HAVE HIT THEM. BRAKE FLUID POURING FROM UNDER TRUCK, UNDER DRIVER SIDE DOOR AREA. BRAKE LINE RUPTURED DUE TO RUST. LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACED RUPTURED LINE. I INSPECTED ALL LINE FEW MONTHS LATER AND FOUND THEY WERE ALSO IN BAD SHAPE DUE TO RUST. TOOK TO LOCAL GM DEALER $550 TO REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINE. GM SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP COST FOR NOT USING NON-CORROSIVE BRAKE LINE. VERY LUCK ME AND MY KID DIDN'T GET HURT. *TR

WAS HOOKING UP MY TRAILER TO TOW. HAD MY DAUGHTER STEP ON THE BRAKES TO CHECK THE LIGHTS. THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND ALARM WENT OFF. FOUND BRAKE FLUID SQUIRTING ONTO THE GROUND. HAD TO HAVE ALL THE BRAKE LINES REPLACED DUE TO RUST BEHIND THE DRIVERS FRONT WHEEL. FOUND OUT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE AND ALL THE CHEVY TRUCKS. ALL IN THE SAME AREA.

I WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WHERE THE LIGHT WAS CHANGING AND WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I COULDN'T SLOW DOWN. I ENDED UP GOING THROUGH THE RED LIGHT WITH MY SON IN THE CAR; LUCKILY WE DIDN'T GET STRUCK. I HAD TO UTILIZE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK AND SAW BRAKE FLUID POURING OUT OF A RUSTED BRAKE LINE UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I HAD TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. I HAD A FULL INSPECTION ON 12/23/13 AT HUDSON BUICK PONTIAC GMC IN POUGHKEEPSIE, NY AND ASKED THEM TO SPECIFICALLY CHECK THE BRAKES, WHICH THEY SAID WERE FINE; I GUESS THEY DON'T CHECK THE LINES DURING AN INSPECTION. I HAVE READ THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL GM VEHICLES. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THERE IS SOME SORT OF ACTION TAKEN TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM? *TR

BOTH BRAKE LINES FROM MASTER CYLINDER TO ABS MODULE FAILED RESULTING IN NO BRAKES DUE TO EXCESS RUST ON LINES.CAR FAILED INSPECTION 1 AND SECOND YEAR DUE TO ROTTED ROTORS. ALSO RECENTLY FUEL LEAKING FROM TOP OF FUEL TANK AND FUEL LINES FROM FUEL PUMP MODULE BADLY RUSTED. WORSE YET FRAME IS DISINTEGRATING. DUE CHEAP STEEL. MY 1998 CHEVY ASTRO IS DRIVEN AND STORED IN LIKE CONDITIONS AND YET DOESN'T SHOW THE RUST LIKE THE AVALANCHE. THANKFULLY I WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN LINES BLEW. AVALANCHE IS THE FIRST VEHICLE TO HAVE SO MANY SAFETY RELATED PROBLEMS DUE TO DEFECTIVE MATERIALS. DIDN'T REPORT EARLIER THINKING IT WAS AN ISOLATED CASE. *TR

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND LOST BRAKING ABILITY. THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, WHEN THAT HAPPENED THE SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON WITH AN AUDIBLE ALARM. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TRUCK STOPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE WAS COMING OUT UNDERNEATH THE HOOD FROM THE SPRAYING BRAKE FLUID. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE LINE. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED ALL BRAKE LINES TO BE IN SIMILAR CONDITION WITH A POTENTIAL FAILURE IMMINENT. ALL BRAKE LINES NEED TO BE REPLACED AND WILL COST OVER $1,000. THE TRUCK IS NOT USED EXCESSIVELY AND HAS LOW MILEAGE. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE WITH OUR 3-YEAR-OLD SON IN THE BACK SEAT. WHEN SHE TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND IT TOOK A GREAT DISTANCE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. SHE WAS CLOSE TO HOME, SO SHE RETURNED AND PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY. WHEN I GOT HOME FROM WORK, I FILLED THE RESERVOIR WITH BRAKE FLUID, WHICH WAS INSTANTLY DRAINED. I LOOKED UNDER THE DOOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE TO FIND THE BRAKE FLUID POURING OUT ON TO MY DRIVEWAY. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. ESTIMATED COST IS $1600 TO REPLACE THE BRAKE LINES AND THE CYLINDERS THAT HAVE BECOME FUSED TO THE LINES BY THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF RUST. I DO NOT LIVE IN AN AREA OF THE COUNTRY WHERE ROADS TREATED FOR SNOW IS A CONCERN. *TR