2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT TRAVELED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY PERFORMED AN INTERIM REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT ALL THE BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED BY THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT THE VEHICLE MAY NEED THE FUEL PUMP LINE REPLACED AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

THE METAL BRAKE LINE BETWEEN THE ABS MODULATOR VALVE AND FRONT RIGHT WHEEL RUPTURED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED. THE LINE FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. ALL BRAKE LINES IN THE VEHICLE HAD SIMILAR LEVELS OF CORROSION NEAR THE AREA THE AFOREMENTIONED LINE RUPTURED, AND AT VARIOUS OTHER LOCATIONS ON THE VEHICLE. A BRAKE LINE BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND ABS MODULATOR HAD FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNNER APPROXIMATELY 8 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES HAD ALSO FAILED DUE TO CORROSION APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO. THE CORROSION AND RUST ON MANY OTHER COMPONENTS BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS RATHER CONCERNING. POWER STEERING LINES (INCLUDING POWER BRAKES, SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS HYDRO-BOOST BRAKES) APPEAR TO BE NEXT. ALL METAL BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MOST RECENT FAILURE FOR AN OWNER COST OF ABOUT $500. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NHTSA RECENTLY CLOSED AN INVESTIGATION OF BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION ON SEVERAL GM TRUCKS AND SUVS. AFTER ABOUT 4 YEARS, THIS INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT "A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME." APPARENTLY THEY DON'T READ THE COMPLAINTS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE...

I WAS SLOWLY BACKING UP AT A FLAT LAUNCH RAMP TO PUT OUR BOAT INTO THE WATER. AS THE TRAILER REACHED THE WATER, I PRESSED HARDER ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN I DID THAT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL BACKWARDS UNTIL THE BOAT REACHED THE WATER. FORTUNATELY THAT STOPPED THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING AND ALLOWED ME TO APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE. ONE OF MY BRAKE LINES HAD BURST. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THE BRAKE LINES WERE ALL RUSTED AND NOT IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. CONTRARY TO WHAT GM IS CLAIMING, MY VEHICLE COULD NOT STOP IN A SAFE DISTANCE AND THAT WAS WITHOUT THE BOAT/TRAILER ATTACHED. IF WE HAD BEEN EXITING THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED (WHICH WE DID SHORTLY BEFORE THE FAILURE), THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

ONE OF THE METAL BRAKE LINES BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE ABS MODULATOR VALVE RUPTURED DURING A STOP DUE TO CORROSION. ALL BRAKE LINES IN THE VEHICLE HAVE SIMILAR LEVELS OF CORROSION NEAR THE AREA THE AFOREMENTIONED LINE RUPTURED, AND AT VARIOUS OTHER LOCATIONS ON THE VEHICLE. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES HAD FAILED APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY DUE TO CORROSION. THE CORROSION AND RUST ON MANY COMPONENTS BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS BECOMING RATHER CONCERNING. *TR

WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM THE DRIVEWAY, COMING TO A STOP THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK IN THE DRIVEWAY, A LARGE AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID WAS RUNNING OUT FROM A LOCATION UNDER THE DRIVERS DOOR AREA. AFTER INSPECTION, THE BRAKE LINE TO THE LEFT REAR WHEEL WAS RUSTED THROUGH AND RUPTURED. ALL BRAKE LINES LOOK TOTALLY RUSTED. LIMITED OR NO BRAKES IS A BIG PROBLEM ON A 3/4 TON VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE'S UNDER CARRIAGE IS WASHED ON A VERY REGULAR BASIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 45 MPH WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED FIVE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THE BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,300 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,293.