1994 Chevrolet Suburban

THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS ON CHEVY SURBURBANS. THIS INCIDENT RESULTED IN A CRASH ON A SUNNY DAY WITH DRIVE PAVEMENT. THE ABS DEPLOYED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. I HAVE RUN INTO THIS INSTANCE 3 PREVIOUS TIMES WHERE "STANDING" ON THE BRAKES DOES NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. YET IF I RELEASE THE ABS BRAKES AND RE-APPLY, THE VEHICLE WILL USUALLY STOP. GIVEN THE CURRENT RECALL ON CHEVY ABS PRODUCTS FROM THIS TIMEFRAME, I WANTED TO REPORT THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH ABS ON MY SUBURBAN.

HERE IS AN EXCERP OF THE LETTER I GAVE MY DEALERSHIP REGARDING ABS POTENTIAL PROBLEMS ON 2 OCT 1995. DEALERSHIP SAID BRAKES WERE FINE. ON 27 SEPTEMBER, WHILE I WAS BRAKING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, MY SUBURBAN HIT A BUMP. THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY "CHANGED". INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL STOPPING, IT FELT LIKE THE ABS "KICKED IN" AND I COULD FEEL THE HEAR AND FEEL THE CHARACTERISTIC PEDAL VIBRATION. WORST OF ALL, MOST OF THE BRAKING FORCE WAS GONE. THE ABS SHOULD NOT HAVE KICKED IN SINCE THIS WAS NOT A PANIC STOP OR A WHEEL LOCK UP SITUATION. I KEPT THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED AND WITHIN ONE OR TWO SECONDS THE ABS TURNED OFF AND NORMAL BRAKING RESUMED.. I KNOW WHAT NORMAL ABS FUNCTIONING FEELS LIKE SINCE I HAVE TESTED THEM UNDER A CONTROLLED PANIC STOP SITUATION. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS FAILURE HAS HAPPENED TO ME UNDER A NORMAL BRAKING SITUATION. I DISMISSED THE FIRST EVENT AS A FREAK OCCURRENCE UNTIL MY WIFE REAR ENDED A TRUCK IN FRONT OF HER ON 21 SEPTEMBER, WHILE IN SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC. SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP IN TIME TO AVOID THE COLLISION BUT COULD NOT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES-ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO OUR SUBURBAN AND THE TRUCK. THIS CONDITION MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THAT ACCIDENT. *AK

BOTH INCIDENTS WERE ALMOST IDENTICAL. I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS AND HAD THE NEED TO STOP QUICKLY DUE TO OTHER VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES IT FELT LIKE THEY WERE NOT WORKING AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THERE WAS NO PULSING OF THE BRAKES, JUST A NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A LOUD GROAN. I DID NOT PUMP THE PEDAL, I JUST APPLIED HARDER AND HARDER PRESSURE UNTIL THE PEDAL WAS ON THE FLOOR, AND THE SUBURBAN CONTINUED TO ALMOST FREEWHEEL INTO THE BACK OF VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. LUCKILY NO ONE HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED YET. BUT IF A REMEDY IS NOT FOUND I AM SURE IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL A CHILD RUNS OUT FROM BEHIND A PARKED CAR, AND IT WON'T JUST BE PROPERTY DAMAGE. I TOOK MY SUBURBAN TO GREY CHEVROLET TO HAVE THEM CHECK OUT THE BRAKES, AND THEY SAID ALL THAT ALL THEY COULD FIND WAS THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS OVERFULL, AND BROUGHT THE LEVEL DOWN TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE. THE BRAKES DO NOT FAIL ALL THE TIME, IT IS INTERMITTENT. DUE TO THAT A PROBLEM IS HARD TO DEFINE. *AK