1994 Chevrolet Suburban

THE BRAKES ARE GENERALLY DEFECTTIVE. I HAVE BEEN IN SEVERAL EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WHERE THE BRAKES HAVE NOT PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY. ON ONE OCCASION, I NEARLY LOST CONTROL ON THE FREEWAY. ON ANOTHER, ON A WET STREET AT LOW SPEED, I PARTIALLY ENTERED AN INTERSECTION THROUGH A RED LIGHT BECAUSE THE BRAKES WOULD KEEP RELEASING. WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCIDENT NOTED ABOVE, I WAS ON A FREEWAY ACCESS ROAD GOING ABOUT 45MPH WHEN TRAFFIC UNEXPECTEDLY CAME TO A HALT, AND I, ALONG WITH MOST OF THE OTHER DRIVERS, HAD TO JUMP ON THE BRAKES HARD. I WAS BRAKING WELL AND STOPPING SHORT OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE INCREASED TO THE POINT OF ENGAGING THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM, THE BRAKES ACTUALLY RELEASED CAUSING ME TO LUNGE FORWARD INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. ALTHOUGH MANY CARS WERE SCRAMBLING TO STOP, MINE WAS THE ONLY ACCIDENT. I AM AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND I CONSIDER MYSELF A GOOD AND SAFE DRIVER. I DID NOT RELEASE THE BRAKES--I KNOW HOW ANTI-LOCKS WORK AND I KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. MY OTHER CAR HAS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, SO I ALSO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES THAT WORK WELL. I RAISED HELL AT THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THE SERVICE MANAGER AND THEIR HEAD BRAKE GURU TEST THE BRAKES. THEY CLAIMED THEY WERE FINE AND WORKING PROPERLY. THEY ARE WRONG. I RECENTLY READ THAT THE NTSB HAS AN OPEN LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION INTO THESE BRAKES, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD PUT IN MY TWO CENTS TO HELP YOU. I BOUGHT A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. I'VE LOST MONEY ON COLLISION REPAIRS AND INSURANCE. I'M AT RISK EVERY DAY AND I KNOW IT. I'M AT YOUR DISPOSAL SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED FURTHER INFORMATION. THANKS.

I HAVE HAD SIMILAR INSTANCES IN THE PAST, WITHOUT AN INCIDENT OCCURING. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE INSUFFICIENT BRAKE POWER TO STOP THE VEHICLE ADEQUATELY. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED IN AN EMERGENCY CONDITION, THE ABS SYSTEM ACTIVATES, BUT THE STOPPING DISTANCE IS VERY LONG. THIS ABS REACTS VERY DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER I HAVE EXPERIENCED. THE STOPPING POWER IS ACTUALLY VERY DIMINISHED WITH THE ABS ACTIVATED THAN WHEN IT IS NOT ACTIVATED. ONCE THE ABS COMES INTO PLAY, THE VEHICLE FEELS LIKE IT SPEEDS UP. I REALIZE THAT THE ABS IS SUPPOSED TO KEEP THE WHEELS FROM LOCKING UP AND THAT ONE SHOULD HOLD A CONSTANT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL RATHER THAN PUMPING THE BRAKES. HOWEVER, IN DRY CONDITIONS, I CAN STOP THE VEHICLE QUICKER AND IN A SHORTER DISTANCE IF I DO NOT ALLOW THE TO ABS ACTIVATE. OF COURSE ONE DOES NOT HAVE THAT CHOICE IN A PANIC STOP SITUATION. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO RELY ON THE SYSTEMS ENGINEERED INTO THE VEHICLE. I RECENTLY READ THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON THE 2000 SUBURBAN AND I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT GM DID NOT PROVIDE THE SAME 4 WHEEL DISC BRAKE SYSTEM INTRODUCED IN THE '99 PICK UP MODELS. THE ACCIDENT I RECENTLY EXPERIENCED COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD THE BRAKING SYSTEM OPERATED AS IT SHOULD HAVE.