1994 GMC Suburban

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THAT HE OWNS A 1994 GMC SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES. THEY ARE PERFORMING POORLY. THERE ARE ABS BRAKES ON THIS VEHICLE, AND THIS VEHICLE HAS DONE THIS EVER SINCE HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. HE HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A LITTLE WHILE, BUT IT WOULDN'T LAST VERY LONG. THE PROBLEM WOULD CONTINUE TO COME BACK. ALSO, THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK

DIESEL K2500 SUBURBAN. INJECTION PUMP SUFFERED A PROBLEM WITH INTERMITTENT FUEL CUTOUT. SOLUTION WAS REPLACEMENT OF INJECTION PUMP. REPEATED DEALER ATTEMPTS TO DIAGNOSE EXACT PROBLEM WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. SEAT MOUNT FAILED. THIS CAUSED SEAT TO TILT ON BASE & TORQUE REMAINING MOUNTS. THE WIPER MOTOR CUT OUT AT RANDOM. GM ACKNOWLEDGES THIS PROBLEM FOR OTHER MODELS, BUT NOT FOR MINE. THIS WOULD CAUSE FAILURE OF MOTOR FUNCTIONS (IN MY CASE, THE WIPER WOULD NOT START IF PARKED, BUT WOULD START IF PULLED OUT OF PARK POSITION). BRAKES ARE THE MOST INTERESTING PROBLEM. WHILE THERE MAY INDEED BE A PROBLEM WITH PEDAL SUDDENLY GOING TO THE FLOOR I THINK THE ACTUAL SITUATION IN MOST OF THOSE CASES MAY ACTUALLY BE AS FOLLOWS. I HAD TO BRAKE FAIRLY HARD IN UNEXPECTED TRAFFIC, AND THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FIRED. I WAS MOVING NOT FASTER THAN ABOUT 50 MPH AT THE TIME, BUT IT TOOK (MEASURED) 642 FEET TO STOP THE VEHICLE. AT NO TIME DID I RELEASE THE ANTILOCK SYSTEM BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPPED. DURING THIS TIME, I WAS ABLE TO STEER QUITE SUCCESSFULLY AROUND TWO STOPPED VEHICLES, AND TO RUN UP ON A GRASSY SHOULDER AND BACK ONTO THE PAVEMENT. I HAD THE FRONT BRAKES RELINED AND TRUED, AND THE FLUID FLUSHED AND REPLACED, AT A LOCAL SHOP SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE USED (WITH ABOUT 56,000 MILES). APPARENTLY, GM KNOWS THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO CYCLE THE ANTILOCK MOTOR SO THAT ALL THE PISTONS ARE AT THE RIGHT POSITION BEFORE BLEEDING THE BRAKES. IF THE BRAKES ARE BLED WITH THE MOTOR NOT CENTERED, THE EFFECT IS THAT FULL MODULATION OF THE BRAKES DOES NOT OCCUR, FOR SOME OR ALL WHEELS, WHEN THE ANTILOCK SYSTEM FIRES. HOWEVER, THE DUMP-VALVE FUNCTION RELIEVES ALL BRAKE PRESSURE WHILE THE MOTOR IS RUNNING. THE RESULT IS THAT ONLY PARTIAL BRAKE APPLICATION IS EFFECTIVELY BEING MADE -- THIS MIGHT BE ALMOST ANY ARBITRARY PERCENTAGE OF A 'NORMAL' FULL BRAKE APPLICATION -- AND THIS MAY GREATLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF DECELERATION SEEN IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS.

THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ON MY 1994 GMC SUBURBAN PERFORM VERY POORLY ON WET PAVEMENT. THE STOPPING DISTANCE IS INCREASED GREATLY AND HAS LED TO ONE ACCIDENT. SEVERAL OTHER TIMES INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES HAS LED TO NEAR ACCIDENTS. THIS HAS CAUSED US TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE VERY CAUTIOUSLY IN WET WEATHER. THE ACCIDENT WAS ON WET PAVEMENT. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THE PEDAL BEGAN TO PULSATE AND THEN WENT CLEAR TO THE FLOOR, YET THE VEHICLE ACTED AS THOUGH THE BRAKES HAD RELEASED. BRAKING ACTION WAS ALMOST GONE CAUSING US TO SLIDE INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER UNIT. THERE WAS SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO STOP HAD THE BRAKES NOT RELEASE THE BRAKING ACTION.

ORIGINAL PROBLEM BRAKING CAUSED ME TO GO INTO A CEMETERY (LUCKILY TO MY KNOWLEDGE THE ONLY THING THAT I HIT WAS A CURB WHICH I WENT OVER ON A DIAGONAL) THRU ONGOING TRAFFIC LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED BUT THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED THE 2 WHEELS BY CENTERLINE TO FRACTURE WHICH LATER BECAME APPARENT AT DIFFERENT TIMES. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE 2 WHEELS WERE SIMPLY DEFECTIVE TO START AND DECIDED TO LET GO AT DIFFERENT TIMES. I SURLEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THE WHEELS WERE DEFECTIVE FROM THE GET GO.*AK

WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT A VEHICLE TRAVELING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TURNED IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES IN A PANIC STOP, PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW. THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY RELEASED AND I COASTED INTO THE INTERSECTION. I SWERVED TO MISS THE ONCOMING VEHICLE AND DID JUST MISS IT. SINCE THIS INCIDENT THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT HAS BEEN STEADY ON. I HAVE DISCONNECTED THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION AT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE MODULE. A GENERAL MOTORS MECHANIC HAS PULLED THE CODES AND SAYS THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM HAS COMPLETELY FAILED. I PLAN TO GO TO A GMC DEALER THIS MONTH AND COMPLAIN UNTIL I GET SOME SATISFACTION. THE FIRST TIME I NEEDED MY ANTI-LOCK BRAKES TO FUNCTION THEY FAILED. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACEPTABLE. I SEE FROM THIS WEB SITE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BRAKES ON SUBURBANS AND WONDER WHY THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A RECALL. *AK