2000 GMC Yukon Xl 1500

LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND PRESSURE DUE TO DEFECTIVE/ DAMAGED BRAKE SYSTEM LINE (23 DAYS AFTER GM DEALERSHIP-MALOUF GM IN NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ INFORMED ME (WHEN I TOOK MY TRUCK IN FOR AN UNRELATED PROBLEM- ODI # 10293760), THAT THERE IS NO OPEN RECALL). MY PRELIMINARY RESEARCH REVEALED A BULLETIN WHICH NOTES A RECALL; # 71182. INDICATION IS THAT SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CLEARANCE CONDITION BETWEEN THE FRONT RIGHT-HAND BRAKE PIPE AND THE BODY CROSS SILL THAT COULD DECREASE TO THE POINT OF ALLOWING CONTACT DURING THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. IF CONTACT OCCURS AND THE BRAKE PIPE BECOMES DAMAGED, IN HALF OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM, THERE CAN BE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND PRESSURE. I WAS LUCKY THAT THIS CONDITION OCCURRED WHILE I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AT VERY SLOW SPEED. THERE IS BRAKE FLUID SPILLAGE IN MY ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND DRIVEWAY. *TR

UNWANTED ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATION WHICH RESULTS IN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE DURING LOW SPEED BRAKE APPLICATION. THE FIRST EXPERIENCE ALMOST RESULTED IN REAR-END CRASH INTO A VEHICLE AHEAD. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO A GM DEALERSHIP (MALOUF GM) ON 11/06/09 AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NO OPEN RECALL (THEY REPORTEDLY FIXED THE PROBLEM ON 11/01/2001). FOR THEM TO CHECK IF MY COMPLAINT IS RELATIVE TO THE EARLIER RECALL, THERE WOULD BE A COST TO ME OUT OF POCKET. THIS PROBLEM PERSISTS AND OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

WHILE COMING TO A STOP, AT LOW SPEED ON DRY PAVEMENT MY VEHICLE'S ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATED AND DESPITE CONTINUED PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDDLE THE VEHICLE ADVANCED ~8 FEET BEYOND THE INTENDED STOPPING POSITION, NEARLY HITTING A STOPPED SCHOOL THE PROCESS. INTRIGUED BY THE PROBLEM I EXPERIMENTED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE INTERMITTENT PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE, FOR SAFETY REASONS, DEFEATING THE ABS BY REMOVING THE FUSE THAT POWERS THE CONTROL MODULE. AS I HAVE NOW DISCOVERED, ACTIVATION OF THE ABS TO LOW SPEEDS CONTINUES TO BE A RELATIVELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH GM LIGHT TRUCKS OF THE 2000 MODEL YEAR AND NEWER. INDEED MY VEHICLE WAS RECALLED IN DECEMBER, 2005 TO SUPPOSEDLY PROVIDE A "FIX" SO THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT OCCUR. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH A GM ENGINEER (MAYBE A MARKETING PERSON IN REALITY) WHO TOLD ME SOME NONSENSE ABOUT THIS NOT BEING A RECURRENCE OF THE SENSOR PROBLEM. ACTUALLY IT WAS THE CONVERSATION WITH THE ENGINEER THAT LEAD TO MAKING THIS COMPLAINT. I AM NOT SO UPSET ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE SYSTEM FAILED, FAILURE DO OCCUR, THE PROBLEM IS WITH HOW THE SYSTEM REACTED IN FAILURE. I WORK ON VEHICLE SENSOR SYSTEMS (SUSPENSIONS AND FLUID DIAGNOSTICS) AND A MAJOR DESIGN CONSTRAINT FOR ANY SYSTEM IS THAT ANY FAILURE MODE CANNOT NOT LEAD TO AN UNSAFE CONDITION. IN THE CASE OF MY VEHICLE'S ABS, THE FAILURE MODE ALMOST ALLOW ME TO HIT THE SCHOOL BUS. I THOUGHT DUAL CHANNEL MASTER BRAKE CYLINDERS WERE REQUIRED MANY YEARS AGO (1968 IF I RECALL CORRECTLY) TO TAKE THE EXCITEMENT OUT OF BRAKE FAILURES. LOOKS LIKE GM HAS TRIED TO RENEW THE THRILL OF BRAKE FAILURE. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED WHEN SPEED WAS REDUCED TO 5 MPH AND THE BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATED BADLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR SERVICE. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED, SO THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE ABS SYSTEM WAS DISCONNECTED. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. UPDATED 1/19/2007 - *NM