Brake pedal locked up, and they were unable to press down on brake pedal. This could have causde an accident. Cause unknown. Dealer notified.
1997 Chevrolet Astro brakes complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 67, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have had a number of problems with this vehicle: both the left and right power windor motors; replace the key remote, both idler arms,front brake pad at 37,000 miles, serpentime belt, power steering pump - replaced twice, had to fix oil cooler lines twice, replaced distributor/rotor; replaced lower gasket due to intake manifold leak, and fuel pump modual. All of this was done before my car had 57,000 miles. The dealer has been very fair and repaired at low or now cost. I have had two trips shortened due to breakdowns and have spent over $1,500 on repairs not covered under warrenty or by the dealer. This is in addition to normal maintenance (oil and filter,four new tires,and transmission fluid and filter). I am concerned as to "what is next" and when the dealer when no longer be able to fix these problems at low cost to me.
Consumer states that brakes are leaking fluid while driving.
Anti-lock brake failure.
When t brakes were applied pedal went to the floor, resulting in extended stopping distance. Dealer has inspected vehicle. Please provide additional information.
The transmission was replaced due to it missing 1st and going right into 2nd gear.front end of vehicle shakes at 40 MPH. Had tires replaced and alignment done. Interior light stay s on unless manual override is turned off.brakes make noises when you come to a stop or you are stopping slowly. Engine light comes on all the time brought to mechanic every time to get analyzed.
My wife and daughter were in the vehicle. My wife was driving. Suddenly, the accelerator stuck in an open position. Close to home and uncertain what to do, my wife was able to get in our driveway at home. The new rear brakes installed a week before were ruined. I had mechanic replace them and a rear brake cylinder also. The stress apparently caused the cylinder to start leaking. My mechanic also investigated the throttle problem. A factory wiring harness strap had broken and flipped around into the throttle linkage. Fortunately, no one was injured. We live in a rural area and traffic was not very heavy. My engine on the other hand is not so fortunate. It seems that it ran at too high an RPM for too long. It has developed a severe engine knock. Gm does not seem very interested in hearing about my safety concerns and appeal for repair compensation.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Rotors rusted from brake hub. When consumer was traveling on highway vehicle veered into another of traffic lane. Dealership was aware of problem.
Brakes and steering failed simultaneously, resulting in a crash. Gmc knows about the problem and will not fix it until enough people die. My family was almost killed. Anyone who has had a family member hurt or killed in a gm van should sue gmc.
Upon applying the brakes, without notice warning or indication, brakes completely failed. The power steering quit working at the same time.
While traveling 30-40mph applied brakes to stop and had no brakes, pedal was hard and resisted, did not hit anything, lost all power steering however, engine still running, had to shut down vehicle and restart it. Contacted dealership, but no solution was found. *ak
Consumer released emergency brake and started driving. After a few minutes, he noticed that park brake light was still on. Stopped vehicle, and lifted pedal off floor to get light to go off. Dealer said cable had snapped.
It was very dangerous, imagine driving at 65 MPH on a hwy without brake and steering control. I was lucky it went out on me while in the driveway.
During cold weather brakes will lock up, causing vehicle to slide on snow or ice. No accident to report.
Driver's side rear window will not stay open, clips that should hold it up are blocked by material, window slams shut when going over a bump. Transmission went out at 45000 miles. *ak oil leak, dealer ordered axle output shaft seal and crankshaft sensor. Electric fuel pump replaced due to vehicle cutting and would crank, but would not star. Oil pressure gauge erratic, dealer replaced oil pressure sender. Front brakes and pads were replaced, rotors were resurfaced. Consumer states there is play in the steering, dealer replaced both idler arms and reset toe in. Power door locks inoperable, dealer replaced power door lock switch. Power window inoperable, dealer replaced power window switch. Shifter was hard to move, dealer replaced shift cable. Gas pedal binds at times, dealer ordered throttle cable and replaced accelerator cable. Driver seta seems loose when braking, dealer ordered driver seat track assembly and replaced driver seat adjuster. Pcm fuse kept blowing out, dealer removed engine cover and traced wire harness, repaired shorted harness at the rear of the transmission.
Was on my way to work just dropped my 2 small children offf not even 5 min ago - was driving down rt 97 towards annapolis going about 60 - 65 MPH when traffic started to get a little heavy I needed to apply my brake and it didnt work I then noticed the van was speeding up all by itself I checked the cruise controll and it wasnt on the van kept speeding up I was in heavy traffic - I turned my flashers on and did everything I could I finally managed to get this van to the shoulder I had my foot pressing down as hard as I could ( at this point my body was lifted from the seat I was pressing the break so hard I was still going 45-50 MPH ) luckilly after 10 ? Min of this and many near death experiences I finally got slowed down enough to throw it into park the engine was so loud I thought it was going to take off out of park I immediately turned the key off - I was lucky my kids werent there and I wasnt driving in a residentilal area I could have been killed or evn worse several others someone needs to check tis out immediatlet y the dealership has fixed this a t a cost of 950.00 and I haver reported it to chevy - however someone needs to be held accountable this part just broke??? No warning no nothing just all the sudden decided it wanted to kill me.
Power boost has gone out 3 times. Power steering and power brakes malfunctioned.
Consumer went to check why the engine light came on, mechanics reported that the wiring underneath the drivers side was entangled.
Power steering failed while driving 5 MPH and then the power brakes did not work. Car was towed to dealer. Dealer reported power steering pump went and offered 50% assistance program to pay for the repair. Dealer also advised that the alignment was severely out and would also need to replace all four tires. When dealer went to do alignment, he now informs us that the steering components are bad: pitman arm, 2 inner tie rods, and 2 idler arms. Dealer claims this is due to lack of maintenance, I.e. Greasing. This is the second alignment we have had to have done on this van (4/98 first alignment and replaced four tires at that time also. Had the van for 11 months??) we feel that steering components have been defective from the beginning thus requiring two alignments and two new sets of tires in 40 months. I called gm chevrolet customer service 1‑800‑222‑1020 and they report no recurring problems with the power steering pump. I will call about steering components.
I am writing this letter because chevrolet and general motors are producing vehicles that have mechanical defects that are life threatening and are covering up the problem. The basic problem is with the brakes of the chevrolet astro van. Shortly after I purchased the van I noticed the van began pulling or steering off to the left upon braking. It was very slight at first but as time went on the problem became more acute. I took the van into the dealer for service because of the pulling when breaking problem. (little did I know then that this would be a long succession of visits for the same problem.) when I explained the problem with the van pulling when breaking, one of the writers behind the desk stated that those vans have a history of pulling and there were a lot of things they could do to elevate the problem. Since then I have had the van in at least 7 times (confirmed dealer receipts) for the pulling problem. The reason I am not completely sure is because the dealer did not always include the pulling problem as one of the problems they worked on. The dealer kept reassuring me that there were additional tech notices they could employ to fix the problem. However, the last time I took the van in for the problem they told me the did all they could do. I then called the gm customer support line to report the problem. The person in turn then called the dealer to verify the problem. The dealer did verify the problem but then told the person on the customer support line that it was the customers bad driving habits that were causing the problem. Now I am 54 years old and have been driving since I was 16 and never encountered this type of a problem. The last van I had just before for this one was a ford aerostar which is a very similar type van and I never experienced this type of a problem. The gm customer service line then told me that as far as they were concerned it was my fault that the van was pulling when I was breaking. They also stated that
While backing out of parking space & was trying to turn steering wheel and power module went out. Was depressing brake pedal & vehicle had no brakes. Vehicle towed to dealer. Was informed by mechanic that sterring & ABS brakes were connected to one another. When one failed, both of them were out.
Upon ma state inspection the 2 front idler arms were found to be completely gone "typical of blazers and astros" they said. Independant garage found that the arms were extremely worn for this milage. Also the front disk rotors are worn past the point of safty, and a deteration of the cooling and support fins is noted, this seems odd as the rotor pads show typical and even wear for the milage. The rotors are evenly worn, but excessivly deep cut. At 15000 miles the pedal went completely to the floor at a stop sign, ok on second pump, never occured again. I have heard of this and I am always cautious. Breaks sometimes act oddly but work ok. I still feel great about chev vans though my arm rest fell off ?
Was coming to a stop light & started to apply brakes, and brake pedal went to the floor. Had no brakes. Did not hit anything. Had vehicle towed to dealer. Mechanic indicated that egr valve was opened due to carbon built up. Brake problem could be repaired, but could also reappear.
While traveling at 20 MPH and depressing brake pedal, vehicle went into extended stopping distance and lost control. Please provide further informartion.
Consumer was traveling five MPH on a side street and brakes and power steering completly stopped. No prior warning at all. Consumer stated that he had just got back from a traveling trip eight hundred miles.
Steering & brakes went out at the same time. They are both assisted by the power steering pump.
Upon driving out of a parking lot, there was no braking or steering ablility. Driver had no control of the van and could hardly stop. Dealership has been notified about the problem. The problem has not been corrected. Please provide any furhter information.
While driving on local road , traveling 40-45mph, two vehicles up and ahead were crossing the intersection. Consumer realizing that there were cameras and light turned yellow, slammed on the brakes, and a pickup truck behind rearended her. Consumer applied brakes, and they failed. Also, upon impact, neither airbag deployed.
Abs brakes seem to kick in at low speeds. Can feel the brake pedal pulsating. Would make loud noises when brakes are applied. On its own the ABS brakes would engage & then disengage. Problem is intermittent & cannot be duplicated. Have taken vehicle to dealership & mechanic has test driven vehicle to apply brakes, but the problem was never solved.
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