2003 Chevrolet Astro brakes problems

Filed May 26, 2014 · Brakes · 96,500 miles · TX

I was driving pulling a trailer on the freeway when suddenly the traffic stop. I applied the brakes at a safe distance when suddenly my brakes when all the way to the floor I applied the emergency brakes and stop. I had to go thru the emergency lane. I told my son to push the brake pedal while I was underneath and the brake lines broke. They where all rusted out. I had to get a wrecker to take it home.if you need to see my van call me so you can see the brake lines.

Filed Apr 5, 2014 · Brakes, Steering · 150,000 miles · KY

My spouse was driving and we were stopped at a yard sale. We returned to the vehicle and started to back out when she noticed the steering wheel was extremely hard to turn. Then when she wanted to stop the vehicle the brakes were extreme hard to operate. After some research we learned of hundreds of brake malfunctions on similar vehicles and other cars that use similar brake booster technology.

Filed Oct 9, 2013 · Brakes · 50,000 miles · NY

I am complaining of the safety issues regarding the ABS computer system. I have put my vehicle in the shop to be checked out by a few car repair facilities and all have said the same thing my ABS cpu. My van is hesitating terribly and causing the van to not accelerate properly. I have nearly been in three accidents since the problem has been occurring. I have also done some research on this issue via internet and found that many people are having the same problem across the USA. And gm is blaming it on the weather conditions in the north but the problems are happening to astro vans(2003) across the entire us. This is a problem that should be addressed as soon as possible.. The contact stated while applying brake pressure at 20mph or less, the ABS activated with an increased stopping distance. The vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop. A diagnostic test was performed which indicated a failure in the right front wheel speed sensor. The mechanic determined the wheel speed sensor of the antilock brakes needed to be replaced. There is a the federal safety agency recall, # 05v379000, regarding the antilock brakes. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the VIN. This vehicle currently has this issue, and was checked by a repair shop. They described the problem undetectable; the recall was on models up to 2002. It seems that it carried over to this model, can the dealer assist in replacing the parts. I would pay the labor but the parts involved are about $1500.00 from the dealer alone. Can I get help from the federal safety agency to get this critical issue resolved.

Filed Jul 22, 2013 · Brakes, Electrical · 67,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet astro van. The contact stated that the brake pedal went all the way to the floor while making a left turn. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to start when the vehicle was parked and the wheels were turned to the left. A mechanic looked under the vehicle and found that the wiring harness that was located near the front passenger side tire had burned out. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the contact was unsure of what would be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown but the current mileage was 67,000.

Filed Aug 18, 2012 · Brakes · 80,000 miles · MI

Complete brake failure due to rusting brake lines. The previous day this vehicle was pulling a small trailer on a michigan interstate highway. The following day it was parked in my driveway and a wet area was visible on the concrete. It was brake fluid on the ground that had dripped from the rusted brake line and drained the master cylinder reservoir. I discovered this when moving the vehicle to try and determine the cause of the fluid leak. The brake line had completely rusted through! Fortunately this did not happen the previous day as it could easily have been fatal. The vehicle was towed to the gm dealership. There are no replacement parts for the brake lines and none are available in the aftermarket. The dealer wanted over $1700 to replace the lines and said there may be more items to replace - possibly another $700 or more. Plus, fuel lines were also rusting and they should be replaced too. This could easily have been a fatal incident or extreme damage as the brakes were completely useless in my driveway and I had to put the vehicle into reverse to stop it, even at a very slow speed. I have had other vehicles for a much longer time - including gm - and never had anything like this before.

Filed Feb 10, 2010 · Brakes · 173,000 miles · 00 · crash

I was driving approximately 30 miles per hour along slightly snow-covered road towards stopped traffic at red light on a slight downgrade. I stepped on the brakes gentle, as required by the conditions, but the ABS system started to shudder and the vehicle did not brake at all. I hit a stopped vehicle at the intersection and even with a relatively slow speed impact, our vehicle was written off and the other was towed away because it could not be driven. Our van was drivable, but just barely, and was subsequently written off by the insurance company. I was charged with careless driving which was absolutely not the case. We have another vehicle of the same year and similar model and it does the same thing occasionally but so far this has not resulted in any further collisions. We have owned astro vans since they were first marketed in 1985 and this is the first one to act like this. We purchased 1985, 1992, 1998, and 2003 models (2). I am asking my wife, rose, who is also the registered owner of the vehicle to submit this report on my behalf. Please respond to her with any resolutions. We purchased the salvage from the insurance company so it is still in our possession although not on the road.

Filed May 20, 2009 · Brakes · 31,346 miles · NY

Vehicle: 2003 chevy astro van defect summary: factory design directs leaked battery acid to drip down on a steel brake line. Details: the (+) battery terminal spontaneously broke off this vehicle's oem delco battery. The breakage was due to either: 1) cable connector being over-torqued at the gm factory, or 2) an integral fault within the battery. The design of this year-model of astro is such that the natural path for acid drip-page is on to a steel brake line located below, and in front, of the battery. I am going to have the brake line replaced by a local certified mechanic because the line is severely corroded due to the acid exposure. Because of the inaccessibility of the brake line and its connections, the repair cost will not be cheap. Please note that the battery and cable have not been exposed to any post-manufacture misuse or disturbance. The problem is solely due to poor placement of the hydraulic line, coupled with the factory induced battery breakage. I have digital photographs for your inspection of the broken battery terminal, the geometry of the battery compartment, the (brake) hydraulic line, and the resulting corrosion.

Filed Jan 13, 2009 · Brakes · 145,000 miles · MT

The brake line rubbed up against the power steering pump, eventually rubbing through. I lost braking power and nearly caused an accident. Within minutes, I went from having brakes to having to push the brake peddle to the floor to stop. I had a local mechanic fix the problem at a substantial cost.

Filed Jan 6, 2009 · Brakes · NY

2003 chevrolet astro with brake problems. Consumer states that gm will not reimburse her for the repairs made on her vehicle. *kb the consumer stated while braking at low speeds, the vehicle lunged forward. Also, the ABS light illuminated. The consumer had to pay to have the sensors replaced.

Filed Aug 19, 2008 · Brakes · 95,000 miles · NC

On several occasions over the past few months, the ABS light on my van has been coming on and when I apply the brakes, the van jerks around on the road and pulls to the left. I have almost hit other cars on many of these occasions. I had my mechanic look at it recently and he said he checked out the braking system and can see no visible reason for this happening.