My family and I was traveling on a busy road at 45 MPH, when we had to come to a stop and our brakes did not work. We almost slammed in the back of the car that was infront of us. My husband had to push the brake pedal all the way down to the floor and turn toward the grass shoulder. Thank god no one was hurt. My husband checked under the vehicle and saw that there was break fluid running out of the brake line. There were no warning lights or warning sounds that our vehicle made until after he started the vehicle again and then the vehicle gave a warning sound and a warning light. We are contacting our mechanic tomorrow because this happened after 6pm. I have been reading the other complaints on the avalanche's break lines and my husband said that I should also file one.
2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 39 of 39, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Yesterday,july 4th 2015 my 2004 avalanche; with only 70k miles , the brakes failed. It was due to a rusted blown out brake line. I had no brakes driving on a mountainous road. I thought I was alone in this failure but after internet searching I find this is common problem with this vintage and model. I take very good care of my vehicles; underbody washing during inclement winter conditions , I was appalled at the underbody rust. Having other vehicles of similiar age and mileage with no rust, I felt gm has used inferior materials. Gm should stand up and admit their use of substandard materials and offer remedy. They should know that as a consumer if they don't I'll never buy another gm product.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet avalanche 1500. The contact stated that fuel fumes emitted into the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that the ABS warning lamp flashed randomly and the brake pedal became extremely difficult to depress to stop the vehicle. The seat belts failed to work properly to secure and retract. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop and the fuel lines were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The dealer replaced the cables associated with the tailgate. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 06e043000 (fuel system, gasoline), 05v163000 (seat belts), 05v043000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 04v129000 (structure). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 8/17/15
The vehicle's ABS and brake lights are on. I took the vehicle in for repair and a state inspection. The part to repair the ABS and brake light are on national back order with no definite availability date. The truck is not usable because of the failed state inspection.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet avalanche 1500. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop when the brake pedal was depressed to the floor. The contact pumped the brake pedal and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered brake fluid leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the brake lines were rusted and fractured. As a result, the brake lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet avalanche 1500. While driving at 8 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond and the brake warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake line needed to be replaced due to corrosion. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.
Upon start up of the truck, the ABS light stayed illuminated and started chiming at me. Everytime I start the truck this happens. I had my brakes inspected and they were fine. I currently do not have ABS. I took the truck to a mechanic this last week and had it looked into. It is a known problem with the chevy avalanche and they informed me that there is a part for this problem but it is on indefinite backorder. What and how does that happen? The ABS system is throwing fault codes stopping it from working properly but there is not a part to replace it. Per chevy!
I was getting in my truck to go shopping and after driving for a short distance I notice my brake pedal went to the floor causing me to head into traffic almost causing a accident. When I got the truck home I notice dripping of brake fluid on driver side door. Further checking I discover my brake lines is rusting and cause a major leaks underneath my truck.
After applying pressure to brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop and the brake pedal was to the floor. Once the truck coasted to a stop, we pulled to the side of the road and found brake fluid leaking underneath the truck. We had the truck towed to our local dealership. The dealership replaced all metal brake lines that left us with a bill of over $2,000 for parts and labor. The entire truck is in beautiful condition and rust free except for the faulty brake lines! Gm should recall this issue.
I just picked up some mulch for around my house with my 8 year old son and I got home and I was backing up to unload the mulch and when I went to hit the brakes the pedal went to the floor and the brakes light came on, luckily I wasn't driving down the road when it happened. The mechanic said the brake line was rusted out, that shouldn't be happening on a 5 year old vehicle with only 39,000 miles on it.. It also happened a second time not long after that, I cant remember the exact date on that one either. There has been lot of problems with this vehicle : heating ,brakes sensor, wheel bearings, e brake problems,fuel pump rot, water pump, rusted under carriage, o2 sensor, multiple brake and rotor replacements [4], noise in steering column and front end, gauge cluster replacement, windshield fluid reservoir leaks,power window motors, dome override light, dead battery problems, I went thru 4 batteries in 5 years, it just kept going dead if I didn't use the vehicle for a couple days. I only have 72,000 miles on the vehicle now as of 12/19/2014. Lots of problems for a $ 50,000 truck. Ill never buy a chevy again.
Applied brakes and brake peddle went to the floor. I swerved to the right to avoid an accident .got out of vehicle and saw the brake lines were rusted and had ruptured.
On the above listed date at approximately 0730 hours, I was running errands after getting off work and before returning home. I started to drive down a sloped road approaching a traffic light at a four way intersection. The traffic light turned red as I was approaching it and I applied the brakes while traveling at 30 MPH. Upon application of the brakes, the pedal went straight to the floor with zero functioning of the brake system. The brake light then illuminated and a notification came across to "service brake system". I down shifted down from "d" to "3-2-1", all the while pumping the brakes. It wasn't until I reached around 5 MPH that it seemed that the brakes had any affect, and I came to a stop in the middle of the intersection. Since I was roughly a mile from my house at this point I limped my truck home, mostly using gearing "2" and "1". I parked the truck, entered my house and informed my wife as to what happened. Then I returned to the truck to find a puddle of fluid under and around the drivers door. I checked the master cylinder reservoir and it was completely drained at this point. There is no doubt if someone would have been in front of me or coming through the intersection at the time this incident occurred I would have been involved in an accident. At no time prior to this have I had any indication of the brakes going bad, ie: brake warning light or ABS, soft brake pedal or fluid loss. It seems as if this happened all at once. The vehicle was then towed to a mechanics garage later on that day to be repaired.
Traveling appx 35mph applied brakes to make left turn, peddle went to the floor. No traffic in front of me or we would have hit them. Brake fluid pouring from under truck, under driver side door area. Brake line ruptured due to rust. Local mechanic replaced ruptured line. I inspected all line few months later and found they were also in bad shape due to rust. Took to local gm dealer $550 to replace all brake line. Gm should have picked up cost for not using non-corrosive brake line. Very luck me and my kid didn't get hurt.
I came around a curve and there was road work going on and had to stop real quick. The brake pedal went to the floor. All the brake lines were rotted. I had to change every brake line on my truck.
Was hooking up my trailer to tow. Had my daughter step on the brakes to check the lights. The pedal went to the floor and alarm went off. Found brake fluid squirting onto the ground. Had to have all the brake lines replaced due to rust behind the drivers front wheel. Found out this is a common problem with this type and all the chevy trucks. All in the same area.
I was approaching an intersection where the light was changing and when I applied the brakes, the pedal went to the floor and I couldn't slow down. I ended up going through the red light with my son in the car; luckily we didn't get struck. I had to utilize the emergency brake to stop on the shoulder of the road. I looked under the truck and saw brake fluid pouring out of a rusted brake line under the driver's side. I had to have the truck towed to a dealership. I had a full inspection on 12/23/13 at hudson buick pontiac gmc in poughkeepsie, ny and asked them to specifically check the brakes, which they said were fine; I guess they don't check the lines during an inspection. I have read that this has occurred on several gm vehicles. Does someone have to die before there is some sort of action taken to correct this problem?
Going down my driveway pushed on my brakes an it went to the floor,underneaththe truck by the drivers door the frame was very wet with brake fluid,the brake line had blown.
Both brake lines from master cylinder to ABS module failed resulting in no brakes due to excess rust on lines.car failed inspection 1 and second year due to rotted rotors. Also recently fuel leaking from top of fuel tank and fuel lines from fuel pump module badly rusted. Worse yet frame is disintegrating. Due cheap steel. My 1998 chevy astro is driven and stored in like conditions and yet doesn't show the rust like the avalanche. Thankfully I was not on the highway when lines blew. Avalanche is the first vehicle to have so many safety related problems due to defective materials. Didn't report earlier thinking it was an isolated case.
Brake line ruptured from rust. Chev dealer wanted $2600 to replace/fix 2004 chev avalanche brake lines.
I was approaching a stop sign on a residential street, pushed the brake pedal and lost braking ability. The pedal traveled to the floor, when that happened the service light came on with an audible alarm. I was able to get the truck stopped on the side of the road. A large amount of smoke was coming out underneath the hood from the spraying brake fluid. Upon inspection it was determined that there was a hole in the right front brake line. Further inspection revealed all brake lines to be in similar condition with a potential failure imminent. All brake lines need to be replaced and will cost over $1,000. The truck is not used excessively and has low mileage.
My wife was driving our 2004 chevrolet avalanche with our 3-year-old son in the back seat. When she tried to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal went to the floor, and it took a great distance to stop the vehicle. She was close to home, so she returned and parked in our driveway. When I got home from work, I filled the reservoir with brake fluid, which was instantly drained. I looked under the door on the driver's side to find the brake fluid pouring out on to my driveway. I had the vehicle towed to a local repair shop. Estimated cost is $1600 to replace the brake lines and the cylinders that have become fused to the lines by the massive amount of rust. I do not live in an area of the country where roads treated for snow is a concern.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet avalanche 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to brake from 5 MPH, the brake pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the brake line was rusted, causing all of the brake fluid to leak out from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic for further inspection and repairs. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 80,200.
Leaving the yankee stadium parking lot in the bronx . Traffic was heavy! The traffic was stop and go . Upon stopping I felt the pedal go to the floor and smelled brake fluid . I pulled over and notice the split in the brake line near the chassie . I then had the vehicle towed home. The truck is a 2004 chevy avalanche with 60,213 miles on it. The brake line was split on the driver side chassie. It was not the rubber line going to the caliper but the stainless line feed the system.
Brake line failure due to rusty lines along frame on drivers side of my 2004 chevy avalanche. Line broke and brake pedal went to the floor. There was a slight amount of rear braking power left but the truck would not stop in normal driving conditions. The lines were repaired at the dealer. Luckily this happened in my driveway when I went to put the truck in gear.
Unwanted ABS activation on my 2004 avalanche which started at 40,000 miles. The problem is constant and could be dangerous. There is currently a recall on the 1998- 2002 for the same problem but not on 03-04 etc.. I know of an 03 with the same problems and he hit a pole. I contacted gm and a pat o'brien dealership in medina ohio and they will not repair this problem unless I pay for. It effects trucks only in the snow belt areas, I live in ohio. I hope you can help me with this.
Sudden and unexpected brake failure coming to a stop. Brake pedal went to the floor, brake fluid was gushing out from under driver's door. Later examination revealed brake lines severely rusted and one failed due to extensive rusting.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet avalanche 1500. The contact stated that the tailgate straps were rusty and beginning to fail. In addition, the ABS speed sensor was slow at stopping the vehicle. The ABS would pulse and the vehicle would take longer to stop. The steering wheel was loose and vibrated when driving over a bump. The shaft bushing is also failing in the steering wheel column. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls for the failures; therefore, the contact would be responsible for the repairs. The failure mileage was 86,000. Updated 3/5/09 *cn updated 03/10/09.
I am unable to drive my 2004 chevy avalanche due to the hydraulic brake system going out which makes the power steering go out as well. Prior to the system going completely out it occasionally it would be hard to turn the steeri ng wheel upon starting up the vehicle I contacted the recall department in referenced to this but they stated that even though my vehicle is the year and model fitting the recall my VIN does not fall in the batch. Why is this when I am having the problem which almost caused me to have an accident due to the brakes going out. Can this be rectified. I had the problem repaired but it started again.
2004 chevrolet avalanche 2wd had not been driven in 10 days, no prior problems noted. Drove vehicle, noticed ABS light was on, parked vehicle, turned ignition off, heard loud humming noise coming from under vehicle. Traced noise to ABS unit mounted under drivers side floor board, had to disconnect battery to stop noise, when battery is connected noise immediately starts.
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