Third brake line failure due to corrosion. Areas of failure are hidden from view above other components. Upon brake line failure, backup braking was inoperative in all cases. Vehicle was on a city street in motion attempting to stop. Brakes failed suddenly in all cases. Brakes were very noticibly inoperative before any indication on dash board. Pumping the pedal did nothing- the pedal went to the floor. Was told manufacturer no longer supplies brake lines for this vehicle.
Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 brake failure problems
69 of the 897 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 describe brake failure, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 69
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,500
- typical mileage
- 92,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Brakes went out with no warning, two different times. On a highway stopping for a red light.
Turning into my driveway, slowing down, applying brakes, the pedal went to the floor, no resistance, park brake didn't ,help almost hit my garage, steered toward garden landscape ties, that stopped me, looked under truck, large puddle of brake fluid dripping , both brake lines from the master cylinder to the ABS were rusted badly and dripping.
Metal brake line corroded through while driving causing almost total loss of brakes.
Poor quality brake lines have corroded making the brake system fail hard braking, had line rupture due to corrosion, near collision due to brake failure
Was driving home and brakes failed. Massive holes in the lines, pedal down to the floor no brake warning light until it was too late. Thank god my wife and kids were not with me this time. Lucky I'm alive. I was not on a main highway. So far the cost is up to $2000.00 to replace all the lines. Also now the master cylinder seems to be faulty. Another $400.00. I have read way tooo many complaints about gm brake lines rusting out way too soon many with low mileage. Something has to be done about this in the form of compensation. Lives could be lost and some probably have.
I have read the federal safety agency # 05v37900 and see that addresses the brake problems with brake line that I am having problems where the brake goes to the floor with no warning that is the same as the 2002 that is included in your recall. It appears that the same brake lines were used on the 2003 model. So why was the 2003 model not included in the recall as losing the brakes not a safety hazard. I was driving down the road when the brakes went out and was lucky there was no other traffic in the area.
The brake line broke due to rust and as I have seen this is a on going thing. Gm says it is not a safety issue but it very much is as when the line brakes you lose paddle and at high speed this could kill people. The fact that they do not see this as a safety issue tells me a lot about gm and how they don't care about the people that buy from them. My truck was on the boat launch when the brake failed I'm lucky I did not lose my truck and boat. This needs to be fixed at no cost
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet avalanche 1500. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the brakes failed and the contact rear ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no warning indicators illuminated. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The dealer was later contacted (gordon chevrolet in philadelphia, pa) and the contact was informed that there was no recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was damaged and towed to an auto body shop. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
Abs brake went out about 8 years ago being told by some mechanics no point in repairing it same thing will happen again seems that is a problem with this vechile when it went out I had 50 000 miles and the 36000 mile and 3 year warranity has already passed I heard a few weeks ago that you all had a recall but I was never notified the vechile had been parked at a mall when I started to leave their the light and warning alarm came on
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 brake failure
Which Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (29 complaints), 2003 (19 complaints) and 2004 (14 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix brake failure on the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,500 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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