2002 Chevrolet Avalanche: brake failure

Filed Dec 29, 2015 · Brakes · 7,900 miles · VA

Brake lines are made out of defective materials gm knows they have a problem the lines rust out prematurely . The first one blew out I was backing in a parking space pedal went to the floor. The second one blew at a traffic light pushed on the brake went thru the red light dodged traffic .the third on the interstate traffic was stopping suddenly pushed on the pedal another brake line broke went to the floor and I managed to hit the median cross the middle and get it stopped before a head on collision with the traffic heading the other direction on interstate 81 . The rest of the under side is rust and corrosion free only the brake lines are rusted out ! .that being said gm has a repair kit with coated lines they always have in stock because they know its a major problem !!! I got a repair estimate from my local dealership $1580.00 I am replacing all steel lines . Please make them recall this is going to kill someone

Filed Nov 25, 2014 · Brakes · 67,880 miles · NJ

Brake pedal went to the floor upon braking. Had to downshift to low gear and apply what little brake I had left taking approximately 200 feet to stop. Luckily there was no vehicle in front of me or it would have been a rear end collision. Slowly returned home about a mile away and upon further inspection found the hard brake line right front passenger side had burst. No prior warning to loss of brakes.

Filed Jul 6, 2014 · Brakes · 105,000 miles · KY

When applying the brake to shift from park the brake pedal goes to the floor. This happened in july and november 2013, and again about two weeks ago.

Filed Apr 3, 2014 · Brakes · 187,500 miles · IN

When approaching a stop light changing to red, brakes were applied moderately hard and the pedal went to the floor with severely reduced braking resulting in a stopping distance about 1 car length longer than normal. No brake warning light during this incident. I continued another mile to my destination with reduced braking. When the warning light appeared, the leak in a corroded line on top of the frame on the left side of the engine was apparent. I drove the vehicle to a chevrolet dealer about 1 more mile for repairs.

Filed Mar 4, 2014 · Brakes · 62,000 miles · NY

I was driving home around 9:30 pm. As I was going down a hill I stepped on my brakes and the pedal went to the floor. No brakes at all, no saftey features kicked in, no warning lights. Just a catastrophic brake failure. Luckily for me it was a small hill and I was able to stop by going into low gear and using the emergency brake. I turns out that the brakelines from the master cylinder to the ABS control box were rotted and finally gave out. This is a 2002 truck with 62,000 miles on it. I know from previous experience with older cars that if a brake line fails, there is a valve that is supposed to cut off the open line so there is some brakes left. I repeat, no saftey features worked, no warning lights, no valve kicking in,nothing. This is a known issue with gm. A quick search on the web brought up thousands of hits on this problem. Just 20 minutes earlier I was on the nys thruway doing 65 MPH. If I lost brakes at that speed and with the other traffic, there most certainly wood have been a crash and possible loss of life.

Filed Nov 16, 2013 · Brakes · 97,930 miles · VA

1. First incident: 10/14/12. Catastrophic brakeline rupture due to corrosion near rear left tire resulting in complete loss of brakes 2. Second incident: 10/19/13. Catastrophic brakeline rupture due to corrosion on side of frame near driver side door resulting in complete loss of brakes.

Filed Sep 3, 2013 · Brakes · 110,000 miles · FL

10/2009: as I was driving and approaching a red light my brakes went to the floor. Almost going through a busy intersection I was able to maneuver around traffic until I came to a stop. 8/2013: as I was approaching a red light my brakes went to the floor. My brake lines are so badly corroded and rusted as well as my fuel line. Total cost to fix everything is $1500, which with the value of the truck seems absurd to fix, but with the economy I can't afford to trade in and have car payments. I feel that something like this shouldn't be happening multiple times as it is costly and dangerous, I was fortunate to avoid an accident both times. I feel that these lines should have more life to them and shouldn't be so cheap but yet so expensive to fix. Something needs to be done with how "cheaply" vehicles are being made and especially something like this that can cause a fatal accident.

Filed Aug 16, 2013 · Brakes · 195,000 miles · OH

A guy pulled out in front of me and I almost t boned him if he didn't get out of the way, since I didn't get it stopped for another 40 yards past were the accident would have happened. After further inspection the brakeline exploded causing loss of brakepeddle pressure. All of the break lines, especially in the back, are rotted and scaling, and rotor splash guards have rotted away completely. I'm sure gm will point to mileage as a excuse, but there really isn't any rust on or under the except on the brakelines and my none existent splash guards. I drive 600 high way miles a week and expect normal pad/rotor/bearing wear and tear but this is clearly a faulty part.

Filed Feb 16, 2013 · Brakes · 135,000 miles · PA

While coming to a stop the brake pedal went to the floor and no brakes were available. Luckily I was towing atrailer with brakes at the time which stopped the truck preventing a crash. A brief look to determine the cause revealed a failed brake line.

Filed Feb 12, 2013 · Brakes · 61,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet avalanche. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the contact attempted to decelerate but the brake pedal went to the floor. The contact downshifted and applied the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The contact was a certified mechanic and upon inspection, it was noticed that the brake line that leads to the master cylinder had rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 61,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Jan 19, 2013 · Brakes · 200,000 miles · IL

Brake lines severely rusted, causing a burst. Emergency brake failed to engage as it was too badly rusted to work.

Filed Dec 19, 2012 · Brakes · 120,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet avalanche. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH and depressing the brakes, the brakes failed and the pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard. The contact coasted through an intersection before applying the emergency brakes to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where they advised him that the brake lines were rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the brake lines. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The current mileage was approximately 143,000. The VIN was unavailable.