Chevrolet Avalanche brake failure problems

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 Dec 14, 2015 · Brakes · 220,000 miles · OH

Catastrophic brake failure because of four corroded brake lines. All four lines corroded in the bracket holding the lines to the driver side frame rail. I was driving the vehicle and when I attempted to apply the brakes there was initial resistance and then the brake pedal went straight to the floor. I attempted to apply the brakes again but the vehicle would not stop. I had to apply the parking brake to stop.

Filed Nov 9, 2015 · Brakes · 67,869 miles · MD

My son had borrowed the truck and was returning it with his 4 and 5 year old sons in the vehicle. He was in a traffic circle and had to brake to avoid an accident. Immediately afterwards the brake failure warning came on and the truck had no brakes. Fortunately he was only going about 25 MPH and was able to park it on the shoulder and no one was injured. I was able to get it to a local dealer for repair to the tune of $1,952. They diagnosed the problem as a rusted brake line that ruptured and damaged the left caliper. We got no prior warning of the brake failure. In 2012 I also had a sudden brake failure while leaving a parking garage. There was no prior warning or indication that the brakes were not functioning. Again I took it to a local dealer and was told that there was a leak in the master cylinder and I had to have that replaced. No one mentioned anything at that time about rusting brake lines. Although the truck is 11 years old it only has 67,871 miles.

Filed May 16, 2015 · Brakes · 149,904 miles · VA

Catastrophic brake failure when attempting to stop vehicle at 45 miles per hour. Brake peddle went to floor almost causing a major crash. Gmc dealer stated brake lines totally rusted out and ruptured causing total brake failure. Dealer stated brake lines disintegrated in the technicians hands when the tech was removing old lines. I have read similar experiences from other gm owners on the internet. This is a major safety issue which if it has not thus far will result in injury and or death. I am one of the lucky ones who was able to avoid an accident. I am sure this wont be the same outcome for others. Dealer info: ultimate buick gmc 5150 jefferson davis highway fredericksburg va 22408 tel # 540‑898‑6200 service advisor ian doughty ro339073 thanks for any assistance in addressing this safety issue.

Filed May 14, 2015 · Body, Brakes · 91,000 miles · IL · crash

My husband, 3 year old, any myself were driving back from a doctor appointment when we had to make a sudden stop because of a driver 2 cars ahead of us that quickly applied brakes to make a quick right hand turn. The driver in front of us in turn had to apply his breaks on and when my husband applied the brakes on our 2004 chevrolet avalanche there were no brakes!! Our 3 year old was asleep in the backseat!! We hit him of course because we could not stop (going downhill on a busy highway) we ended up having to coast up the hill in the middle of the lane because there was nowhere safe for us to pull off . There were almost several other accidents due to it being a blind spot for drivers coming over the hill both ways and we were stuck there because we had no way to stop ourselves again. So after all that we ended up needing our truck towed and the brake lines are corroded and had busted!! So not only do we have a tow bill now we are responsbile for replacing them! The estimate is $800!!! Thanks gm! We will be selling this one soon! Gm won't do a recall on these after all the complaints and accidents about the brake lines on here? Seriously? We had no clue about any of this until today! The mechanic that is fixing ours today told us he has 2 more that have the exact same issue and have to be replaced on theirs too! I guess it takes people dying or getting seriously injured before the car manufactures have to take responsibility. And what makes it even worse is that the whole brake line replacement is available (for us to purchase) and it's only about $160!! Nice to know the safety of our family, friends, and other motorists aren't worth it to them. Just 2 miles earlier we drove though a school zone!!!!! As the kids were leaving for the day! Thank god they lasted that 2 extra miles and no one was seriously injured or killed.

Filed Feb 28, 2015 · Brakes · 110,000 miles · SC

Vehicle experienced complete brake failure upon slowing for a traffic light. This was compounded by the downhill orientation of the road surface. Left roadway to avoid collision with tractor-trailer. There was no warning or indication of an impending brake failure. No indication that any part of the braking system was still functioning. It was discovered upon inspection that the brake lines were excessively corroded compared with other body and engine components. Metal composition of brake tubing seems very prone to corrosion. Complete brake line replacement of the entire system is now necessary.

Filed Feb 25, 2015 · Brakes · 96,522 miles · OH

The rear brake line burst catastrophically and my brake pedal went to the floor. I was coming up to stopped cars at an intersection and had to swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid rear ending another truck. Luckily there were no cars in the lane at the time. I then had to make a sharp turn into a shopping center parking lot to avoid running through the intersection (which did have traffic). I had zero braking power whatsoever. I tried pushing down the emergency brake and it had no effect ( I later found that the emergency brake lines were frozen in a large chunk of ice near the drivers side rear wheel and would not move). The pickup bed drains down onto the lower frame in this area and that accounted for the ice buildup. I continued through the shopping center parking lot and all I could to was downshift to slow myself down. Lucky again...the parking lot was nearly empty and very long. After about 4-500 ft I was going slow enough that I was able to jam the transmission into park. There was no warning of this failure. The lines were not leaking. I have now read online that gm has had many complaints of rusted lines on their pickups suddenly failing. This could have been a life threatening situation. Brake lines should not suddenly fail. They should last the life of the vehicle. Non-corrosive nickle copper brake lines exist that do not rust. These should be mandatory on all vehicles.

Filed Jan 17, 2015 · Brakes · 99,000 miles · NY · crash

My son was driving home from ice fishing , on a hilly and curvy road when the brakes failed. He had no brakes at all , he avoid a few tree before smashing into a smaller tree just missing were his friend was seated.the truck has been very well taken care of and was in great condition. I had the truck towed to a chevy dealer were it has about $5000 dollars in damage. I just glad my son and his didn't get hurt.

Filed Jan 12, 2015 · Brakes · 120,000 miles · MS

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet avalanche. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle began to decelerate and the brakes failed to engage. The contact stated that the brake rotors overheated and produced steam. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

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.