The brake fluid lines rusted at the area under the driver side wheel, causing the fluid to leak unexpectedly, thus rendering no brakes. The leak happened on my vehicle and another in this same area. The mechanic said there could be is a problem in the manufacturing of the lines due to the construction and because its too close to the wheel salt and road conditions causes this area to rust more easily. He's had a number of chevy sub. With this same problem in for repair/replacement.
2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500: brake failure
17 of the 182 complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 105,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 1 service bulletin covers this area of the car. See below
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Steel brake lines: directly under drivers feet beneath vehicle is cluster of four brake lines held in place by a plastic bracket.these brake lines are hidden by a large corrugated black wiring harness. All four lines are extremely corroded at bracket and at least one of them failed completely and instantaneously. Unlike gm reports that it's a dual brake system and vehicle will retain braking capabilities in our case this is false . Word needs to go out about these vehicles but preferably a recall. My 15 year old newly issued permit holder was at the wheel and we were one left turn from descending a 200 foot tall 6% grade hill with a busy intersection and stop light at the bottom. Also living in minnesota knowing classic car owners with original steel brake lines with no issues I'm LED to believe design is a contributing factor in these brake failure issues. Thank you for your time.
Brakes failed under hard stop (highway, in motion). Intermediate steel brake line failed to rear brakes in a mode of rupture due to corrosion. All other steel lines were corroded and contacted gm. 2 other silverado line vehicles owned also failed this year due to corrosion. Gm response was that no recall existed. Replaced all steel brake lines in vehicle with stainless aftermarket lines. After multiple contacts with gm customer service, I was told to save my receipts for repairs. This is an incorrect material specification, latent defect and gm needs to be held accountable. Saved brake lines from this vehicle for any potential use. 3 vehicles that I own with the same repair in 8 months. Inexcusable!
I took the vehicle to local chevrolet dealer for oil change and yearly state inspection. The vehicle passed the state inspection/emissions control test. I was not notified that there were any issues concerning the vehicle. The vehicle was driven 5 miles to home. Two days, started the car, but had no brakes. The brake pedal went to the floor. A warning light was on. There were puddles of brake fluid in the driveway. I had the vehicle towed back to the dealer. They informed me that te brakeline had completely corroded. The cost for repair was quoted at $800. From what I understand, this sudden and complete brake failure could have occurred at any time, even while driving the vehicle.
I was two blocks from home when I applied brakes as I approached a curve. Brake pedal went to the floor boards. Using low gear and parking brake I managed to get the suburban home with no incident. Brake lines front to back were replaced by service center. Cause ,rust thru.
Driving down highway coming to red light depressed brake pedal, pedal went all the way to the floor. Could not stop vehicle before going through red light, held down vehicle horn to warn other drivers which saved me from injuring/killing someone else or myself. After getting vehicle on shoulder of road noticed brake fluid dripping down the frame rail on the drivers side in front of rear tire.
On 8/30/14 I was driving down the road going about 25 MPH when a car came out from a street on the left side and pulled in front of me without looking, I pressed down on the brakes quick and swerved to the right to avoid hitting him, he had no idea as I was swerving out of the way to not hit him, he was making his turn, I got on the horn and he just pulled over to the right and gave me a wave as to say he was sorry. Anyway, when I pressed down on the brake fast, it went all the way to the floor, I had total brake failure, all the brake fluid leaked out from the driver's side near the chassis, there was no stopping this truck. I don't see how they can say you are still able to use the brakes, you can't pump them. It is now sitting at the mechanics getting fixed, so far he told me it would be $600-$800 labor, I have not gotten back the truck yet as I write this. The brake lines were so rotted, it was only a matter of time, and I only bought this 9/17/13, the truck originally came from pennsylvania.
The master cylinder and brake line caused a complete brake failure. All the brake lines are severely rusted, compromised, and all must be replaced. Fortunately the failure happened in a restaurant drive through. Moments before pulling into the drive through, I was driving my daughter on a busy roadway with a 50 MPH speed limit. I do not feel brake lines should be made of materials that can corrode and fail without any warning whatsoever. The truck is very well maintained. With non-corrosive metals available for brake tubing it is inexcusable from a safety perspective. The government needs to address this to prevent clearly foreseeable injuries and deaths.
The brake line under the driver's door ruptured and caused a complete brake failure. All the brake lines are severely rusted, compromised, and all must be replaced. Fortunately the failure happened in parking lot and my son was able to get the car home without having an accident but that was merely fortuitous. There is absolutely no reason that permanent brake lines should fail. The truck is used very infrequently and is well maintained. Had I or a member of my family been driving on the interstate someone most likely would have been severely injured or killed. I am 60 years old and have owned cars since I was 17 and I have never experienced a brake hard line rupture. With the non-corrosive metals available for brake tubing it is inexcusable from a safety perspective. The government needs to take action against gm to prevent clearly foreseeable injuries and deaths.
Brakes failed while driving....noticed slight brake pedal loss , then total failure within minutes...mechanic said that the brake lines failed because they were corroded and would all have to be replaced..thank you for looking into this and all other brake line failures of any gmc made vehicles.
Complete brake failure without any warning. Another brake line completely corroded ad inoperable. Had same issue on another brake line 6-months earlier. No replacement parts available to connect to remaining lies. The vehicle had been running errands picking up and dropping off children when failure occurred.
2 separate incidents of brake failure with corroded brake lines of 2004 chevy suburban with under 100k miles. First was in january 2013, complete lose of brakes while driving in parking lot. Taken to repair shop and needed complete replacement of corroded front brake lines, calipers etc. At the time, we had the rear brake lines inspected and repair shop stated they seamed ok. Second incident happened on august 24, 2013. Traveling on I-495 in massachusetts (while pulling a boat trailer) and applied brakes to slow for traffic ahead and brake pedal immediately went soft and almost completely to the floor and then brake warning light came on. I had to swerve into breakdown lane to avoid slowed traffic ahead as only front brakes were working.(along with trailer brakes) and car could not slow enough to stop. After nearly casing a major accident, was able to get off the exit and drive to nearest sears repair shop (1/4 mile down the road). After brake inspection, completely corroded back brake lines and calipers needed to be replaced.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
17 of 182 owner complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 (9%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
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