Abs light , brake light and parking brake light went on. Also saying check brake system soon came on. Went to dealer 10/15/2014 and was told need two computers for ABS. About 1500.00 but can't do it because the brake lines are rusty and may break. If they were to break about a 4500.00 repair bill. Was told ok to drive and the ABS would just disable itself. Brake lines used to be made of stainless steel. Has almost 119,000 miles. Also was told maybe time for a new vehicle. I bought new and have had numerous repairs done and maint on it.
2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 38 of 38, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard as a result the brakes did not respond. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 91,000.
Complete failure of brakes while driving, coasted to stop with assistance of parking brake. Upon inspection it was found that all brake lines are severely rusted to a failure point, the one line that failed was for the rear brakes from the block device under the drivers side inner frame rail (ABS unit or booster) for a very well kept family vehicle with low miles and no substantial rust anywhere else but the brake lines, and this one area that gets constant road spray directly at the lines and block/booster/ABS on the inner frame drivers side. This was a shock to find, and now after looking online that the federal safety agency has the longest open case with chevy for 99-02 and seems like it will spread to 07 something needs to be done for public safety. This suburban weighs like 6000 pounds, a tank, and will crush anything in its way if the brakes do not work. I have had several other makes/models of cars & trucks and the only time I have ever needed to replace a brake line was on my old 1984 dodge ram pickup I plow snow with all the time and it was 25yrs old at that time not 10yrs old like the chevy. We need immediate action to ensure the safety of all of the thousands with this same issue on chevy trucks/SUV's. Purchased new in manchester ct for over $36,000 in april 2004.. I do not have the $1000+ on hand to have this repair completed at this time with 2 children in college and 2 more soon to be.
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.
Severe brake line corrosion under vehicle.
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.
I turned on my engine with my kids in the car and put the SUV in reverse. The car immediately started to move even with my front on the brake while putting it in reverse and I tried to press the brake and it went straight down to the floor. I put the car back in park and this stopped the vehicle. Had I been on the road I would have crashed. There was no warning about brake fluid being low and the car had been driven the night before at 8:30 pm. My husband looked near the driver side rear tire and saw the brake line dripping all the brake fluid out on the driveway all rusted. Why wasn't this made with stainless steel? This is a car for families which means more than likely it will have a child in the car when it is being driven. This needs to be recalled and fixed.
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.
My 16 year old daughter was behind the wheel; in line at drive-through. The brake pedal went to the floor and the brake light came on in the dash board as the vehicle began drifting forward. The message center in the dash displayed "service brake system." luckily she was able to maneuver into a parking space without incident. The brake lines have failed - rusted through. It is unconscionable to produce a vehicle that sells for over $45,000.00 that won't even last 10 years...especially when such a failure is likely to have catastophic consequences. We were very lucky that no one was seriously hurt due to this premature failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 1500. The contact was driving approximately 45 MPH and depressed the brake pedal but the brakes would not respond. The contact applied excessive pressure to the brake pedal before the vehicle responded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic advised that the hydro boost would have to be replaced because brake fluid and power steering fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v043000 (service brakes, hydraulic) but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the brakes, the pedal went straight to the floor board. The contact immediately put his emergency brakes on to avoid a crash. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was approximately 106,000. ..updated 03/18/13 *bf the consumer stated the vehicle was inspected by a dealer before and after the incident. The vehicle was repaired. The consumer has pictures and old parts. Updated 04/02/2013
Driving on small residential street. As I approached a stop sign I applied brakes and pedal went to the floor and I steered into the curb to stop vehicle. When I stopped shaking I called my husband and he came with a friend who is a mechanic. When they raised the hood they saw brake fluid everywhere. When we got the car home and inspected it further the mechanic was horrified to see that everything under there was corroded and rusted. Including bushings gas lines, nuts and bolts etc. He claimed he had never seen anything like it in his life. This is the third suburban I have owned and I am very upset that this would happen. I was all set to have my 20 yr old son take this up to school so he could move out of his dorm. He could have been seriously hurt if this had happened on the new jersey turnpike.
The steel brake line failed on the drivers side below the door.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 1500. The contact stated that the brake lines fractured while the brakes were applied on the highway. The manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs of the failure. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 84,905 and the current mileage was 85,049. Updated 5/7/12 *cn the consumer stated her husband discovered the front brake line had ruptured. There was a hole in the brake line in the engine compartment near the driver's side front wheel and the brake line was severely corroded. Updated 05/25/12
I was traveling north on rt.1 in delaware I seen a car rolled over on its side and off the road I applied my brakes hard to stop and help that is when my brakes failed. After checking on the driver I limped my truck to the nearest gas station and discovers my brake line had rotted out under my truck by the front wheel. The clips that secure the brake line to the frame seem to be the problem.
Steel brake lines on vehicle are severely corroded with obvious section loss. Based upon my experience with a similar vehicle, a line failure due to rupture is imminent and all lines need to be replaced. This will be neither an easy nor an inexpensive task. Adding insult to injury is that gm does not offer replacement line sets; it's roll your own or buy an (incomplete) aftermarket set (no one offers complete set for jl4 rear brake arrangement). This really is ridiculous given the cost, age, mileage and otherwise excellent condition of the vehicle.
Failure of brake line and loss of fluid with no warning light until pedal went all the way to the floor. Mechanic has reported severe corrosion of the brake line, calipers, spare tire assembly and no access to the brake line area above the spare tire without cutting the spare tire holder assembly out. Estimate is over $1000 to repair. Brake failure without a warning - very scary.
Backing up snowmobile trailer when brake pedal went to floor. Large puddle underneath truck right below where the 4 brake lines exit the ABS and go over the frame rail.
My 2004 suburban is extremely well cared for. The vehicle has only 51,000 miles and is kept in perfect running and physical condition. On 10/8/2011 I was performing an extensive visual check of the brake line on the vehicle after reading of some issues with similar vehicle. Upon inspection, I saw that the braking systems hydraulic lines are severely corroded in multiple areas. These lines must be replaced to avoid catastrophic failure. On a vehicle of this age and limited mileage this is highly worrisome. I have multiple other vehicles of considerably greater mileage and of older vintage that have not had this corrosion issue. I mention them because they have spent their entire service life, to date, in the same weather/driving conditions. There is no question that the materials used for these brake lines are of an inferior material. A recall is absolutely in order as this is an expensive and time consuming repair that is the result of poor quality parts.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 1500. While driving approximately 35 MPH the contact depressed the brake pedal and the it fell to the floor board. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technicians stated the brake line failed due to an environmental climate damage. The brake line was replaced with stainless steel brake lines. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,920. Updated 08/05/11*lj updated 3/02/2012
My wife owns two gm suburbans, 2002 and 2004. Both experienced brake failure due to rotting brake lines within a week of each other. I have paid over $2,000.00 to have them both repaired. The 2002 failure sent me out into the street in front of my home unable to stop. The second failure of the 2004 occurred while on a cross country trip with most of my family in the car. This is the one that spurs my efforts to complain. I could lose it when considering what could have happened to my family due to these failures on two very expensive cars which I would never have expected to fail like this. I would like very much not to have this happen to anyone else and if I can get a refund for the costly repair that would be great. I have preserved the rotted brake lines. Please let me know if you need any further information.
Slowing down coming to stop about 7to 4 MPH the ABS sensors tells the ABS pump to turn on making a growling noise this is the same problem the older models had there fix was to bring them in to a dealer and pull and clean the ABS sensors or replace if found bad . I took mine in for an ABS sensor light on and they told me that the right sensor was bad but the left needed to be pulled and cleaned but they said if the went to pull it and it broke I would have to pay the cost of the replacement sensor instead of the cleaning cost which is about $250.00 to replace part and labor this was in dec 2009.
The top nut which holds the right rear brake caliber bracket came out on my vehicle. The result caused my vehicle to abruptly stop severely jerking the passengers in the truck. The bracket also punctured several cracks to the inside of my rim causing my tire to deflate. I have never had the caliper nuts removed on my vehicle. The only thing I can think of is the nut must have vibrated loose. The lower nut was loose as well. The loose lower nut was discovered after removing the wheel to repair the deflated tire. The incident occurred on sunday, october 19, 2008 at 1:30 am. My vehicle was towed home for repair. A new rim and brake caliper nut had to be purchased to repair my vehicle.
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