The vehicle was idle for about 4 months. I took it to a carwash to clean the dust off. Upon returning (abt a 2 mile trip) the brakes failed and steam was coming out from under the hood. I opened the hood and brake fluid was sprayed all over the driver's side of the engine and wheel well. A brake line had rusted through and burst. Fortunately, I made it home carefully because I had noticed the brakes were soft.
2005 Chevrolet Suburban: brake failure
8 of the 129 complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 101,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 27 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Brakes gave out suddenly without warning.chevy dealer said lines are rusted and need replace at cost of $1600.also just replaced steering gear box pitman arm and idler arm and wheel bearing hub at a cost of $2300 because your nuts on the steering assembly have a tendency to come off.
We bought our chevy suburban in may of 2014, 73,000 miles, garage kept vehicle. The suburban is in beautiful shape, engine compartment shows very little signs of rust or corrosion, same goes for the underside of the vehicle, very clean. This past weekend while traveling down a large hill, my wife had our two boys with her in the vehicle ages 5 and 7 when all of a sudden the brakes gave out completely, no braking power at all. If it wasn't for the emergency brake they would have been seriously hurt or worse. Upon inspection of the vehicle we found that the brake lines are completely rotted, the only part on the vehicle that looks like this. We know who owned the vehicle before us, one owner, and she did not drive this vehicle very often in winter weather. She works for a school district and has off when it snows. She also had an older car that she drove when the weather and roads were bad. These brake lines are faulty. There is no way these brake lines should look like this after 9 years on the road. My neighbor has a 2005 yukon and has the same problem. My friend [xxx] has a 2003 gmc pickup, same problem, he almost crashed into a lake when his brake lines failed. Something needs to be done about this and fast as people are going to get killed. I have pictures I can share with anyone who wants to see them. You can also contact me at any time. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I noticed a gasoline leak in my driveway coming from under from under the 2005 suburban. The leak was almost in the center of the vehicle. I drove the vehicle to the dealership to get the gasoline leak repaired. I was billed $2,230 to repair the gasoline leak. I was given the following description on the invoice. "tested for fuel leak found sending unit & all fuel lines leaking ...". I was told that the entire fuel line system had to be replaced due to corrosion on the underside of the vehicle. I googled the corrosion problem for chevrolet suburban's and read several instances of brakes failing on gm vehicles due to corrosion. The brake failures that I read about were the result of corroded brake lines. To me the corrosion problem is a very serious safety issue, especially when you combine the fuel lines and brake lines into the problem. I asked the service tech about how long the new fuel lines would last. He told me about six or seven years. I asked if they used stainless steel fuel lines, and was told "no". Since this appears to be a design flaw, I feel that general motors should put out a notice to their customers, or at the very least help with the cost of the repairs. How can I let my family, or anyone else, ride in my 2005 suburban with only 125,000 miles and a corrosion problem? While driving all I would be thinking about is that the brakes could fail at any moment, or something would fall off the vehicle due to the corrosion problem. It's time for general motors to step up and take responsibility for the corrosion problem.
Brake lines have corroded and yesterday one of the lines below the driver's side door ruptured resulting in a complete loss of braking.
Total brake failure due to steel line corrosion or rust.
Loss of brakes due to sudden loss of brake fluid from rusted main line off of master cylinder.
2001 chevrolet suburban k-1500 4wd; was driving at low speed ~10-15 MPH and applied brakes hard with sudden and unexpecte loss of brakes resulting in mva and damage to three vehicles, including my own
Service bulletins that may apply
- Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- This preliminary information communication advises the technician that the hydro-boost is not serviceable...
- This informational bulletin provides technicians with a brake lathe calibration procedure.
- This informational bulletin is to inform dealers of an improved service strategy to aid in the replacement...
- Chevrolet/gmc/cadillac: anytime hydraulic brake pipes assembly need replacing, pre-formed and pre-flared...
- Pre-Formed and Pre-Flared Hydraulic Brake Pipe Kits Now Available for Service
- Service brakes, hydraulic
- This informational bulletin provides information on brake line kits now available and how to service them...
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles, the brake pedal pushrod retainer may be missing. If the retainer is missing, the brake booster pushrod could disengage from the brake pedal.
- Risk
- This could result in a loss of brakes which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the vehicles for the brake pedal pushrod retainer and install one if it is missing free of charge. The manufacturer began contacting owners by telephone on march 10, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 05V103000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator may crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
- Risk
- If a separation occurred and the hood of the vehicle were open, fragments from the accumulator could cause injury to people in the immediate area. The presence of this crack or fractured surface could allow the hydraulic fluid to leak from the accumulator circuit of the booster assembly. The loss of fluid would cause increased steering and braking effort and a crash may occur without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge. The recall began on march 23, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc trucks at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493.
Recall number 05V043000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban?
8 of 129 owner complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban (6%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 1994.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban?
There are 2 recalls and 27 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban
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