I replaced my front pads and rotors. Been fine for a week till yesterday I stopped at a light brakes felt slightly spongy, not long after maybe ten minutes three cars ahead of me had stopped as I hit the brake my foot went straight to the floor and I smacked the vehicle in front of me doing appx. 35-40 MPH. It was a four car pileup I took heavy front end damage more or less totaled the vehicle but the airbags had failed to deploy causing me to hit my head on the steering wheel and suffering a concussion. The seatbelt didn't lock as it should have either therefore causing my whiplash to be severe.
GMC Jimmy spongy pedal problems
19 of the 2,668 owner complaints about the GMC Jimmy describe soft or spongy brake pedal, most of them for the 1994 model year.
- owner complaints
- 19
- worst model year
- 1994
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20001
- 19991
- 19971
- 19964
- 19954
- 19944
- 19931
- 19922
- 19911
Often reported together
ABS 8Brake failure 5Pulling 1Seat belt 1Overheating 1Grinding brakes 1
What owners say
2000 gmc jimmy experienced a problem with the front right hub and the wheel speed sensor. *mr the consumer was pulling into a parking space and the brake pedal became stiff and or would not activate. The consumer had run into a brick wall and bounced into traffic. The check ABS system light had immediately illuminated. The consumer was then able to apply the brakes and backed into a parking space. The left front hub was replaced days before the consumer purchased the vehicle. The vehicle was also losing coolant. The consumer was informed that no coolant was in the vehicle. *sc
Soft brake pedal on 1996 jimmy VIN [xxx]. Has been an on going problem since 1999 when we inherited the vehicle. There was a recall on the anti-lock brake system . I've had that done . Changed front rotors and pads also LED brakes changed out fluid etc. Pedal still soft. Can't even get my toe under pedal when pushed to the floor. The city I work for has 1997 blazer that is the same way. I'm a police officer. Most vehicles that I drive including cruisers have better take up then these 2 vehicles. My jimmy is paid for but if I can't find a resolution or new idea on what to do I'm going to sell it. The dealerships and engineers I've talked to said that those particular years had a lot of brake pedal travel before take up. Thanks for your time. I'm out of ideas any suggestions would be great. *la information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Vehicle runs rough, brake pedal is hard, and engine shuts off. Egr valve has been replaced three times. *ak
Very poor brakes, pedal spongy and has been since 20000 miles or less. Dealer contacted company and no response other than some spongy knees is normal. Been living with miserable brakes until recent nearly disasterous accident because the brakes went to floor with no real affect. Able to push brake to floor easily with constant light pressure. Dealer says that now to fix will be expensve even though the vehicle always had lousy brakes.
Driving 65mph & started to slow down, and brakes to faded away. Abs failed. Did not hit anything. Brakes were spongy. Taken to dealer & module assembly, pressure modulator pump & meter assembly was replaced. Problem resolved at firestone retailer.
When applying brakes while going over railroad tracks vehicle would shimmy & make grinding noises. Brake pads would be spongy & would be wearing out excessively. Brake rotors have been resurfaced service times. Entire brake system was replaced at least 8 different times & now needs to be replaced again. Abs braking system are kelsey hayes.
I was pulling into my driveway, when the engine started running eratically. When I started to slow down I noticed the brake pedal was hard and it was very difficult to stop. Fortunetly I was going slow or I would have literally gone through my garage. I was able to get the car to a mechanic who replaced the egr valve.
When applying brakes brake pedal stiffens. Then, goes down about an inch and the vehicle does not stop. Vehicle has been involved in several collisions. Dealer has not seen vehicle.
While driving at 40 MPH applied the brakes, and the brake pedal was hard and the ABS system locked up.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: s -trucks equipped with 2 wheel drive. These vehicles may have had the right-hand antilock brake system (ABS) module feed pipe and/or brake crossover pipe tube nuts tightened without seating the pipe-flared-ends enough to withstand normal assembly and vehicle inputs without partially unseating. This does not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic service brake normal, emergency, and park braking performance."
- Risk
- If this occurred, the seating seal could be broken during vehicle assembly, or from early road inputs or brake fluid cycling, and a leak could occur increasing the brake stopping distance.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the brake pipe union for signs of brake fluid, and if necessary, install a new brake pipe union.
Recall number 99V220000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain 4-wheel drive pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with ABS (antilock braking system) manufactured from september 1989 through august 1996. Under certain driving conditions the switch which signals the ABS system whether the vehicle is in 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive can malfunction causing increased stopping distances during ABS stops while in the two-wheel drive mode.
- Risk
- If this occurred at a time when minimum stopping distance was required, a vehicle crash could occur without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace or repair the 4-wheel/2-wheel drive switch.
Recall number 99V193000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. A fatigue fracture of the rear axle right-hand brake pipe can occur causing a slow brake fluid leak resulting in a soft brake pedal. If the brake pipe breaks, the driver would experience a sudden drop in the brake pedal, the instrument panel brake light would illuminate, and there would be a loss of rear brake performance.
- Risk
- Partial loss of braking at a time when minimum stopping distance was required could result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pipe.
Recall number 97V218000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- The brake pedal pivot bolt was started in the weld nut, but was not torqued correctly causing the bolt to disengage from the weld nut.
- Risk
- This condition can result in a total loss of brakingcapability.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for hand-started brake pedal bolts and torque them to correct specifications.
Recall number 94V242000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Jimmy spongy pedal
Which GMC Jimmy years have soft or spongy brake pedal problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1994 (4 complaints), 1995 (4 complaints) and 1996 (4 complaints).
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