This van belongs to my mother. My sister was driving the day of the accident. She is 60 yrs of age and a very good driver. Her description: "just pulling away from one light & coming up to another. Wasn't going more than 20 MPH. Step on the brakes & they weren't there." the accident caused about $500 in damage to the honda auto that was struck, and similar light damage to the bumper of the safari. I inspected system and found no leaks, and concluded that master cylinder may be failing, so I replaced it. After that repair, had excellent pedal. I borrowed the van a few days later, and while driving it, I experienced the same no brake condition 3 times, once which left the front end out into an intersection (luckily, no collision). I recognized that the anti-lock braking system was erroneously keeping the front brakes from applying, and that was what caused the no brake condition. A gm mechanic advised me to pull the ABS fuse. I did so, and now the van has great brakes, every time. I have done the same to another family vehicle also equipped with this dangerous system; I'm not waiting until it causes another accident. This condition screams for your attention. No one was hurt by this particular failure incident (except financially), but it is just a matter of time before someone ends up gliding into a busy intersection, or over a crosswalk, and does cause a death or two. Please have all these dangerous ABS vehicles recalled, and have these safety features-turned-safety hazards defeated, before someone does become a victim.
GMC Safari abs comes on
127 of the 1,091 owner complaints about the GMC Safari describe aBS light or ABS activating, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 127
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical repair cost reported
- $930
- typical mileage
- 70,000
By model year
Often reported together
Brake failure 21Grinding brakes 4Pulling 2No deployment 2Stalling 1Slipping 1
What owners say
After running errands, vehicle would not restart. Brake & ABS indicator lit. Wait 15- 30 minutes and vehicle may restart. Independent research found that this is a well known problem. Noted: passlock/passkey security system intermittent failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc safari awd. The contact was driving approximately 3-5 MPH and coming to a stop when the ABS activated abnormally and caused the brakes to pulsate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised the contact that the hubs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. Updated 03/23/12 *bf updated 04/09/12
At slow speeds the ABS activates and the vehicle is hard to stop. The sierra van uses the same components as the trucks that were recalled by 05v379000 on 8/3/05. The problem is the same with dirty speed sensors.
Tl*the contact owns a 1991 gmc safari. The contact noticed that the ABS warning indicator consistently illuminates on the instrument panel. Secondly, when applying pressure to the brake pedal, the vehicle skids. He is in the process of notifying a dealer in reference to the failures. The failure mileage was 174,000 and current mileage was 175,000. Updated 04-23-09 *bf updated 04/24/09.
Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 5 MPH, the vehicle's ABS sensor unit failed on three separate occasions. The service dealer replaced the ABS sensor unit three times, but the problem persisted.
2000 gmc safari ABS system - at low stopping speed ABS activates for no reason and increases stopping distance. Only 26,000 miles on vehicle. Had several near miss crashes in parking lots. Most likely due to corroded ABS wheel sensors. No brake light, ABS warning lights or fault codes appearing.
Dt*: the contact stated the ABS system activates at any speed. There is no significant difference in the brake pedal when depressed. There is an the federal safety agency recall, # 05v379000, regarding the service brakes; hydraulic antilock. The VIN was not included in the recall.
Dt*: the contact stated while applying brake pressure at low speeds of 5-10 MPH the ABS activates and there is decreased braking power and the pedal pulsates. There was an accident relating to this. While parking the vehicle, when applying the brakes, the vehicle rolled off of the parking area and down the hill and hit a tree. There was property damage. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership and is awaiting inspection. In 2003 with 75,000 miles, the vehicle had the same decreased braking power. At that time, the dealership replaced two front ABS wheel speed sensors.
Corrosion has built up on the ABS sensors causing them to activate at low speeds. When this happens the brakes don't lock up and at low speeds (less than 4 MPH) that means the vehicle takes an extra few feet to stop. On one occasion I almost hit a person and two other times a parked car in a parking lot because the car didn't stop. The problem is intermittent so the dealer could not duplicate the problem and therefore can't fix it. There is a gm recall (#05068) for other like models of gm cars but not mine. So my problem is the dealer can't fix it without a recall and gm won't issue a recall because there hasn't been enough complaints.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: rotor
- What is wrong
- Severe corrosion due to road salt at the joint of the stamped steel center section and the cast outer section can cause the sections to separate.
- Risk
- Separation of the rotor sections can cause loss ofbraking ability in the affected wheel. This could result in increased stoppingdistance and/or loss of vehicle control and an accident.
- Remedy
- Replace the front brake rotors with new rotors with a corrosion protection coating. However, if replacement of brake linings are necessary, it will be done at owner's expense since brake linings are normal maintenance items.
Recall number 93V119000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Safari abs
Why does the abs come on in the GMC Safari?
Owners who report it most often also describe brake failure, grinding or squealing brakes and jerking or lurching.
Which GMC Safari years have aBS light or ABS activating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (24 complaints), 1993 (17 complaints) and 1992 (15 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ABS light or ABS activating on the GMC Safari?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $930 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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