I had a near death accidents (twice) due to catastrophic brake line failure from severely rusted brake lines the front left and the intermediate line from front to rear section on top of frame rail. First incident was at speed of 45 MPH on highway with hard stop required to avoid stopped traffic ahead. Second failure was more insidious with progressive brake line rust through/ leak spot to rear brake lines with fin through and failure. This is not complicated ... Simply substandard materials for one of the most critical components in a vehicle. It should not matter what conditions are (ie salt, cold, etc; design and materials should be mandated for brake lines not to rust through. There are materials which could be used to accomplish this, particularly for northern regions with salt on roads. The entire brke line system is on this vehilcle (and others) is an unnecessary and avoidable public safety hazard. Surely there have been deaths resulting from failure, I was lucky and had to maneuver stright through between 2 stopped vehicles as I had no other option with no brakes. Also, all vehicles should be required to have handle operated parking/emergency brake levers , as the foot operated one in this vehicle was useless, but a pull type, hand operated brake handle would have been readily accessible and likely prevented near death incident.
GMC Sonoma brake failure problems
107 of the 1,344 owner complaints about the GMC Sonoma describe brake failure, most of them for the 1994 model year.
- owner complaints
- 107
- worst model year
- 1994
- typical mileage
- 75,000
By model year
Often reported together
Trouble codes mentioned
C0265 1
What owners say
While driving the truck the brakes failed, pedal going to the floor. Took the truck to a repair shop and they stated that all the brake lines were rusted through, and more importantly, where the leaf springs attached to the underside of the car was completely rusted and the truck was unsafe to drive. The shop could not repair the car, and knew no one locally who could repair the car. There have been numerous rust issues with the truck over the years as follows: spare tire mounting rusted through and the spare tire flew off the truck in traffic; the fuel line had to be replaced twice due to rust; and the rear brakes rusted and had to be replaced three times.
While braking for a yield intersection on 3/30/2012, approx. 10am, in dry and clear conditions, brakes on 2002 gmc sonoma failed. Vehicle would not stop despite hard pressure on the brake pedal and ran through intersection almost colliding with another vehicle. When managed to get vehicle stopped and pulled to side of road, both the ABS and brake failure warning lights were illuminated on the dash. Upon turning the ignition off and restarting, both the ABS and brake failure warning lights cleared and were no longer illuminated. Check engine light never illuminated. Took vehicle to both independent mechanic and gm dealership mechanic and both confirmed an odb ii trouble code of c0265 had been generated. This code, I was told, indicates failure of the ebcm (electronic brake control module) of the ABS system. Apparently, this problem is well-known to gm and it has issued several technical service bulletins on the problem, but no recalls. Independent mechanic could not replace the ebcm as lacked the proprietary gm software needed to program it. Gm dealership mechanic--while confirming generation of the c0265 trouble code--refused to replace the ebcm instead saying I should "just drive it around and see if the problem happens again." this seemed a very dismissive approach by gm to a known problem on certain of their ABS vehicles as the first brake failure on 3/20/2012 almost caused a wreck. Not anxious to find out what the second failure the gm dealer wants me to "wait for" would result in.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sonoma. The contact noticed that the brake lines were corroded while inspecting the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The contact had not experienced brake failure, but was concerned it could suddenly occur. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
In april 2006, a brake line on my 1998 gmc sonoma pickup broke when I applied the brakes at approx 50 MPH. I had to stop rather quickly due to traffic backing up on an interstate highway. When the brake line burst, my brake pedal went to the floor and I had no brakes. Prior to this happening, the brakes were working fine. Fortunately, I was able to swerve into another lane and downshift (std shift) to avoid an accident. My mechanic replaced the broken line (from hydraulic ABS to junction) and also the rear brake pads and rotors. The truck had 107,000 miles on it when this occurred. I decided to report this because I am concerned that it might happen to others, resulting in a serious accident.
On dec.24, 2004 I was driving my 1997 gmc sonoma with 31000 miles on the odometer when I experienced total brake failure without any warning. The truck has ABS brakes. I was able to stop the truck without out an accident but only by sheer luck.
When parking brake pedal went to the floor, causing extended stopping distance. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
While driving and without warning the brakes failed and caused an accident.
Rear brake rotors disintegrated after 22,000 miles. Had to be turned and pads replaced. Front rotors replaced at 32,000 miles same condition. Master cylinder failed and needed to be replaced at 32,800 miles. Pedal went to the floor and nearly went in front of a semi. Pedal can be pumped up but gradually goes to floor.
Anti-lock light goes on & brakes go to the floor had it in to the dealer was told nothing was wrong, took it home light came on again & no brakes, twice I almost killed myself. Took it back to dealer they then found the problem, I was told it was hub bearing worn & rubbing on the anti-lock sensor. I do not think that should make my brakes go to the floor. My brakes were in excellent condition. There were no signs of noise or wear on the hub bearings.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.
- Risk
- The base brakes would remain fully functional, but the dynamic rear proportioning (drp) system, which optimizes front to rear brake balance, would become inoperative.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.
Recall number 00V055000 · Recall details
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: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty passenger pickup trucks equipped with 4.3l engines. The front brake line can contact the left-hand side of the engine oil pan causing the brake line to wear to the point of brake fluid loss during brake application.
- Risk
- Brake fluid loss can reduce braking effectiveness and increase stopping distances resulting in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the clearance between the oil pan and the brake line. If the clearance is 6mm or less, dealers will install an additional brake line clip and if there was contact between the oil pan and brake line, the front brake line will be replaced.
Recall number 97V146001 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Sonoma brake failure
Which GMC Sonoma years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1994 (32 complaints), 1995 (26 complaints) and 1996 (13 complaints).
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