Two problems related to brake drum have been reported for the 1997 Chevrolet Astro. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My wife and daughter were in the vehicle. My wife was driving. Suddenly, the accelerator stuck in an open position. Close to home and uncertain what to do, my wife was able to get in our driveway at home. The new rear brakes installed a week before were ruined. I had mechanic replace them and a rear brake cylinder also. The stress apparently caused the cylinder to start leaking. My mechanic also investigated the throttle problem. A factory wiring harness strap had broken and flipped around into the throttle linkage. Fortunately, no one was injured. We live in a rural area and traffic was not very heavy. My engine on the other hand is not so fortunate. It seems that it ran at too high an rpm for too long. It has developed a severe engine knock. Gm does not seem very interested in hearing about my safety concerns and appeal for repair compensation.
I've gone thru 4 sets of brakes - front & rear. They are only lasting 6-8 months- told rear are expiercing high heat & cracking.