Three problems related to brake master cylinder have been reported for the 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My son had borrowed the truck and was returning it with his 4 and 5 year old sons in the vehicle. He was in a traffic circle and had to brake to avoid an accident. Immediately afterwards the brake failure warning came on and the truck had no brakes. Fortunately he was only going about 25 mph and was able to park it on the shoulder and no one was injured. I was able to get it to a local dealer for repair to the tune of $1,952. They diagnosed the problem as a rusted brake line that ruptured and damaged the left caliper. We got no prior warning of the brake failure. In 2012 I also had a sudden brake failure while leaving a parking garage. There was no prior warning or indication that the brakes were not functioning. Again I took it to a local dealer and was told that there was a leak in the master cylinder and I had to have that replaced. No one mentioned anything at that time about rusting brake lines. Although the truck is 11 years old it only has 67,871 miles.
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) brake failure Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 VIN [xxx] , model year 2004 due to corrosion as described by grossman Chevrolet service manager brent turchi ( rotted and leaking brake line ) - owner [xxx] brake pedal went all the way to the floor - mr. Turchi advised that brake line from master cylinder to abs module rotted and leaking - event happened at under 50,000 miles since line is bundled with all other front lines it was necessary to replace 2 lines from master to bas, line from front abs to left front and from abs to right front , bleed and replace fluid $608. 28 charge.
: the contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, a braking situation occured, and extra effort was needed to stop the vehicle. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic shop, where the mechanic stated that the master cylinder is at fault. There were no repairs made. There is a NHTSA recall # 04v045000. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.