Brake Hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings Problems of Chevrolet Avalanche - part 2

Towing a small landscape trailer, pushed brakes, pedal goes low. Got home, entire frame on drivers side soaked with brake fluid. Had my 2 girls in the car. Not happy. I have never had a car have the brake line rust out before.

See all problems of the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 🔎.

My husband, 3 year old, any myself were driving back from a doctor appointment when we had to make a sudden stop because of a driver 2 cars ahead of us that quickly applied brakes to make a quick right hand turn. The driver in front of us in turn had to apply his breaks on and when my husband applied the brakes on our 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche there were no brakes!! our 3 year old was asleep in the backseat!! we hit him of course because we could not stop (going downhill on a busy highway) we ended up having to coast up the hill in the middle of the lane because there was nowhere safe for us to pull off . There were almost several other accidents due to it being a blind spot for drivers coming over the hill both ways and we were stuck there because we had no way to stop ourselves again. So after all that we ended up needing our truck towed and the brake lines are corroded and had busted!! so not only do we have a tow bill now we are responsbile for replacing them! the estimate is $800!!! thanks gm! we will be selling this one soon! gm won't do a recall on these after all the complaints and accidents about the brake lines on here? seriously? we had no clue about any of this until today! the mechanic that is fixing ours today told us he has 2 more that have the exact same issue and have to be replaced on theirs too! I guess it takes people dying or getting seriously injured before the car manufactures have to take responsibility. And what makes it even worse is that the whole brake line replacement is available (for us to purchase) and it's only about $160!! nice to know the safety of our family, friends, and other motorists aren't worth it to them. Just 2 miles earlier we drove though a school zone!!!!! as the kids were leaving for the day! thank god they lasted that 2 extra miles and no one was seriously injured or killed.

See all problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 🔎.

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche. While driving approximately 25 mph and coming to a stop, the brake line detached from the vehicle. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 152,000.

See all problems of the 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche 🔎.

Catastrophic brake failure when attempting to stop vehicle at 45 miles per hour. Brake peddle went to floor almost causing a major crash. GMC dealer stated brake lines totally rusted out and ruptured causing total brake failure. Dealer stated brake lines disintegrated in the technicians hands when the tech was removing old lines. I have read similar experiences from other gm owners on the internet. This is a major safety issue which if it has not thus far will result in injury and or death. I am one of the lucky ones who was able to avoid an accident. I am sure this wont be the same outcome for others. Dealer info: ultimate Buick GMC 5150 jefferson davis highway fredericksburg va 22408 tel # 540-898-6200 service advisor ian doughty ro339073 thanks for any assistance in addressing this safety issue.

My 2002 Avalanche had multiple brake lines fail this morning when I tried to stop when a dump truck pulled out in front of me this morning. I could not stop, the brake pedal was to the floor and I ended up in a field. The service shop showed me the heavily rusted and pitted brake lines. They failed in areas at the bend that were subject to salt exposure. The shop said the metal brake lines all have to be replaced.

See all problems of the 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 🔎.

2003 2500 Avalanche brake lines heavily rusted deep pits below driver seat and along left frame rail will replace.

The rear brake line burst catastrophically and my brake pedal went to the floor. I was coming up to stopped cars at an intersection and had to swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid rear ending another truck. Luckily there were no cars in the lane at the time. I then had to make a sharp turn into a shopping center parking lot to avoid running through the intersection (which did have traffic). I had zero braking power whatsoever. I tried pushing down the emergency brake and it had no effect ( I later found that the emergency brake lines were frozen in a large chunk of ice near the drivers side rear wheel and would not move). The pickup bed drains down onto the lower frame in this area and that accounted for the ice buildup. I continued through the shopping center parking lot and all I could to was downshift to slow myself down. Lucky again. . . The parking lot was nearly empty and very long. After about 4-500 ft I was going slow enough that I was able to jam the transmission into park. There was no warning of this failure. The lines were not leaking. I have now read online that gm has had many complaints of rusted lines on their pickups suddenly failing. This could have been a life threatening situation. Brake lines should not suddenly fail. They should last the life of the vehicle. Non-corrosive nickle copper brake lines exist that do not rust. These should be mandatory on all vehicles.

I was getting in my truck to go shopping and after driving for a short distance I notice my brake pedal went to the floor causing me to head into traffic almost causing a accident. When I got the truck home I notice dripping of brake fluid on driver side door. Further checking I discover my brake lines is rusting and cause a major leaks underneath my truck.

Vehicle experienced complete brake failure upon slowing for a traffic light. This was compounded by the downhill orientation of the road surface. Left roadway to avoid collision with tractor-trailer. There was no warning or indication of an impending brake failure. No indication that any part of the braking system was still functioning. It was discovered upon inspection that the brake lines were excessively corroded compared with other body and engine components. Metal composition of brake tubing seems very prone to corrosion. Complete brake line replacement of the entire system is now necessary.

I have a 2003 truck that is regularly serviced at gm dealerships and another professional shop. I alternate shops to make sure I am getting the best service and making sure any problems are caught before they are serious. I wash my truck on a regular basis always getting the underbody/chassis washed off. So, the vehicle is taken care of and kept up. The incident above luckily happened when I was backing up my truck to connect to a trailer. The brake lines burst under the driver side leaking oil all over when the brakes were applied lightly. . Glad it didn't happen fully loaded driving through a school zone on a weekday. Since there are several schools and bus stops near me. When attempting to repair professionaly the lines kept developing leaks affecting several lines and different areas. Not once did either of the shops including gm dealership ever tell me there was a problem with my brake lines. If you are supposed to check this as a regular maintenance issue than why don't gm shops do it. There is no excuse why these lines are failing this soon, other than inferior materials being used. It seems gm used inferior steel material in the early 2000s as can be seen by the corrosion that is seen on trucks of this era. I have never seen so much corrosion on vehicles of similar age from other years. The scarey part is these trucks usually have several tons of weight behind them, let alone the trucks own weight of over 3 tons. Everyday these vehicles are on our highways and streets driving through residential and school zones. When you lose brakes you are not going to regain control until something stops it and the tons on back of it.

Brake pedal went to the floor upon braking. Had to downshift to low gear and apply what little brake I had left taking approximately 200 feet to stop. Luckily there was no vehicle in front of me or it would have been a rear end collision. Slowly returned home about a mile away and upon further inspection found the hard brake line right front passenger side had burst. No prior warning to loss of brakes.

When attempting to shift out of park the brake must be applied. The brake pedal sank to the floor and the brake telltale illuminated. Investigation identified a leak in the brake line just forward of the abs module. Additional inspection highlighted significant brake line corrosion in the remainder of the system. The mechanic advised that a complete replacement should be done.

Applied brakes and brake peddle went to the floor. I swerved to the right to avoid an accident. Got out of vehicle and saw the brake lines were rusted and had ruptured.

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the brakes were applied and failed to stop the vehicle. The pedal pressed to the floor. The emergency brakes were applied in order for the vehicle to stop. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the brake line needed to be replaced. The failure had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000. The VIN number was unavailable. Jb.

I was driving in the grass group carrying chairs to a campfire on the other side of the field with boys riding in the bed of my truck when I hit my brakes and they went to the floor. It scared me because there were boys walking in front of me. The truck did stop but not as quickly as I wanted it to. I am very glad no one was hurt. The next morning I looked under the truck and the long brake line that runs from the front to the rear of the truck had rusted and ruptured leaking out all of the fluid.

The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph attempting to applied the brakes, the front drivers side brake line fractured. The contact repaired the brake line independently. However, the failure recurred on the rear drivers side brake line. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

It started with the airbag light, but nobody will own up to fixing it, as we moved from PA to FL. Then the brake lines went, all of them, now with the airbag issue the pcm is sending all kinds of stupid codes like the airbag issue is affecting the whole electrical system in the truck.

My brake line split open while I was trying to stop at a light. They are very rusted and have to be replaced.

While exiting the highway another vehicle cut in front of mine forcing me to stomp on the brakes to avoid a collision. The brake pedal went to the floor, but I did not make contact with the other vehicle. The drive home was less than 1 mile and brake pedal had no resistance. Once in my driveway, I noticed a small puddle. Had my wife press the brake pedal while I looked underneath and brake fluid shot out of one of the brake lines. Will be forced to have it towed to a repair facility.

While pulling my boat on a long decline at 55 mph, a car in front of me signaled to turn left. I put on my brakes and the pedal eased to the floor board. I told my wife that the brakes are failing. The check brake system alarm did sound, but that does not comfort you when you realize that you are not going to stop before plowing a car in front of you. I was able to swerve to the right to avoid the collision, only due to light traffic and the fact that I was a good distance behind the turning vehicle when the brakes failed. I didn't measure my stopping distance, but it was well over 100 yards. I got out of my Avalanche and saw the fluid trail. There is a cluster of 5 brake lines running together by the frame, right at the driver side door and one of those lines broke. They were all severely corroded. I had the truck and boat towed to a local repair shop and they were not surprised. The mechanic told me that he had repaired 5 chevy trucks with the same issue in the past week. We were very fortunate to avoid a serious accident.

Driving in school parking lot at 10 mph when all of a sudden, without any warning or notification from dash display, had to depress brake pedal all the way to the floor for the vehicle to stop. Braking distance increased dramatically. Went to the dealership and they informed me that the brake line ad rusted, brake fluid started to leak and all brake lines had to be replaced. Estimated cost of repairs is $1200. 00 usd. All the times I took truck in for service and maintenance, not once did they recommend replacing brake lines. Did research online and mechanics and owner's of similar vehicles said that this is a design flaw and should be subject to recall.

Vehicle was stopped at stop sign. Suddenly brake pedal went to floor and vehicle started drifting into intersection with tractor trailer approaching. No lights ever came on. My wife pulled the emergency brake to stop vehicle. Found metal brake line ruptured at fuel tank.

Tl-the contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond without warning. The contact had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The dealer diagnosed that the brake line going to rear axle needed to be repaired. The vehicle had been repaired but failure persisted. The manufacturer had not been notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. Ne.

I was driving my 03 Avalanche like any other day and as I was pulling into the gas station to fill up, the brakes went to the floor. Instinctively I put it into 1st gear and engaged the emergency brake. Come to find out, the brake lines were rusted out on the passenger side front. I examined all lines and they seem to all be rusty. Only a matter of time before they break too.

Driving in heavy traffic on I 95 south on the way to vacation, brakes failed when I attempted to slow down. I rear ended another vehicle. Had truck in shop for week and found several problems with lines and 2 leaks. I heard that there is a known metal defect with 2001-2004 brake lines. I can't find any recall information.

Pulling boat (22 ft ) from the boat launch to the make ready area. Stepped on braks and peddle suddenly and without warning went to to the floor ! upon inspection of the brake lines, they are rusted and in bad shape. The brake line that runs on top of the frame rail on the drivers side and goes to the rear wheels had blown out !!.

Front brake line rusted through spewing brake fluid.

See all problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche 🔎.

Rear brake likes blew out due to corrosion. Brake lines corrode at each point that they are fastened to the vehicle. No other major corrosion on the vehicle. Front brake lines also corroded but not yet to the point of failure. Stopping the truck was almost impossible.

I was leaving the fish and game club in londonderry nh when I went to stop the pedal went to the floor I pushed harder it finally stopped. I pumped the pedal a few times some pressure built up I continued to the corner where a stop sign was hit the brake again and this time the pedal went to the floor again but would not stop I put on the emergency brake the truck started to slow but I was on a hill as I aproaced the next stop sign going about 15 mph with the emergency brake on I had to put the truck in reverse to stop from traveling in to through traffic. I towed the vehicle and found 3 brake lines had burst one in the front and two in the rear. I have taken good care of this truck and has no rust except for the brake lines. I feel this is a major safety issue and should be looked in to. I hope this will be sent to warn other owners of this issue. I have over 2 million miles driving and have lost brakes before but never this bad. I feel that gm should at least warn owner of this potential problem. I just had my truck inspected in may and this was not warned to me. I looked in to this issue online and found many complaints gm should acknowledge this problem and warn customers and compensate them as well. I understand the truck is 11 years old but I had a 1987 sabb until 2006 and never had this issue. My friends Ford from 2000 we take to northern maine and has 160000 miles does not have rusted lines. I think gm used inferior material. Thanks eric vaughan.

Shifted from park to drive. Brake went to the floor, and brake fluid gushed from brake line under driver's seat. Also leaked on driver's rear passenger side. Total loss of braking power.

Brakes went all the way to the floor and was getting no braking at all unless emergency brake was applied. . . Luckily was at a stop in a parking lot when this happened and not trying to stop on at am intersection or on the highway. . . Was able to limp home using emergency brake to stop. . . Aren't these supposed to have a split system so you cannot lose all brakes at once. . . Pads are not worn low. . . And fluid is spraying from brake line directly under drivers side door. . .

I was slowing down for a stop light. An animal ran in front of me. I stepped hard on the brakes. The brake pedal went to the floor. No prior problems. I had the truck towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic found the right front steel brake line ruptured. Upon further testing, the left front steel brake line also ruptured. Both lines were rusty. The lines did not appear to be coated. New brake lines from napa had a coating. When the front brakes failed to function, the rear brakes did very little to stop the vehicle. Inspection and replacement of brake lines is not a routine maintenance item.

Loss of brakes occurred when applying brake peddle. Inspection by local mechanic showed both front brake lines had rusted through. Further mechanic inspection revealed that the remaining rear lines were also corroded to the point where failure was imminent. Local Chevrolet dealer service department indicated cost of repair would be thousands of dollars and that there were no oem pre-shaped lines produced by any manufacturer for such repairs. Hence, this would require custom brake line bending and substantially increased repair costs. Second occurrence resulted in a complete lost of all braking ability. This vehicle is often used to haul horses with a horse trailer. We are extremely lucky we were not hauling horses at the time of the brake lines ruptured and failed. Research on various chevy and Avalanche internet sites / boards as of this date shows this has become an increasingly common problem for chevy trucks of this vintage. The true incidence of this problem is likely hidden by fact that people are forced to seek repair alternatives other than at chevy dealers as the dealer quoted repair costs are outrageous. It is incredible that with all the press about recent recalls on large numbers of chevy vehicles, and the government and taxpayer money that went into bailing out chevy, that something as serious as increasingly frequent chevy truck brake failures, which could put people's lives at risk, have been ignored.

While exiting hwy 75 the breaks failed on my 2003 chevy Avalanche. The first application of the breaks the pedal went 3/4 of the way to the floor, the second time the pedal went the the floor I pumped the pedal several times until the pressure built up enough to finally grab. I was half way thru the intersection when the truck stopped, with oncoming traffic approaching I made a left turn to continue under the overpass and the stoplight was red I couldn't stop and went thru that as well. I used my emergency break to finally stop the truck and was able to pull into a gas station and park the truck. This happened so fast and without any warning I never had any indication that I was having any break issues. This could have gone so wrong. The truck is in the shop and so far they have found all four brake lines severely corroded.

Brakes suddenly gave out. Pedal fell to floor and when I took it to be repaired I was told all the brake lines rotted out. I don't understand this because by vehicle was garage kept. My total bill was $875. 00.