Seven problems related to brake disc caliper have been reported for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he applied the brakes at an intersection but the vehicle did not stop and crashed into a curb. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that all of the brake lines and the front calipers would need to be replaced due to severe corrosion. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 80,000. Kmj.
I took my 2003 chevy Suburban for a brake fluid flush recently. The shop told me that all the brake components are corroded very badly especially the brake lines. The shop recommended to replace all my brake calipers. Brake rotors were almost end of their life. So I ended up replacing all 4 brake calipers, rotors, pads and the brake hoses leading to the brake calipers. The shop said sooner or later I would need my brake lines replaced. I just searched online and came across NHTSA's investigation on the brake line corrosion hence decided to report it to you. From the carfax history report, this truck was registered around philadelphia, PA area for it's entire life and also it was serviced at dealerships around this area. So I guess this truck was on the northeast part of the u. S for its entire life but not closer to salt (sea) water or weather. . Should you need more information feel free to contact me via email or phone.
My son was driving in bakersfield CA, he was on buena vista, when he came to a traffic light at ming Ave. The light changed and when he hit the brakes the warning light came on. The front brakes failed to work and he skidded thru the intersection, thru the red light. The speed limit is 55 mph on that road, the time was 11am. No other car was hit. He had my truck towed to a aaa shop, they said the front brake tubing off the abs boxed to the front caliper failed from rusting out (with no warning). They said they could not fix it at that shop and I should take it to 3 way chev. I called the chevy factory line and spoke to a rep. She said they might warranty some of the repair but their dealer ship had to verify the problem. I informed her of the mileage and gave her the VIN# I told her I also bought the car from heritage chevy in MD. I called them and got a price to replace all the brake tubing for $1600. 00 and if it needed a abs box it would be total of $3400. 00 for everything. 3way chevy in bakersfield said it would cost $7597. 07 for everything but it may be more because they said they had to remove the cab from the frame. They also said the truck should not be driven in the snow because of the salt that is used on the roads. This is a 4x4 and I live in northern MD and I bought for the snow and I tow a 24 foot boat that weighs 6300 lbs. The factory rep said they could not help me in any way because of the age and mileage, which I originally told them about. The factory reps keep on transferring me to other reps till I gave up. I was ase tech( everything except transmissions ) , MD state inspector and MD certified emissions for over 20 years. This brake problem with the gm trucks will eventually get someone hurt or killed. I sold the truck for $ 1500. 00 with no brakes as is.
In a situation that required sudden hard braking, I experienced an almost total loss of braking power. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor and the truck required a much greater distance to slow down and stop. There was no advance warning light /sound until after the brake system failure. The repair shop told me one of the metal brake lines had blown out due to severe corrosion, causing a complete loss of brake fluid. The other brake lines were also very corroded and seeping brake fluid. Additionally, many other components of the brake system (rotors, calipers, brake hoses, bleed valves, backing plates) were very rusted or deteriorated and falling apart.
After an initial failure of the hydraulic brake (line ruptured about two feet behind the abs valve) while the car was moving, and after this line was replaced, I inspected the rear wheel brake lines and noticed extreme corrosion on both lines that run from a junction connection above the differential to the hoses on each caliper. While checking the fittings and inspecting the left line it literally crumbled, broke and started leaking. I replaced both lines and bleed the system. The car had been into the dealer within last year (approx. ) for brake line inspection after observing a lot of rust. The dealer claimed that lines were ok and that a lot of rust was normal and ok. I had to pay for this inspection.
2003 chevy Suburban 1500 4wd 5. 3l, gm has a known issue with braking on these trucks where it takes too long to stop. I have replaced all pads, rotors, and calipers. Also preformed abs brake bleeding to see if air was in the abs module/pump assembly. Truck still at times seems to not want to stop. It always takes a long distance to stop. There is no abs activating during this time. This has been an issue since I bought the truck in 2007.
Rear brake pads wear down on the inside of rotor to the rotor causing metal on metal damage without wearing the outside pads significantly. Problem occurred at 30,000 miles and again at 65,000 miles resulting in costly repairs and loss of use of vehicle.