Brake Master Cylinder Problems of Chevrolet Suburban - part 1

Rollling down my drive way my brakes went out. Very spongy. Pressed multiple times and was able to come to a stop with the help of my front bushes. Master cylinder is full brakes are less than a year. I see online that this is a problem with 2014-2018 chevy trucks and suvs. If my wife was driving she could have been hurt. Heaven forbid my kids where in there too. This is obviously a defect in manufacturing and design and should be remedied by chevy.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

The vehicle was serviced 3 weeks ago to update software related to a recall issue with the brake vacuum and degraded braking power. The brakes on the vehicle suddenly changed as I was parking making it hard to stop. I took the vehicle to the nearest dealer and I was told that the master cylinder and vacuum needed to be replaced. The dealer is charging me $686 for the master cylinder and told me that the vacuum replacement would be covered by gm but that the part has been in backorder for weeks with no eta. I had to fly back home and have no loaner car from gm claiming that the issue does not warrant a loaner, yet I have no idea when I will get by Suburban back. I filed a claim with gm and have yet to receive a call. Gm has known of this issue for years and has done nothing to adress it. The software fix did not work as I had my truck serviced 3 weeks ago. Gm needs to stand by their product and make sure they fix the braking issue ASAP or purchase their cars back due to the gravity of the safety issue.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Tl-the contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that at slow speeds the brake pedal required additional effort to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was more prevalent while the vehicle was being reversed at slow speeds. The contact stated that at normal highway speeds, the brakes operated as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake fluid reservoir, brake booster, and brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact was then informed that the vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The repair was still pending. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 19v645000 (service brakes, hydraulic) at bellavia Chevrolet Buick, 199 NJ-17, east rutherford, NJ 07073, (201) 355-2885, but caused the failure to be more evident. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 116000. Ah.

While in line at toll booth at low speed the brakes were hard to push and slower to respond almost causing accident. Dealer found vacumn pump failed and oil backed up into vacumn booster and master cylinders.

2012 ltz 4wd Suburban, noticed a faint hot smell, thought it was the engine, took it in for an oil change on new years eve 2018 ( we had lost an engine in previous Suburban not taking chance) told by mechanic alloy wheels are hot, took to gm dealer, front wheel hub needed replaced, took to local garage for repair, garage told us brakes, caliphers, rotors be replaced due to caliphers being closed. They had hard time bleeding the lines, also replaced master cylinder, drove for few days short distance when front brakes caught fire, without warning, towed back to garage, they could not find cause, replaced brakes and rotors, drove for a week happened again, towed back to garage, they took to gm garage who replaced brake sensor, drove for few days locked up again kids in car, had towed to another gm dealer, told brake system tested normal to replace abs computer module, drove 2 weeks locked up again with kids in car, towed back to gm dealer, we were told by gm it was at risk of loss of life or catastrophic injury and they were sending tech, till we did not put gm brake pads, possible replacement of brake system could fix but not guaranteed. Gm dealer had Suburban 2/19-9/9/19 and it still is locking up without defined cause. I have been without vehicle this whole time & still owe on the vehicle. It was taken back to chevy dealer 10/26/19 after locking up again. There are no warning lights, the brakes lock up. There have been 2 major gm recalls regarding 2014+ Suburbans my issues are very similar regarding the braking system and even more severe. Had we been on busier roads we would have had an accident. We went to gm corp. / gm dealer lied to gm corp. We have vms to prove. Over $3k put into the vehicle and it still is not fixed, the brake system is $4k & that has not been proven to be the diagnosis. Vehicle not drivable. Pics from 1/27/19 incident, fire / smoke visable,.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Have replaced calipers 3 times since August 2018. Started with squealing of brakes and then taking to mechanic to find that caliper was "frozen" and eating up the brake pads. The abs pump is not releasing appropriately and causing the brakes to remain in a braking mode while driving. It is not both sides at the same time. It has alternated sides so the master cylinder was ruled out as an issue. Inner and outer tie rods ends were replaced first, and then the first set of calipers. Then brake hoses, pads and rotors were also replaced. At that point, the squealing happened after about two weeks of driving and we found it was a caliper sticking. Thinking that it was a faulty replacement, it was replaced and did fine. Two weeks later the same happened with the other side. This has happened another time since the first set was replaced. At this point my mechanic had figured out that the abs pump was what was causing the issue and because it was somewhat intermittent, it didn't trigger a code in the vehicle. He was able to do testing that showed failure on the side the caliper was not releasing on and then after about 5 minutes, it released, he retested and it passed. He called his oem supplier who then told him this was a "known issue" and that there were only 5 of the pumps available nationwide and all were spoken for. About a week later, the rep let him know that the part was in production with a ship date of Dec. 3rd 2018.

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. While driving approximately 10 mph in heavy traffic, the vehicle lost all braking ability and the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. Also, the brake warning indicator illuminated. The contact also stated that the failure occurred two other times. The vehicle was taken to Chevrolet 112 (2096 NY-112, medford, NY 11763) where it was diagnosed that the master cylinder failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.

While driving on i90 in stop and go traffic, the car in front of me stopped. I applied my brakes and the pedal was hard and would not depress. As a result my car would not stop and I hit the car in front of me in the rear end. My air bags went off. I received an air bag burn. The car in front of me struck the car in front of him. Both other drivers claim they were injured. My car cost $15,300 to repair. Chevrolet is aware of this problem, issuing preliminary service bulletin pit5361 in 2015, addendum b in 2016 and addendum b in 2017. The problem is a faulty vacuum pump, master cylinder, brake booster, vacuum line, and vacuum pump belt. I was never informed of this problem. I have been driving 50 years and this is my first chargeable accident.

The rear brake line failed for the second time and caused me to have accident. The issue is that the front brakes did not stop the vehicle and the brake pedal went to the floor. When this happened the first time 2009 the dealer changed the master cylinder and other brake components stating that is why the front brakes didn't work however this failure was exactly the same as the first incident absolutely no brakes.

See all problems of the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

I have a very hard time stopping the vehicle suddenly. Pedal will go all the way to the floor. Abs never activates because wheels will not even attempt to lock up. (except in snow or ice) when sitting still pedal will push entirely to the floor. Have replaced all brakes and rotors and front calipers and master cylinder. Seems to have all the symtoms of campaign number 04v045000, but when I enter my VIN number, that recall does not come up. I rearended someone about a year ago ( no damage) since then I make sure to leave about 150 feet between me and the car in front of me.

See all problems of the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Driving as normal attempt to stop and pedal went to the floor. No brakes. Coasted to stop luckily not traveling at high speed. Inspection revealed rusted through brake lines. And all fluid gone from master cylinder.

See all problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Driving down l street in omaha, nebraska approaching 96th street. Brake pedal goes all the way to the floor and vehicle would not stop. I was able to pull to the side of the road just before light at 96th st on a slight hill which assisted vehicle stopping. The brake master cylinder was low. The car was towed to yeck's auto in bellevue, ne. Had I been following other vehicles closely or approached a quick changing yellow light the vehicle would not have stopped. Yeck's auto has since determined the brake lines failed. After internet investigation yields that gm has known about this defect. No warning lights, no indication of a problem. This vehicle needs to be recalled. The vehicle has been serviced at beardmore Chevrolet in bellevue, ne at prescribed intervals since day 1. Gm saying this is normal is frankly unacceptable. How many people have not been as lucky as I was on this day.

One of the metal brake lines between the master cylinder and the abs modulator valve ruptured during a stop due to corrosion. All brake lines in the vehicle have similar levels of corrosion near the area the aforementioned line ruptured, and at various other locations on the vehicle. The transmission cooler lines had failed approximately 18 months previously due to corrosion. The corrosion and rust on many components beneath the vehicle and in the engine compartment is becoming rather concerning.

First incident eastern 05/19/2014 aprox 119000 miles: after hitting the brakes hard to avoid a vehicle that pulled in front of me, the brakes failed (brake pedal would go to the floor with little braking action). Managed to safely stop. Found burst brake line in the rear end of vehicle. Two rear corroded rear brake lines replaced by local repair shop. Second incident milford 09/17/2015 127336 miles: hit brakes going down driveway. Brakes were soft and sank to floor. Brake line going to front passenger wheel was burst. All the brake fluid drained quickly out of the master cylinder onto the driveway. Ordered acdelco 22932592 gm original equipment hydraulic brake pipe kit and am in the process of replacing all brake lines as all of them other than the two replaced in PA are very corroded. The replacement lines are not really oem as they have a nylon coating for better corrosion protection.

See all problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

The master cylinder and brake line caused a complete brake failure. All the brake lines are severely rusted, compromised, and all must be replaced. Fortunately the failure happened in a restaurant drive through. Moments before pulling into the drive through, I was driving my daughter on a busy roadway with a 50 mph speed limit. I do not feel brake lines should be made of materials that can corrode and fail without any warning whatsoever. The truck is very well maintained. With non-corrosive metals available for brake tubing it is inexcusable from a safety perspective. The government needs to address this to prevent clearly foreseeable injuries and deaths.

The contact owns a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph uphill, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. The brake pedal was applied with force repeatedly without any response from the vehicle. The vehicle eventually came to a stop and was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the master cylinder was fractured and caused the brake lines to burst. In addition, the radiator would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not serviced because the required equipment was not available to perform the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

See all problems of the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

2001 Suburban - when I applied my brakes coming to a stop sign the brake pedal went almost to the floor leaving me barely any braking power, but fortunately since I was driving at a slow speed (25 mph) I was able to stop in time. I then drove to a garage which was very close to where I was and had them put it up on the rack to look at it. They informed me that all of my brakes lines were very rusty and the one rear line had broken, I left it there and had that line replaced but after replacing that line another 2 lines broke during their testing after the first repairs. I ended up having 3 rear lines and the 2 lines to and from the master cylinder replaced (3 that broke and 2 other ones that looked really bad) at a cost of about $800, I am now going to get the remaining 2 front brake lines replaced "before" they brake on me also. These 2 lines are the hardest to replace and I was given an estimate of about $700-$800 to replace them. The one mechanic told me that a couple of years earlier his brake lines also broke on his Suburban coming up to a red light and he had to drive on the birm to avoid rear ending the car in front of him. He had to replace all of his Suburbans brake lines. I live in western PA and have been driving here for almost 40 years with many different vehicles during that time but I have never had brake lines rust and break like this. From what I have been reading, this must be from faulty brake line material, none of my many other vehicles have ever had this happen so chevy cannot just blame it on living in a snow/road salt area. *** I plan on going with a different manufacturer when I get my next SUV.

See all problems of the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Brake pedal went to the floor and car would not stop. Had to use the parking break and run into the curb to stop. Found there was no fluid so filled the master cylinder and pumped brakes. Fluid was running out of the line just under the driver's door. I inspected all the brake lines and found them severely corroded and will now replace them all. The last time I had to change a steel brake line was on a 1952 Buick, but that was in 1984, when the car was 32 years old. There should be either a recall or at least a notice from Chevrolet that this could happen. I could have easily wrecked my truck and/or killed a pedestrian.

Coming to a stop light the brake pedal went to the floor. Only way I could stop was by using the electric brakes on my trailer to stop the combined vehicle. Examination revealed a rusted brake line coming from the brake master cylinder to the abs module at the abs module under the vehicle. Further examination revealed that the 4 brake lines from the abs module to the wheels were all rusted/pitted and about ready to rust through.

Loss of brakes due to sudden loss of brake fluid from rusted main line off of master cylinder.

Brake failure. Metal brake line between master cylinder and caliper developed a leak due to corrosion of the metal brake line. Mechanic said all metal brake lines were rusted and corroded and needed to be replaced. I understand there is an investigation underway on these faulty lines. The replacement of these lines was very expensive and was definitely a premature failure in my opinion. Luckily my 20 year old son noticed the brake pedal was going to the floor while on the interstate and was able to safely exit the highway. If the line would have failed a few minutes earlier, he would have been in a crash.

Was driving vehicle on a 2 lane public road at approximately 35 mph when pedal suddenly became soft and required many actuation to stop. Vehicle was unable to stop in the anticipated distance and a collision with cross-traffic nearly occurred. On investigation, the master cylinder reservoir was empty and there was leaking from multiple brake lines from corrosion.

Brake pedal almost to floor, extremely long time to stop. No warning just driving in columbus traffic and lost brakes. Found master cylinder almost empty. Brake lines rusted through left side drivers floor/frame rail area. Dealer estimate $1200 to$1600. Seems to be a common problem as on line investigation verifies. Web site shows open case,no re-call to repair.

I was backing up my 2000 chevy Suburban 1500 in my drive way and the brakes failed completely while backing up the vehicle. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I pumped the brakes several and the pedal went to the floor each time. There was no warning that the brakes were going to fail. I was able to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The rear brake line is severely corroded and the line failed at the chassis location above the rear axle above the coil spring bracket. There was a large about of brake fluid on the inside of the tire, chassis and on the ground. This failure also indicates the master cylinder failed because there were no front brakes either. Upon inspection, all the brake lines on the vehicle are severely corroded and will need to be replaced. I am disappointed in gm engineers to produce a vehicle that could have a failure of this nature. Their design controls and process using a dfmea (design failure mode and effects analysis) would have had corrosion on brake lines as a potential failure mode. If their marketing knows that a large percentage of vehicles would be sold into regions that use corrosive agents to keep our roads and highways clean in the winter, then they should have shown that the break lines could fail given their choice in brake line materials and coatings used on this vehicle. Also, I am disappointed in my gm dealer and the state safety inspection process where I live that should also have caught the fact that the brake lines were severely corroded, especially since I had to have had my rear backing plates replaced on the same vehicle last year due to a corrosion failure that rendered the emergency brakes useless and would not pass the state inspection process.

See all problems of the 2000 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Travelling downhill toward a t-intersection, applied brakes and pedal went to the floor. Missed an approaching vehicle from the left by inches as I swung to the right, thru a stop sign. Returned home, thinking a rubber brake line had failed. Upon inspection, the steel brake pipe approximately ten inches in front of the right front caliper had split open due to corrosion. When I inspected the tubing prior to purchasing replacement parts, I discovered virtually all the steel brake lines were corroded to the point of failure, and in fact, I created another break in the same line as I attempted to loosen it from the plastic hold-down clamps under the left frame rail. Accessing the brake lines as they are routed between body and frame proved almost impossible, and am currently awaiting a recovery vehicle to take the truck to my inspection mechanic for replacement of all brake fluid lines/hoses from the master cylinder to the ebcm to each wheel caliper. The factory service manual mandates a minimum of 3/4" between any parallel brake lines, presumably to prevent bridging with mud/debris which might abet corrosion. In many cases, my steel brake lines were within 1/4" of one another. Some steel lines lay against steel frame rails with no clearance. This, however, would not account for the level of corrosion I discovered throughout the entire underbody of the truck. The only non-corroded portion of my brake system is the two lines immediately from the master cylinder downward to where they travel rearward along the left frame rail. Everything else is at the point of failure.

One of the brake lines from the master cylinder to the abs control unit ruptured due to severe corrosion, resulting in severe loss of brake fluid, and near complete loss of braking force. Replaced both lines on the advice of my mechanic who stated that the other line was just as badly corroded. Subsequently, the brake line from the abs control unit to the rear brakes failed due to severe corrosion in December of 2012, resulting in complete loss of rear brake effectiveness. Replaced that portion of brake system, and very concerned about the remainder of the original equipment brake lines still extant.

While driving at 45 mph on a medium traffic city road, the brakes were applied while stopping for a traffic light that had turned red. The brake pedal did not respond quickly enough and had depressed all the way to the floor. The vehicle was able to slow down enough to be driven into an empty parking lot. As I got the vehicle to stop, I opened the engine compartment and saw the brake fluid level was very low. The vehicle had its preventative maintenance done on it just three weeks prior and all fluids were checked topped off (all of which is documented by an oil and lube garage). I was able to get the vehicle back to my home and had inspected the issue. An area along the frame rail were the brake lines go from the master cylinder to the abs motor was leaking. The brake lines were severely corroded in just one area, inspection of the rest of the brake lines were ok. Its just odd that it was corroded in just the one area and nowhere else. There was no warning that the brakes were about to fail or any indication that the fluid level was low.

I started up my 1999 chevy Suburban in my driveway this afternoon and the brake pedal went to the floor. I opened the hood and noticed brake fluid splattered all over the area below the master cylinder and all over the ground. I discovered that the line to the left front wheel rusted to the point of failure. I checked the other brake lines and they are badly corroded. This truck has never left me stranded in 13 years. I do not want to see it go, but this may be the end. Also, a little over 1 year ago, I sold my 2005 tahoe to a man who told me he had a 1999 tahoe. He was buying my tahoe because the brakes lines on his had corroded and ruptured. He was careful to climb all around and under my tahoe to check for brake line corrosion before buying. I just researched this problem, and it appears to be common. Many of these trucks are still on the road. How many will have to be killed before anything is done about it?.

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that when applying the brakes, the brake pedal was depressed into the floorboard. The vehicle did not respond and the contact drove into the curb to prevent a crash. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic and located the failure as a ruptured brake line, caused by corrosion. The mechanic replaced the brake line and the master cylinder. The failure and current mileage was 113,854.

Brakes failed prematurely due to rusting brakes lines from master cylinder without warning on I-94.

While towing my travel trailer back from a trailer inspection I noticed the brake on my 2001 chevy 2500 Suburban for uncomfortably close to the floor. Upon arrival after slowly limping home using mostly the trailer brakes I found that a rear brake line had ruptured and the rear master cylinder tank was empty. A local auto shop cut the line and added a new section. Per the mechanic the ruptured line is rusted along with the adjacent lines. The cut out section was thrown out before I could save it.

November 2010, I went to stop, the brake pedal went to the floor. I was able to stop using the parking brake, but was very close to rear-ending a carload of people. I had the truck towed to a repair shop. The mechanic told me that the front brake line had rusted out because it was mounted at the factory to the front axle on this 4-wheel drive truck causing it to vibrate and collect debris on it leading to a premature failure due to rust. In December 2012, again when I went to stop from about 55 mph on the freeway, the brake pedal again went almost completely to the floor, but again I was able to stop before hitting another vehicle by using the parking brake and running up on the shoulder of the freeway. The mechanic told me that this time the rear brake line had rusted out at the "t - intersection" where the brake line runs from the front master cylinder to the rear axle and splits into 2 lines at the t intersection. The mechanic told me that this was a very common problem on these trucks as it was a bad design, because the t lays in a recessed holder attached to the rear axle, allowing dirt, salt and wetness to accumulate in this area and cause premature rust and failure of the brake lines. Third, last week, while driving, I noticed a raw gas smell and stopped the vehicle. Again I had to have it towed as gas was pouring out of the fuel line by the gas filter on the driver's side rear wheel. This was towed to a different mechanic's repair shop who again showed me that the metal fuel line had rusted out due to its being mounted to the frame rail, causing salt, dirt and debris to accumulate there also. He warned me that these trucks frequently catch fire when these high pressure fuel injection lines rust out. He said he had seen 5 of these trucks burned in just the last 2 years at his small shop. Please help. These trucks are inherently dangerously designed to fail.

See all problems of the 1996 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

2001 Suburban k2500 complete loss of braking due to corrosion and rupture of brake lines from master cylinder to abs unit and from abs unit to right front wheel. This is the same problem as current investigation pe10010.

Brake line blew. Front right. Other lines looked corroded. Subsequent line blew 11/13/11. This line was from master cylinder and rendered brakes unusable immediately.

No incidents known. Master brake cylinder leaks. Vehicle only has 46,000 miles. I do not tow trailers, carry heavy loads, or apply heavy brake pressure when stopping. Appears to be an obvious defect in the master cylinder. Could cause accident or injury if not investigated and corrected.