Brake Master Cylinder Problems of Chevrolet Tahoe - part 1

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to function as intended. In addition, the contact noticed a grinding sound and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with brake master cylinder failure. The contact was informed that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the brake master cylinder had been replaced two times since October 2024 and needed to be replaced a third time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was provided a monetary discount towards the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Service stability light comes on and my Tahoe will not move. Brakes are holding, have replaced abs module, abs valves, all brakes and rotors, master cylinder and booster. And still, I'm having the same problem! vehicle has been to midway motors a cheverolet dealer and still no answer, and it's throwing the very same codes co131 rear dump valve failure! these problems arose after driving kids to school. Had to have vehicle towed away as it would not move even when placed in neutral. Total brake lock down!.

See all problems of the 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Brake lines have rusted through and caused an extremely unsafe situation. While on a family vacation to the outer banks the brakes failed without warning. We were able to find a repair shop to look over the brake system after refilling the master cylinder with brake fluid. The repair shop found no issues with the brakes and said someone probably forgot to bleed the brakes after servicing them. Since it was a recently purchased vehicle and we didn't know the history of work performed we thought this was possibly the issue. After driving another 50 miles or so the brakes failed again for the second time. This time my family and I were on the way to the state fair. I crawled under the vehicle and found one line to be completely ruptured and all others to be severely rusted. I now plan to replace all brake lines before the vehicle is used again. I own much older vehicles with brake lines in perfect shape. After doing a little research I found that Chevrolet brake lines used in this model and year have had abnormally high brake line corrosion and failure compared to other vehicles manufactured during the same time period. I am wondering why this issue hasn't been brought to the publics attention and why no recall? the brake lines were obviously manufactured with inferior materials or workmanship or both. Thanks.

See all problems of the 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Rusted rear brake line ruptured suddenly causing a lose of brakes, after pumping the brakes the fronts stopped the vehicle. The abs module locked the rear brakes out, making the truck only have front brakes. Every steel line on the truck was so rusted that you could grab them and snap them by hand, I had to replace every line from the master cylinder to the abs module, from the abs module to the front wheels, both lines from the abs module to the rear rubber lines, as well as both steel lines on the rear axle. This is a known common problem, I've replaced 100s of these line sets over the years. You cant replace the blown line, if you try to replace the bad line (or the bad section) it builds more pressure then blows out another spot or another line. If you replace all the tears it'll blow a front line out. When one line is bad you must replace them all, this was on my wife's truck, but I've had to tell 100s of customers the same thing. On the same years of vehicles (99-06) gm vehicles I warn people who ask about buying them to check the brake lines, frams, and to inspect the body and body mounts closely.

Brake vacuum pump loses pressure when brakes pressed repetitively. While in traffic I rear ended another motorist due to brake pressure loss. Causing damage to both vehicles. No injuries due to low speed but even at high speeds brake pressure is lost, if the brake pedal is depressed repeatedly you lose all brake assist. Vehicle was brought in for recall regarding abs software update but brakes still feel horrible. TSB was issued to vehicles under 72000 but only began this year. Current TSB does not cover my vehicle. I contact the gm regarding this issue and they told me that they will not cover my vehicle one make exceptions. This needs to be a full recall of the vaccum pump, vacuum line and master cylinder like stated in the TSB. Someone can die from this issue if going down hill at speed.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Experienced spongy/soft pedal and increased stopping distance. Took vehicle to dealer thinking it needed new brakes and was told it needed a new vacuum pump, booster and master cylinder at a cost of $1,400. I was told that this was a known issue with several gm models but the vehicle was 2,500 miles/10 days out of warranty at the time.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Brakes failed while backing out of driveway. Brakes were hard and would not stop vehicle. Chevrolet's service bulletin indicated the vacuum pump failure will cause the master cylinder and another line to be considered "contaminated" causing them to need to be replaced. Clearly upon further investigation this is a wide spread problem.

Inadequate braking for the vehicle. My wife was traveling down a city street and could not stop the vehicle causing her to pull over for fear of her safety. The vehicle has 75000 miles on it and is out of the 60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. My wife all most wrecked because the brake pedal was hard and caused the vehicle to become difficult to stop. Chevy would not pay for diagnostic fee even though this is a known issue. Very unsafe to operate. Should be a full blown recall to go along with the technician service bulletin that was issued regarding the vacuum pump booster and master cylinder and other braking system components. $1400 repair estimate if the dealership follows the TSB recommendation on repair. Chevy does not care about customer safety. Unacceptable!!!.

November 2017: intermittent brake failure as low speeds (idle) when engine is hot. Generally occurs, when pulling into parking spots, backing-up, and slowly approaching stop light or stop sign. Brake pedal to floor, pedal pulses. Gm repair with new master cylinder. Said brake fluid was by-passing the piston. May 2018: intermittent brake failure as low speeds (idle) when engine is hot. This time issue started when towing a RV. Issue remained after towing ceased. Gm said test drove and stated nothing is wrong with brake system. Bring back another day to test drive if you can get issue to occur. I agree, when I retrieved the vehicle from gm, the brakes worked .

Two rusted brake lines from the master cylinder to master distribution block under the truck caused the brake pedal to go to the floor at 50 mph and ran thru a 4 way stop intersection in a rural area, thank you jesus I'm alive, lot's of rust on the lower rockers etc. On both sides.

See all problems of the 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

While reversing in slow speeds intermittently in forward motion, the brake pedal becomes very hard and will not stop the vehicle. The brake pedal has to be depressed very hard and there is a vibrating motion. The master cylinder has already been replaced by the dealership at an expense of nearly $600, but the issue persists.

The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. While driving down an incline at approximately 10 mph, the brakes failed and the vehicle accelerated to approximately 30 mph. The vehicle stopped at the end of the road on a flat area on its own. The contact also stated that the brake pads, rotors, and master cylinder were replaced approximately one year ago in August of 2016 by an independent mechanic. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired again. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

See all problems of the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Brake warning and stabilitrax warning cut off. Learned from mechanic that the master cylinder was bad. Our mechanic sees this regularly and believes someone needs to review the severity of the problem. I have 78,000 miles on this vehicle but my son-in-law's GMC p/u has 38,000 miles and having the same problem. As I understand the seal breaks and fluid is draining into the boot. Is there any concern at this time with the brake system completely failing due to the problems with these master cylinders? once again, our mechanic sees these failures regularly and believes GMC needs to address the issue.

See all problems of the 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

While driving my vehicle , I applied the brakes to stop at a traffic light , and the brake pedal traveled all the way to the floor . The Tahoe finally stopped after a much longer than normal distance . After inspecting the master cylinder , there was hardly any brake fluid remaining . I found that the brake lines were very rusted , and that the line going to the rear brakes was rusted through . This rusting of the brake lines should never occur !.

See all problems of the 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Brake failure caused by corroded brake lines. Incident occurred at boat ramp, could have easily lost truck in water. Master cylinder nearly empty and no indication of issue prior to failure. The truck gives warning with low washer fluid but not brake fluid? mechanic repairing broken lines, but how soon until another has issue?.

Rear brake lines (hard lines) ruptured above rear axle. 1000 miles later both brake hard lines from master cylinder to proportioning valve also failed due to internal corrosion.

See all problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

My wife was executing a turn, headed downhill, and stepped on the brake pedal, only to have it travel to the floor, and not stop the truck. I had been towing a trailer with surge brakes the day before, which would not have activated without being able to slow the vehicle. The problem was a failed front brake line from the master cylinder to the antilock actuator, resulting in a complete loss of front brake hydraulic pressure. I had also had it inspected recently and it passed safety. In locating the burst brake line, it was above the frame rail, in a spot I would not expect to be visually inspectable. I am replacing all the lines in the truck with the same material used by BMW and Volvo now, and consulting with my service tech about relocating the antilock actuator to an accessible area under the hood, for less line exposure to elements. This truck has been garaged most of it's life, and undercarriage washed after exposure to road salt. This is clearly a manufacturer defect. I have a 2006 Tahoe at work, garaged all it's life and rarely driven in wet weather, 60,000 miles, that had a rear brake line fail in 2011 or 2012. I'll file a separate complaint for that, but as a fleet vehicle, it's maintained meticulously. It's also essentially the same vehicle as my 2001, which had it's lines last longer, but still fail without warning. I want gm to recall these vehicles and fix the problem. Mine will be fixed with better materials, so I don't want a recall on mine, to have cheap cost-cutter parts installed. I want them recalled before someone like my daughter, an inexperienced new driver, has to deal with a loss of brakes during a normal life and maintenance routine of her vehicle.

Operating on the rear access road to a mall and noticed brake pedal almost went to the floor and it took a strong effort to stop the vehicle. Tried pumping brakes to see if pedal would rise, it did not. Checked brake fluid reservoir and it was slightly down. Looked under truck and no leak at all four wheels or on inside master cylinder cowl. Drove slowly to nearby mechanic and this time noticed dripping under driver side floor. Mechanic said I needed brake line replacement and am awaiting repair. Vehicle is well maintained, always parked on paved driveway, and waxed along with undercarraige car washes during the winter months. Purchased used from chevy dealer and found left rear backing plate had almost rotted off exposing rear axle seals which dealer replaced within week of my purchase.

As I applied my brakes to stop for traffic in front of me my brakes failed causing me to hit the vehicle in front of me. There had been no warning that the brake system had an issue but upon inspection of the brake lines that come out of the master cylinder it appears that one of these stainless steel lines has failed.

Brake line corrosion!! (all lines!), one ruptured, lost brakes, forced off road to stop, extended braking distance, almost crashed. Driving home from airport at 1am, getting off highway, brake pedal went all the way to floor. . . . Brakes kicked in approx. 90-95% of the way to the floor, but took forever to stop. Another car was at traffic light off the highway, and I was forced into the grass on the side of the road before car came to full stop. Towed home - I replaced master cylinder thinking thats where the failure was, but then I couldn't bleed rear brakes and noticed the puddle under the truck and crawled under to discover there was a brake line that was completely rusted through. This happened at the abs module, where 5 brake lines connect, and all the lines show dangerous corrosion levels and need to be replaced. It also affected a fuel line right there too, (fuel filter is right there). . . . I have owned the truck since new, and there is 1 line that looks brand new (never replaced), and all other lines in that area are dangerously corroded. Very odd that one line looks good, and all the other lines are bad. I have pictures of all lines and corrosion available.

My '96 Chevrolet Tahoe 2-door suffered complete brake system loss when a brake line burst while in-service. The Tahoe, used primarily in illinois in the winter, suffered the failure in may of 2008 with about 102,000 miles accumulated and with no with no prior indications of a problem prior to the complete failure. The brake line simplyburst/ failed completely when the line (mounted to the firewall below the radiator) completely failed, leaving blown out gap about an inchlong in the line. The truck was slowing to a stop sign when then line failed and the brake pedal went down to the floor, so there was no collateral damage. The vehicle was towed immediately to a repair shop for estimation and repairs (not a chevy garage). These repairs required complete vehicle brake line replacement (except to the front ant-lock unit) and complete system component replacement (except for the master cylinder). I thought the failure was random until I recently saw an article on the topic in print by jerry hirsch, staff writerfor the los angeles times, business section where other similar failures on similar models were noted. The repairs cost close to $2,000 and, if there are other campaigns on this model, I would like to research them to determine if poor design by general motors/Chevrolet division is responsible for these repairs and how to go about adding my vehicle to that campaign. I have kept the vehicle registered in my name and currently own a 2004 Chevrolet, so my contact information would have been on-file with gm such that proper notifications could have been made. I had no idea that this type of failure was part of gms faulty design history or that any campaign was underway pertaining to brake line failures until I saw the article printed by mrjerry hirsch as note d above.

See all problems of the 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Master cylinder is leaking brake fluid, dealer notified. Feel free to provide any further information.

Have been complaining about soft brakes since the odometer read 18000. The master cylinder was replaced and I have paid for new front brakes twice and was told that the new braking systems did not last as long. Dealer told me that is just the way the new cars are. I have taken to an independent brake shop and they told me the car looks like it has 70000+ miles on it when it is less than 2 years old and has 33000 miles on it. It needs a complete brake overhaul and is deemed unsafe to drive. The total cost of the repair will be 1112. 96.

Brake pedal goes completely to the floor. Pads & master cylinder were replaced, but problem persists. Techincal team from manufacturer has inspected it, and couldn't find anything. They said it was the best the system would be.

See all problems of the 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

We purchased the 1999 Tahoe in June, 1998. We had the rotors turned in December 1998 and then replaced Aug. 1999. This should not happen on a new vehicle, let alone one that costs as much as the Tahoe. The brake pedal was going to the floor and the vehicle was not stopping very good, especially at a speed greater than 40 mph. The brakes were bled in the summer of 1999. That seemed to help for a while. But the problem seemed to reappear. We took the truck back to our dealer. They then replaced the brake master cylinder. That seemed to help. But I feel the brake system still is not a good system when you must press the pedal down so far to get a good stop. The manifold gaskets also had to already be replaced. For a fairly new and expensive vehicle, we have had alot of problems with this particular vehicle. (we had a 1995 chevy suburban before, and we had no problems with it. We really liked the braking system on it and wish we had never traded for the Tahoe. ) one thing I noticed on your recalls, on the 1998 Tahoes, there was a recall on the rotors and braking system. Since our truck was built early in may 1998, and listed as 1999, could we have possibly inherited the same problems as the 1998 Tahoe? I would love to purchase a 2000 Tahoe, but hesitate because of the braking system they may have. Please inform me if there could be a recall on our model and year. I feel the 1998 recall should be extended to the 1999 since everything on the vehicles are the same.

See all problems of the 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe 🔎.

Leakage from rear seal of brake master cylinder, causing loss of fluid from reservoir serving front disc brakes.

While driving at a speed of 55mph and applying the brakes brake pedal went allthe wayto the floor. Consumer had to pump the brakes to get the vehicle to stop. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer, and dealer replaced master cylinder in that reservoirs were empty.

Master cylinder was leaking brake fluid, causing soft brake pedal, and resulting in poor braking ability. Consumer had contacted dealer, dealer stated that was normal operation. Consumer noted that the 2000 Tahoe has been upgraded as to prevent this problem, and wants the old 4 wheel disc system to be replaced with the upgraded one.

Master cylinder and power booster failed. Nlm.

When driving vehicle and applying brakes, there is a delayed time in panic situations. The first attempt by dealer in fixing problem, resulted in replacement of master cylinder booster. Two days after that brakes degraded to apoint where there were no brakes at all, and gushy feeling when pressing brake pedal. In case of need for immediate stopping , brakes are dangerous .

When driving at any speed and applying the brakes, they go straight to the floorboard, and there is a problem with the master cylinder and brake rotors.

Brakes failed because of master cylinder leakage. Yh.

Brake pedal soft and spongy, master cylinder replaced (warranty repair). Same symptoms again with complete brake failure this time. Pedal goes right to the floor.

Braking system malfunctioned, causing extended stopping distance and noises, such as brakes "chattering" while braking. Dealer replaced the brake pads and shoes/drums and master cylinder. But, problem still exists. Please provide further information.

Bad master brake cylinder, causing brakes to fail. When applied the brake pedal goes to the floor. Dealer has been contacted.