2004 Chevrolet Tahoe

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TAHOE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP, THE BRAKING SYSTEM EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC AND INSTANT FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP, WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER TO CRASH INTO AN EMBANKMENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. DURING THE CRASH, THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A RIGHT KNEE INJURY THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO CORROSION AND RUSTED BRAKE LINES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

BRAKE LINE BLEW WITHOUT WARNING. APPROACHING STOP SIGNAL AND WAS SLOWING DOWN BY BRAKING AND THEN SUDDENLY THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I SWERVED INTO LEFT TURNING LANE TO AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND TRAVELED HALFWAY THROUGH THE BUSY INTERSECTION BEFORE STOPPING. PROCEEDED INTO LOT OF NEARBY CONVENIENCE. BRAKE FLUID POOLED UNDER CAR. COULD HEAR AIR COMING OUT OF BRAKE LINE WHEN BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED.

I WAS TRAVELING TOWARDS HOME AROUND 45 MPH IN MY 2004 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME ATTEMPTED A NON-SIGNALED RIGHT HAND TURN AND THEN CONTINUED STRAIGHT AHEAD. I APPLIED MY BRAKES IN A MANNER TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR AS SHE DECIDED WHAT SHE WAS GOING DO. THE PEDAL WAS FIRM AT FIRST, THEN COMPLETELY WENT TO THE FLOOR. I HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL. THIS RESULTED IN ME TAKING AN OFF ROAD ADVENTURE THROUGH SOMEONES YARD AND BACK ONTO THE ROAD TO AVOID SLAMMING THE CAR IN FRONT ME AS SHE REGAINED HER SENSE AGAIN. I SLOWLY CREPT HOME AND SPIT A TRAIL OF BRAKE FLUID ALONG THE WAY. THE HARD BRAKE LINES ON THIS VEHICLE ARE SO CORRODED WITH RUST AND I FOUND THE FRONT FEED LINE INTO THE ABS MODULE HAD BURST FROM THE CORROSION AND USE OF CHEAP FACTORY LINES. I COULD HAVE LOST MY LIFE BECAUSE 11 YEARS AGO GM DECIDED CHEAPER BRAKE LINE MATERIAL IN 2004 IS BETTER THAN MY LIFE IN 2015. NOW I FIND THAT THE INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED AND THEY ARE BLAMING "MAINTENANCE" AS THE CAUSE. IN ALL THE VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED, NOT A SINGLE ONE HAD TO HAVE A HARD BRAKE LINE REPLACED. IT'S JUST NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. IT IS A MATERIAL AND PRODUCER FLAW THAT IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED. IT ALMOST TOOK MY LIFE.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, I SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING LOST MY REAR BRAKES. THIS CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO STEER ON TO THE SHOULDER TO AND USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE/DOWN SHIFTING TO CONTROL VEHICLE SPEED. I NARROWLY AVOIDED 3 OTHER VEHICLES. THIS FAILURE WAS DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON THE STEEL BRAKE LINE RUNNING TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. EVEN AFTER FREQUENTLY INSPECTING MY BRAKE LINES, THE ROUTING OF THIS LINE IN PARTICULAR MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO VIEW. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS ISSUE, WHICH IS WIDELY KNOWN, HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED.

TRAVELLING NORTH ON STATE ROUTE 741 WITH MY FAMILY OF 6. WE BEGAN TO SLOW FOR STOPPED TRAFFIC ON A SLIGHT DOWNHILL GRADE. AT ONCE THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR WITHOUT WARNING AND WHEN I APPLIED EMERGENCY BRAKE THE BRACKET FASTENING IT TO THE FRAME BROKE AS WELL. THE TRUCK WAS GAINING SPEED WITHOUT ANY BRAKES AT ALL. I PUT IT INTO A DITCH DOING 60 MPH. IT TOOK ME 1.5 MILES TO FINALLY GET THE TRUCK STOPPED. TOOK IT TO A GARAGE THEY REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINES TWO REAR CALIPERS, MASTER CYCLINDER, AND HYDRO BOOST CANISTER. HOW DO ALL THESE PARTS FAIL AT THE EXACT SAME TIME AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BRACKET BREAK AWAY FROM FRAME TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE? APPARENTLY THE SIZE OF THE VEHICLE IS TO MUCH FOR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM TO EFFECTIVELY STOP THIS VEHICLE. I AM TOLD BY A DEALER THIS IS A FREQUENT ISSUE WITH GM VEHICLE. I AM VERY MAD ABOUT THIS INCIDENT AND PUTTING MY FAMILY AT RISK. THIS VEHICLE WAS AT CHEVROLET DEALER IN BELLEFONTAINE OHIO 11 MONTHS AGO FOR A FULL INSPECTION AND NOTHING WAS FOUND EXCEPT AN INNER TIE ROD THAT NEEDED REPLACED. HOW??? WITHOUOT PRIOR WARNING CAN ALL THESE COMPONENTS IN A BRAKEING SYSTEM FAIL AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. THERE WAS ZERO EVIDENCE OF TAMPERING AND TRUCK MILEAGE IS BELOW NATIONAL AVERAGE. MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN KEPT UP TO DATE. SERIOUSLY CONCERNED OWNER!

DRIVING VEHICLE ON LOCAL STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 15MPH WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO STOP AT STOP SIGN. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TOTALLY TO THE FLOOR AND LOST ALL BRAKES. UNABLE TO STOP I NARROWLY MISSED ANOTHER VEHICLE WHICH WAS ALREADY IN THE INTERSECTION. CAR FINALLY CAME TO A STOP AGAINST CURB ON OTHER SIDE OF INTERSECTION. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THAT BOTH REAR BRAKE LINES HAD COMPLETELY BLOWN UNDERNEATH DRIVERS DOOR. THEY WERE COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH CAUSING THEM TO FAIL. WHEN I GOT HOME I DID A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH OF THIS ISSUE AND FOUND QUITE A FEW STORIES DEVOTED TO THIS PROBLEM. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THERE ISN'T A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. IMAGINE IF I WAS GOING FASTER THAN 15 MPH IF THIS EVENT HAD OCCURRED. I ALSO HAVE CONTACTED GM ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THROUGH EMAIL. *TR

WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH SON IN CAR WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES DOING ABOUT 40 MPH AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY SHE HAD ROOM TO SWERVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE STOPPED CAR WHILE CONTINUING TO PUMP BRAKES COMING TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. THANK GOD NO HARM WAS DONE TO HER OR MY CHILD. 2 BRAKE LINES HAS BEEN RUPTURED ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF VEHICLE AND WAS SPEWING BRAKE FLUID EVERYWHERE. ALL OF THE LINES CONNECTED TO THE ABS PUMP WERE SEVERELY CORRODED AND ALL HAVE TO BE REPLACED.

A CAR CUT IN FRONT OF ME AND I HAD TO SLAM THE BRAKES, WHEN I DID THE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO SWERVE INTO ANOTHER LANE AND AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME BUT AFTER PULLING OVER I OBSERVED BRAKE FLUID GUSHING OUT A RUSTED OUT BRAKE LINE WHEN THE PEDAL WAS PUSHED. VERY UNSAFE. I LIVE IN CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA AND THIS TYPE OF CORROSION ON THE BRAKE LINES IS TOTALLY UNSAFE. *TR

AS I WAS PULLING INTO THE DRIVE-THRU AT MY LOCAL BANK I PUSHED ON MY BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP AT THE WINDOW & THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. THERE WAS SOMEONE AT THE ATM & I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP BEFORE I RAN OVER THEM. TOOK IT TO A LOCAL SHOP & THEY TOLD ME BEFORE THEY PUT IT ON THE LIFT WHAT WAS PROBABLY WRONG WITH IT. RUSTED BRAKE LINE(S). I SAID SURELY NOT ON A 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. THEY SAID OH YEAH WE SEE THIS ALL THE TIME. IT'S A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR THESE VEHICLES. I HAVE A LOT OLDER VEHICLES AT HOME THAT DOESN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM. SOUNDS TO ME LIKE INFERIOR MATERIALS. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES THEIR LIFE TO SAVE A BUCK FOR THE COMPANY. *TR