1998 GMC Suburban

THE BRAKE PEDAL BUZZES AND REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL PEDAL PRESSURE AFTER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE REACHES SLOW SPEED. THE PROBLEM IS MOST LIKELY THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATING AS THE VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP. THIS PROBLEM PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE VEHICLE REQURES ADDITIONAL DISTANCE TO STOP. OF SPECIAL CONCERN IS THE DANGER TO PEDESTRIANS, PARKING ATTENDANTS AND OTHERS WHO ARE LIKELY TO ENTER, OR ALREADY BE IN, THE VEHICLE'S PATH AS IT COMES TO A STOP. THESE PEOPLE, WHO MAY BE BETWEEN THE STOPPING VEHICLE AND OTHER PARKED VEHICLES, WOULD BE EXPECTING THE VEHICLE TO STOP IN THE USUAL MANNER AND WOULD BE UNAWARE THAT DRIVER IS WRESTLING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE PROBLEM WAS ORIGINALLY INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS ADVISED BY GM TO CLEAN THE ABS WHEEL POSITION SENSORS. THIS CAUSED THE PROBLEM TO BECOME MUCH WORSE AND NOW OCCURS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS BROUGHT TO A STOP. *AK I LIVE ABOUT ONE HOUR OUTSIDE WASHINGTON DC AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO NHTSA FOR INSPECTION OR TEST BY NHTSA PERSONNEL. THIS WOULD PROVIDE THE OPORTUNITY FOR NHTSA STAFF TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE IN THIS TEXT. FROM FIRST HAND INSPECTION AND/OR TESTING NHTSA STAFF COULD BEST DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF RISK PRESENTED BY THIS PROBLEM AND ALSO IT MAY ASSIST THEM WITH DECEIPHERING THE NATURE OF SIMILAR BRAKE RELATED COMPLAINS. PLEASE CALL ME AT THE NUMBERS LISTED ON THIS FORM IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO YOU. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM: THE ABS BRAKE LIGHT IS NOT LIT AND DOES NOT LIGHT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL "BUZZING" OCCURS. I UNDERSTAND THIS TO INDICATE THAT THERE ARE NO MALFUNCTIONS DETECTED WITH THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM AND THAT THIS WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH A WHEEL POSITION SENSOR PROBLEM THAT COULD CAUSE THE ABS SYSTEM TO OPERATE AS IF THE VEHICLE WERE IN A SKID.

NAR 04/28/2003. MR THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH HIS VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE LEAKED OIL, ENGINE IDLED ROUGHLY, COOLANT SYSTEM LEAKED, THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DOME LIGHT, STEERING, THE REAR AXLE, THE LEFT REAR GLASS RATTLED, THE AIR CONDITION, BATTERY, SUSPENSION WERE ALL INOPERATIVE. THE FUEL FILTER, MIRROR TRANSMISSION SEAT, SEAT BELTS, WIPERS, ALTERNATOR, BRAKES, FUEL PUMP. *JB

DURING SUMMER OF 1999, I NOTICED BATTERY ACID RESIDUE BELOW BATTERY ON LINES AND WIRES. CLEANED OFF WITH OIL. BRAKES WERE MUSHY. IN OCTOBER, 2000 BRAKES SLOWED VEHICLE BUT REQUIRED ADDITIONAL PRESSURE TO STOP. NOTICED ADDITIONAL BATTERY ACID BUILD UP ON LINES AND WIRING. BRAKES FAILED NOV. 22, 2000. ADDED BRAKE FLUID. VEHICLE WOULD NOT START ON NOV. 28, 2000. POSITIVE BATTERY POST SEPARATED FROM BATTERY. SPENT TWO HOURS REMOVING BROKEN-OFF BATTERY FROM BATTERY BOLT,CABLES AND INSTALLING BATTERY. POURED BAKING SODA WATER ON AFFECTED AREA OF LINES AND WIRES. *AK

CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY WHICH CULMINATES WITH A COMPLETE SET OF REAR DRUMS TO BE REPLACED AT 3 TO 4000 MILE INTERVALS. DEALER HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TROUBLE-SHOOTING THIS PROBLEM AND BELIEVES THAT THE AXLE FLANGE THAT RECEIVES THE DRUM IS TO SMALL, ALLOWING THE DRUM TO FLOAT WHEN BRAKE PRESSURE IS APPLIED. THIS CAUSES SEVERE VIBRATIONS FROM THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY WHICH IS SIMILIAR TO A PULSING SENSATION ONLY MORE SEVERE. UPON INSTRUCTIONS FROM GM, THE DEALER ORDERED NEW AXLES AND DRUMS BUT IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REPLACEMENT DRUMS FIT ON THE NEW AXLE FLANGE THE SAME, HAVING APPROXIMATELY 1/4 INCH OF SPACE BETWEEN THE DRUM AND THE FLANGE. ON 09/13/00 A GM ENGINEER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALER, AND DETERMINED THAT THE REAR DRUMS NEED TO BE REPLACED, A NEW AND IMPROVED BRAKE SHOE ASSEMBLY INSTALLED ALONG WITH A FRONT TO REAR PROPORTIONING VALVE IS TO BE INSTALLED. AT THIS TIME I AM JUST WAITING FOR THESE COMPONANTS TO BE INSTALLED AND AM AT THE MERCY OF GM. I APPRECIATE THE DEALERS FORTITUDE IN RESOLVING THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE NOT PURSUED ANY LEMON LAW ACTIONS UNTIL THIS POINT. A SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME IS HOW THIS PULSING OF THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM INTERACTS WITH THE VEHICLE'S HANDLING DURING OPERATION ON WET ROADS. WITH BRISK AND FIRM APPLICATIONS OF THE BRAKES, THE REAR WHEELS WILL MOMENTARILY LOCK UP CAUSING AN UNSETTLING OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE ONCE BECAUSE OF THIS BUT FORTUNATELY DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. MY WIFE AND I ARE NOW EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN OPERATING DURING WET CONDITIONS BUT FEEL THAT WE ARE AT GM'S MERCY. PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. THOMAS DOWLING

BOTH FRONT DISC PADS WERE REPLACED THE LEFT FRONT TOTALLY DISINTEGRATED AND THE RIGHT FRONT PAD HAD ONLY A MINIMAL THICKNESS LEFT. BOTH FRONT DISCS HAD SOME SCORING AND BOTH WERE TURNED TO SMOOTH THEM OUT. VEHICLE IS A 1/2 TON GMC SUBURBAN AND HAS NEVER BEEN USED TO TOW. DEALER REPLACED THE DISCS AND TURNED ROTOR AT NO COST STATING THAT IT WASN'T A WARRENTY PROBLEM BUT THAT HE WANTED TO MAINTAIN GOOD WILL BETWEEN ME AND THE DEALERSHIP.