Brake complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Antilock braking system warning lights and brake light came on when I was entering the freeway. The lights continue to come on whenever I am driving. I had it checked at corning Chevrolet and was told the part alone was $900 plus labor to replace it. The brakes work, but not the antilock system installed by the manufacturer.
When my wife returned to our 2004 Chevrolet Astro van, the vehicle seemed to have a dead battery. The car would not turn over or fire the ignition. After having the battery and starter checked, we were told the battery was drained and they were able to charge the battery. The starter checked good. The car seemed to have a "dead short" when trying to start and/or boost. After replacing all components, the van started, however, when I put my foot on the brakes, there was no brake pressure on the pedal. It appeared that we were losing brake fluid under the vehicle from a ruptured line. We towed the car home to inspect and replace the brake line. Upon inspection, we found electrical arcing where the brake line had grounded on the vehicle frame causing a hole to rupture in the brake line just rear of the electrical unit. …
On September 9, 2005 my 2003 Chevrolet Astro van exploded and caught fire in a parking lot. The fire dept. Arrived and put out the fire; the firemen disconnected the battery cable. The van was towed to huffines Chevrolet in plano, tx. The cause of the incident according to the Chevrolet mechanics is as follows: 1) every time the steering wheel was turned, the tie rods etc. Would chafe against a bracket on the chassis that held down a battery cable. 2) eventually the bracket failed. 3) the battery cable arced against the brake line. 4) the brake line ruptured spraying hydraulic fluid over the hot engine manifold. 5) the ensuing fire burned through, among other things, the A/C hose carrying freon. 6) when the A/C hosed was severed, the freon gas escaped causing the loud explosion that we heard some distance away. 7) the smoke that we saw in the air was actually the escaping freon gas. …
I was driving approximately 30 miles per hour along slightly snow-covered road towards stopped traffic at red light on a slight downgrade. I stepped on the brakes gentle, as required by the conditions, but the ABS system started to shudder and the vehicle did not brake at all. I hit a stopped vehicle at the intersection and even with a relatively slow speed impact, our vehicle was written off and the other was towed away because it could not be driven. Our van was drivable, but just barely, and was subsequently written off by the insurance company. I was charged with careless driving which was absolutely not the case. We have another vehicle of the same year and similar model and it does the same thing occasionally but so far this has not resulted in any further collisions. We have owned Astro vans since they were first marketed in 1985 and this is the first one to act like this. …
On March 26, 2008, I took my 2002 Chevy Astro van to be serviced. Mileage 93,829,I had no brakes. The master cylinder was determined to be the cause of the failure and was replaced. On April 12, 2008, once again I had no brakes, this time it resulted in me getting into and accident. I took the van back to the same repair shop. When they put it on the lift they said the whole braking system was melted until the point of the hose bursting. He said he never saw anything like this in his 20 years of service. They did not want to touch it stating it was now a liability to them and directed me to Chevy. Chevy concurred, four different people said they have never seen or have a clue at what caused this. They called in GM, who also never had seen this, but bounced the blame on a questionably installed master cylinder. …
While driving at 5 MPH consumer attempted to park in the driveway and without warning lost steering ability. Also, brakes were inoperable, and would not stop the vehicle. The vehicle collided with the outside wall of the garage. There was considerable damage to the garage and the vehicle. Consumer sustained no bodily injuries. Sliding door doesn't unlock to open. Dealer replaced ps pump because pump drive shaft was broken, and reinstalled side door.
Tl* - the contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Astro van. On several occasions when the driver applied the brakes the vehicle was unable to stop. The current mileage and the failure mileage was 27,000 miles. The first failure resulted in a crash into a fence. The second incident was a of couple months later, the driver drove through the garage door after applying the brakes and failing to stop the vehicle. The contact was unable to get out of the van at that time. The contact attempted to drive the van in reverse ,and noticed that the pedal's placement was in an awkward position, it seemed higher than usual. The contact was driving in a storm and experienced a similar incident with the brakes. The most recent incident occurred December 28, 2006 when the contact attempted to place the vehicle in reverse and the engine accelerated. The contact applied the brakes and the van didn't stop. …
1) noticed that my brakes would "pressurize" when coming to a stop as if the anti-lock brakes were activating. I've experienced normal activation before on ice, snow, and loose gravel so I knew what it was doing. It began happening a lot so I took it to the dealer (basil Chevrolet, wellsville, ny) on 9/24/07. They replaced the rotors, pads and told me "road test OK...on road test did experience antilock problem. Only once felt - unable to verify". 2) took my van home and was seeing the problem as much if not more so than before. Was quite upset that after spending over $400 dollars on the auto, I still didn't have the problem fixed that I took the van in for. Complained about it to the dealer and they said they could bring it in to "clean the sensors" for me but couldn't get me in until "next week". The very next day the problem arose while parking my vehicle at work. …
NHTSA investigations
Loss of power assist
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Astro years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1995 (109), 1997 (67), 2000 (65), 1998 (38) and 1996 (36) model years. Brake complaints make up 24% of all complaints for the 1995.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Astro brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for any Chevrolet Astro model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Astro brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles; 24% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (243 mentions), followed by the foundation components (27).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.