Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Chevrolet Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While applying my brakes on highway rout 87, near albany ny, the pedal went to the floor and we crashed into the car in front of us. After being towed to a aaa repair facility they told us that the brakes were fine but the steel brake line had blown out and the fluid had leaked causing loss of stoping power without any warning... We spent $890.00 plus a hotel room for one night as we waited for them to make a repair to one brake line. I recently found out all the brake lines are rotted out and need to be replaced. This makes no sense.....there is a clear safety issue here. Please reopen the case and advise a recall before a big SUV like ours hurts someone in a small car because there brake lines failed. They won't know until its to late!!!
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.
My complaint is that GM used substandard materials in of all things the brake lines! I lost all braking ability when one of my brake lines blew due to rust. How does this happen? I should have had at least partial braking ability due to the front and rear lines being separate. Luckily for me this happened right before my families thanksgiving trip, or else we would have been doing 70 on the interstate when this happened! Please don't let GM get away with this!
Re: "g.m. Resists recalling trucks over brake lines", ny times, July 7, 2014 in spite of my 2003 Chevy Suburban passing new hampshire's mandatory safety inspection in May of 2018, in August of 2018 a brake line burst, resulting in loss of brake function. The line burst at a point below the driver's door and just forward of the ABS modulator, where the lines cross over the top of the frame and are exposed to wheel spray. At the point of failure, the lines are overlaid and obscured by a large bundle of electric wires. The attached photo shows the failure point, with the sheathed wire bundle moved up out of the way. The mileage at the time was approximately 167500. …
I purchased this vehicle used in October 2019. It has 180,000 miles but is in good overall condition. The problem is not exclusive to this vehicle or even this type of vehicle. The issue is rusty hydraulic brake lines. This problem has plagued older vehicle owners, especially in the rust belt midwest, since hydraulic brakes were invented. Some conscientious manufacturers such as Volvo, have switched to a brake line material called cunifer or nicopp, a copper nickel alloy c70600. This material performs like conventional steel lines but without the corrosion problem. I am a ase certified technician,and have been repairing vehicles as well as restoring cars as a hobby for well over 50 years. Over this time period I have blown many brake lines. I have been lucky in that it never happened to me in an emergency stop where damage and or serious injury could have occurred. …
I had just come off the highway and was on the exit ramp. Went to press my brakes at the stop light and my foot went to the floor. Thankfully the off ramp was an slight uphill so that helped me slow and there was no traffic coming across. I went through the stop light and was able to stop after the turn by pressing the brake all the way to the floor. I had the car towed to our mechanic who determined that 2 of the brake lines had rusted through. The other lines were showing signs of rust so they were all replaced. I was thankful that my 4 kids and husband were not in the car and that there was no cross traffic or this could have had a much worse ending. After seeing how many complaints there are about the brake lines on the 2003 Suburban, I would hope that a recall would be issued for safety sake!
My brakes failed on an interstate highway in sw ohio in traffic. I avoided an accident by changing lanes abruptly and coasting to a stop on the side of the road. The repair facility indicated that it was the result of a rusted brake line that failed. The repairs cost me $1300 plus the cost of a rental car while the car was repaired. I understood from the feedback of the repair facility that GM is aware or this defect but has not elevated it to a "recall". It is considered to be a "campaign". I was not informed by anyone, including a dealership/ the car is low mileage, but I do live in the ne where the car has been exposed to chemicals on the road. I had the car at a dealership not more than 2 weeks ago for an air conditioning repair. This issue was not reported to me at that time.
My low mileage 2003 Suburban has been garage kept since I purchased it new. In March 2011 my brake lines failed causing me to hit the stopped vehicle in front of me. Upon taking it to jba Chevrolet for repairs, service manager said they replaced rotted brake lines in 2003 and 2004 GM products all day long. He also said that during these years GM chose not to anodize their brake lines on some models. I asked the dealership if this had been reported to the NHTSA, he told us that car dealers and repair shops are not allowed to file complaints, that complaints must come directly from the consumer. Who else would know better than a car dealer or repair shop about continuing defects found in a certain model vehicle. What does it take to get a recall? How many people must die?
While towing a bass boat and slowing to turn into a driveway, the brake pedal suddenly went to the floor causing me to drive into an open field while attempting to pump brakes to stop. Once stopped I checked to find a large leak in a brake line running along drivers side rear frame. Fortunately I had just driven down a steep curved hill. Additionally, a second failure occurred on 8/3/2015 when driving toward an intersection stop sign. Again the pedal went to the floor. Causing a near miss as the stop sign was driven through when I couldn't stop. This time the drivers front line ruptured. On exam half the lines are clear of rust and half are all rusted obviously from different suppliers. This time all will be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. While driving 10 MPH, the brakes failed to respond. Another vehicle, traveling approximately 50 MPH, crashed into the contact's vehicle. The air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained minor injuries. The contact stated that two passengers in the other vehicle sustained major injuries. A police report was filed and medical attention was received. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vans fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, ?passenger car brake systems.? Some of these vehicles were produced with an out-of-specification brake hydro-boost housing relief valve bore.
Remedy: Dealers are to replace the hydro-boost relief valve. The recall began on June 18, 2004. Owners should contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339; Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; GMC at 1-866-996-9463; or Hummer at 1-866-486-6376.
NHTSA investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Defect Petition DP10-003 on March 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (MY) 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.DP10-003 was granted and on March 30, 2010, Preliminary Evaluation PE10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility…
Brake line corrosion failure
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,…
Hydraulic pump failres
GM is conducting a recall on all subject vehicles build between May 1999 and October 14, 1999.significant changes were incorporated into production in early October 1999, and vehicles built after that date have lower warranty failure rates.the complaint and warranty data appear to support the effectiveness of these changes.
Parking brake failure
In a letter dated April 20, 2005, GM notified NHTSA that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to GM, some of these vehicles May have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an…
Parking brake failure
Odi's review of complaint data received since the close of ea04-011 revealed no indication that the investigation should be re-opened.more details can be found in the federal register notice enclosed in the dp05-009 public file.odi reserves the right to reopen the investigation in the future should conditions warrant.
Brake complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban?
NHTSA has 91 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban, 30% of the model year's 301 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Suburban brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-045 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 4, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Suburban brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 106,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.