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 2004 Chevrolet Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Brake/abs light on and ecbm for abs not working no anti lock brake system and for the electrical vehicle has all kinds of electrical issues had to remove fuse to radio because of it going bonkers and it wouldn't turn off or down sounds like a fax machine or old school dial up internet sounds all the time and siren sounds were coming from radio and speakers only way to make it stop was to pull the fuse and have had to get multiple four wheel alignments because of steering and steering has to much play in it before suburban turns
Total brake failure (vehicle has 95,387) miles) at 40 MPH in motion. Stabil-trac light indicated at the time of failure, service brake indicator on display information console. . Deployed 4wd low, dropped to lower gear and hit emergency brake to stop the vehicle on shoulder of road. Got out of vehicle saw brake fluid all over the skids and frame. Cause: towed to local shop indicated that brake lines on driver side and lines going to front wheel were completely rusty and "like paper". This was unsettling I don't live near saltwater but drive the vehicle a lot in winter. Had I been in a densely populated area, there certainly would have been loss of life. This vehicle weighs over 6000 lbs and no brakes is like to trying to stop a train. Please investigate similar failures as this failure in similar vehicles/any vehicle could cause loss of life.
While avoiding another vehicle I applied my brakes suddenly. The bake like connecting the ABS unit and the rear brakes failed due to corrosion/rust that was not observable due to the line being ran between the vehicles frame and body and gas tank. Although this location might have made for easy manufacturing it has LED to the line being in a location that cannot be visually inspected to prevent dangerous conditions from building up from lack of awareness. .
Update to complaint 10098773. Brakes failed to stop 2004 Suburban during hard stop at under 40 MPH. Lost power assist and some steering capabilities. Felt like the rotors were defective. Brake pedel was firm but would not slow. Impact @ around 20mph cause over $10,000 damage including a bent frame. I had a davis instruments carchip reader recording several metrics including speed. Car was new in August with less than 8,000 miles. I have all the carchip logs for this car from around the time I acquired it. Had problems with the dealer from day one due to suspect repairs on an earlier vehicle which had emissions and transmissions problems. Dealer conviced me to trade up once they realized that they could not fix the old car after multiple attempts between March and July 2004. 22 year collision free driving record. …
Update to prior complaint based on additional information. Have discussed this with d boyd. 2004 Suburban failed to slow during hard stop between 40 and 20 MPH. I believe that my original conclusion is probably accurate given that the 2004 Cadillac srx ABS ECU and the international ABS ECU failures were within the time period my Suburban was manufactured. This happened once before and occurs during wet conditions after two consecutive brake attempts. GM is stone walling me but I'd like to handle this without getting clarence ditlow @ the center for auto safety further involved. …
Backing out of a parking space went to stop and brake pedal sunk to the floor ABS and brake light came on I put the truck in park opened the hood the master cylinder had fluid then looked under the truck and under the drivers side door brake fluid was leaking from 1 of the 2 steel rusted lines had the truck towed to a repair shop the shop said the 2 lines from the master cylinder to the ABS block had severe corrosion and the rest of the brake lines aren't much better im sorry guys but this is a serious problem to me I could have been killed or killed someone else im one of the lucky ones I guess so now the truck is in the shop having all the brake lines changed for a cost of $ 600.00 and guess what we also own a 2003 tahoe with 90000 miles on it I guess they will have to be changed also same condition all brake lines rusted badly how many people must be seriously injured or killed …
2004 Chevy Suburban - sudden & complete loss of brake pressure at highway speed. Vehicle brakes were inspected in July through the va state inspection program - no issues found - today on 8/30/16 while exiting a freeway ramp at 60mph traffic came to sudden stop. When the service brake was applied in what would be considered a stab/emergency braking maneuver there was a complete and sudden loss of brake pressure - pedal went to floor without warning, brake would not pump up adequate enough to slow vehicle. I had to use a combination of parking brake application and utilizing the soft shoulder and ditch to stop the vehicle. The brake warning indicator (red) and service indicator did not illuminate until after the third or fourth application of the brake pedal. Suburban was towed. Causative factors = ruptured brake line.
Went to back out of the driveway, brake pedal went to the floor, no brakes had to take extreme steps to stop the vehicle and all I was doing was backing out of a flat driveway onto the street. Towed vehicle to auto shop - brake lines before safety valve broke causing the entire braking system to fail. Previously I had a brake line burst, however it was post the safety valve which allowed me to stop safely. The lines busting before the safety valve is extremely dangerous and would have resulted in severe injuries had we been driving down the road at normal driving speeds. GM has an issue and prior to this I was not happy with them saying it isn't an issue, now that it broke in a place that does not have any safety mechanism I consider it extremely poor of GM to cover their face and say there isn't an issue.
I was driving to pick my son up from school when I lost brakes. We barely avoided an accident and had to swerve off the road to avoid the vehicle in front of us stopping at the light. I had just redone my front and rear brakes/rogers. After inspecting the brake lines we noticed my lines are completely rusted and will not hold any fluid. I live in florida. No snow, no salt on my roads. It disgusts me that GM isn't taking care of this known issue. This is my 4th Suburban and will be my last. I will now be looking toward the Ford, Toyota, or Nissan SUV. GM should be making this right. Maybe after a few more deaths they'll see how serious this is. How many deaths do they need on their hands to see it's a problem? Absolutely disgusts me!
Headed out on a quick trip into town. As I turned off of the street I live on I came to a stop sign and as I went to hit the brakes they went all the way to the floor and I could not stop my vehicle in time. I was lucky because I was going downhill at the time but as luck would have it, no cars were at the stop sign and I was able to go through the stop sign and turn left onto an uphill road and let gravity stop my vehicle. Had this had happened once I hit the busy street I was headed to it would have killed someone else as well as myself! I have read that this problem has been reported and no recall from Chevrolet... That is just a crime, in my opinion!
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with Bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator May crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge.
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
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.
Brake complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the brakes of the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban, 24% of the model year's 204 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chevrolet Suburban brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-043 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 8, 2005); NHTSA recall 04V-045 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 4, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Suburban brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury 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.