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 2005 Chevrolet Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The vehicle was idle for about 4 months. I took it to a carwash to clean the dust off. Upon returning (abt a 2 mile trip) the brakes failed and steam was coming out from under the hood. I opened the hood and brake fluid was sprayed all over the driver's side of the engine and wheel well. A brake line had rusted through and burst. Fortunately, I made it home carefully because I had noticed the brakes were soft.
The fuel line that is on top of the gas tank rotted through. The brake and transmission lines rotted and leaked. The chassis is rotting in different places I have less than 77,000 miles on it since I bought new. I have a 1969 malibu that I've had since it was new and I keep it outside in all kinds of weather and not one part of the chassis is rotted. I don't know what kind of steel they use now to build these cars and trucks, but it should be unacceptable. I don't know the exact dates these things happened, but I do have all the repair bills for them. When the brake line rotted through I was going to the store and when I came to a yield sign the brake pedal whet to the floor. It's a good thing it happened then, because I live on a mountain and we have a road called breakneck and it is a 25% grade. …
As I was about to exit a parking lot onto a four lane roadway, the brakes on my 2005 Chevrolet Suburban failed. I lived approximately 1/2 mile from this location and proceeded to drive home. It was a little scarey without any stopping power, even the emergency bake would not hold. When I got home, I used a flashlight to try to find the source of the problem. Found a pattern of brake fluid leaking. Removed the spare tire to get a better look and found a brake line between the ABS and rear of the vehicle had rusted out. From the looks of the line condition, they need to be all replaced. Never in my 70 years have I seen brake lines on a ten year old vehicle look like they did, really in bad shape. Looked at other lines, fuel, transmission, they all looked like they should be replaced.
I was driving on the expressway when I had to apply a strong force to the brakes in order to avoid hitting a vehicle. Simultaneously, the surburban brakes became very stiff and I lost power steering at the same time. After applying an extreme excessive amount of force I was able to stop the vehicle and avoid an accident. I had to find the nearest exit and while doing so it was extremely hard to make a 15 degree turn and also extremely hard to come to a complete stop. It was very dangerous and I was scared for my life. I told a mechanic about this and he said it sound like a bad hydro booster. I looked it up online and saw that there was a recall on it. When I looked it up it said 0 open. This is definitely a safety issue. Please help!.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban. While driving 20 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The contact had to apply the emergency brake and veered the vehicle to the shoulder of the road, which allowed the vehicle to come to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed by OnStar to denooyer Chevrolet (127 wolf rd, albany, ny 12205, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the brake lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,795.
While driving around town I noticed my brakes feeling mushy and the pedal needing to be pressed further into the floorboard. My "check brake system" light came on and upon inspection noticed that I was low on brake fluid. I filled the brake fluid reservoir to the max line. The next day the same warning light came on and I further inspected the brake lines to find that the lines from the ABS box to the rear had rusted out and were leaking badly.
The 2005 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 was traveling on a city street and the brakes became soft instantly, a collision was avoided by steering away from the cars at the intersection and the emergency brake was used. There was no warning on the sudden failure, other than a indicator on the dash. A short drive to the home driveway, the remaining brake fluid has all leaked out under the drivers door location.
Rear brake line failed. My wife and kids were in the 2005 Suburban 1500, she managed to press the ebrake then turn the Suburban into someone's front yard where it eventually came to rest on a hill. She was headed downhill on a residential street at the time of failure. Took to hundru chev in manheim pa I was told the repair will be somewhere around $2300.00
Brakes gave out suddenly without warning.Chevy dealer said lines are rusted and need replace at cost of $1600.also just replaced steering gear box pitman arm and idler arm and wheel bearing hub at a cost of $2300 because your nuts on the steering assembly have a tendency to come off.
2001 Chevrolet Suburban k-1500 4wd; was driving at low speed ~10-15 MPH and applied brakes hard with sudden and unexpecte loss of brakes resulting in mva and damage to three vehicles, including my own
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
On certain sport utility vehicles, the brake pedal pushrod retainer May be missing. If the retainer is missing, the brake booster pushrod could disengage from the brake pedal.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles for the brake pedal pushrod retainer and install one if it is missing free of charge. The manufacturer began contacting owners by telephone on March 10, 2005.
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.
Brake complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban, 19% of the model year's 129 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Suburban brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-103 (pedals and linkages, Mar 18, 2005); NHTSA recall 05V-043 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 8, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Suburban brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 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.