2016 Chevrolet Suburban Brake Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  48%
• 25k–50k
  1223%
• 50k–75k
  1631%
• 75k–100k
  1019%
• 100k–150k
  713%
• 150k+
  36%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Chevrolet Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V761000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Service Brakes, Electronic Stability Control) and 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) at the dealer; however, the failure recurred after the recalls were repaired with a stiff brake pedal and increased braking effort while driving. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went over a curve and the front passenger's side crashed into a tree, then came to a complete stop in a ditch. There were no air bags deployed. The contact's wife sustained neck and back injuries but did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was towed to Coughlin Hyundai (2300 Hebron Rd, Heath, OH 43056) where it remained and was not repaired. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. …

On October 23, 2024, my 2016 Chevrolet Suburban was stopped in a line of traffic on a downhill. As traffic began to move forward, the brakes failed to hold, despite pressure on the brake pedal. This resulted in a low-speed collision with the vehicle in front, which then impacted another vehicle. Component/System: The braking system failed to engage despite pressure on the brake pedal. The vehicle is a total loss; however, documentation of the damage is available through my insurance company, New Jersey Manufacturers, claim number 2024-884575, and the police report from the accident scene. Safety Risk: This brake failure posed a significant safety risk to my family (who were occupants), and other drivers. The collision caused substantial vehicle damage. Confirmation: The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or independent service center due to it being a total loss. …

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle brakes independently activated. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway and stopped the vehicle. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and regained braking functionality. The failure was intermittent but occurred at various speeds. The failure occurred mostly while driving up an incline and depressing the accelerator pedal and the independent braking failure would occur. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that prior to the failures the vehicle had been taken to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. …

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) in 2019. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to depress the brake pedal, which responded just before the vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump and belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under an unknown warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 72,779.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while reversing at approximately 2 MPH and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brake pedal was very difficult to depress. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to depress the brake pedal before the vehicle stopped. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he shifted into park(P) and turned off and restarted the vehicle and normal brake functionality was restored. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was 109,260.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while approaching a stop sign and driving at 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The brake service warning light illuminated after the failure. The contact was able to pull to the side, turn off the vehicle, wait a moment, and restart. The failure persisted and progressively worsened. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

I see that some 2016 Chevy Suburban's have recalls on this with brake issues. I checked to see if ours had a recall and it doesn't but I believe that it should as we have a serious safety issue with ours. We have had a couple of mechanics look over our brakes and lines and none can seem to find anything wrong, but it is very intermittent and we never know when the issue will start. Sometimes the Service Brake Assist light will flash on, but other times it will not. Basically we will be driving and sometimes it is very hard to get it to stop, some times the brake won't push down at all and sometimes it will push all the way to the floor. It seems like it will happen after the car has been driven over an hour, but sometimes not. It has happened first thing in the morning, but not very often. …

When driving at low speeds the brakes do not work. The vehicle will stop, but it is very hard to get it to stop. You must push the brake pedal all the way to the floor to get the brakes to work. This does not happen all time it will just happen out of no were, this can be scaring. I looked up to see if our vehicle has any current recalls, which it does not. But on 9/19/2019 we had our vehicle in the shop and they did do a recall at this time. It was Increased Brake Pedal Effort. NHTSA Campaign # 19V645000 and this sounds like exactly what was happening. This was done when our vehicle had 60,000 miles on it and at the time it was having no symptoms. We had never had any brake issues at this time. Now our vehicle is having these issues and I feel that this safety issue should be another recall on our vehicle and should be covered and fixed as it sounds like the same issue. …

Issue with Power Braking System. Has longer than normal stopping distance when braking. Hissing noise coming from Power Brake Pump under the hood. Loses air pressure in brakes very easily. We are afraid to drive this vehicle because this will eventually cause a crash. Mechanic stated this is a known issue with these vehicles of this Year/Make/Model and was on the recall list. This is a known issue that shows reports online my vehicle has issues/recalls on but for some reason my VIN isn't showing the recall. There is no warning message lit up on the dashboard. Mechanic was able to check the OBD computer to pull a code of (C0299-00). I have reached out to a Chevrolet dealership who is supposed to be looking into this for me but I wanted to reach out to you guys as well.

I keep getting a brake assist message on my dash. If I am braking at a slow speed, the brakes get so hard to press, and eventually will not let me stop unless I press the brake as hard as I can to the floor. An example, when I am dropping up and picking up my children from school, the brake will vibrate and gets harder to press with each time. With the stop and go in the school line by the time I get to the front to pick up my child it's almost impossible to stop. I have almost rear ended several vehicles going 2 mph because my brakes won't work. Same with pulling and parking into a parking lot space. I am reading there is a recall on some models but my VIN didn't pull up an active recall.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Brake complaints in other Suburban years