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 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Brakes failed without warning while at speed on a highway coming to a stop light. No brakes. No dash light until complete failure of the entire system. Split system failed. No brakes. Collision with telephone pole. Injury to occupants. Fluid leaking from rusted brake lines near ABS pump under driver side door. This is the second 2002 Tahoe that we have owned with this exact same failure. Both failed completely without warning. Neither system indicated any anomaly before total failure. Split system did not work. Both failed in the same place. The complaints on this are everywhere! - where is the NHTSA ?????? Wtf is wrong with you people ?? This has caused injury to many and no recall?
My ABS activates under 5mph on dry roads. There was a recall for this problem but my truck doesn't qualify. This is a known issue and they can "walk away" saying my VIN is not affected. Bunch of garbage - I've been a Chevy guy for ever and worked at a Chevy dealership - this causes me to loose some faith. Dealerships have the ability to help but there hands are tied by GM. Sad!!
My wife and I own a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe. On April 9, 2005 my wife and young daughter were approaching a stop sign in north knoxville, tennessee. My wife applied the brakes at a speed of approximately 10 -15 MPH. Initially, she felt pressure in the brake pedal then the pedal completely depressed to the floor, absent of all pressure. As a result of the brake failure she rear-ended the car in front of her which in turn rolled into the car in front of them (a total of 3 vehicles were involved). The police officer that worked the accident checked the brakes and immediately had the vehicle towed due to inoperable brakes. As a result my wife was not cited in the accident. Damage was minimum to the other 2 cars, however repair costs to our Tahoe was approximately $4300. One of the other drivers complained of a hurt knee/leg and another driver complained of an injured back. …
The brake lines on this truck (and every other GM truck this era) are rusted beyond belief!!! I fix them and fix them and fix them - I'm trying to do them all but I do not have the funds...this time the pedal went straight to the ground and the truck kept going. Had a choice, hit a stopped school bus or hit a tree. I chose the tree. Not much damage, but could have been worse!!! I've seen many many posts online with people complaining about this issue - I go to the parts store and they stock the bulk line and fittings and know the size for GM trucks because the problem is so common - its crazy that GM put such ferrous metal in these truck brake lines. I own cars much older and with many more miles and there are no issues. Same geographic location, same roads, same parking - different results. Hmmmm....its obvious they used cheap inferior crappy lines that have not stood the test of time. …
Brake lines have rusted through and caused an extremely unsafe situation. While on a family vacation to the outer banks the brakes failed without warning. We were able to find a repair shop to look over the brake system after refilling the master cylinder with brake fluid. The repair shop found no issues with the brakes and said someone probably forgot to bleed the brakes after servicing them. Since it was a recently purchased vehicle and we didn't know the history of work performed we thought this was possibly the issue. After driving another 50 miles or so the brakes failed again for the second time. This time my family and I were on the way to the state fair. I crawled under the vehicle and found one line to be completely ruptured and all others to be severely rusted. I now plan to replace all brake lines before the vehicle is used again. …
The ABS keeps engaging during low speed stopping and parking maneuvers, dry conditions. This is increasing braking distance when approaching slowing traffic and is very alarming. We nearly had an accident when this happened. I called a local dealer, and they said that "recall work" had been performed for this issue in 2005, and I was on my own for the repair. I think this is a major design flaw and GM should cover the repair indefinitely unless a design improvement was created. A car should stop when you need it too, not continue on its course and speed ignoring my input. It seems to me that they replaced parts of a bad design with parts of the same design then there was no design improvement to prevent a recurrence when the "recall work" was performed. I think this is a major flaw in the recall process. What recourse to I have now? …
I was pulling into a local gas station and the ABS cause me to not stop in time.. I ended up hitting the building... Cracking the brick work... The night before u notice the same thing... Hopping when I was at a slow speed trying to stop but this was very brief and I stopped... I looked on line and saw there was a recall for the wheel speed sensor.. This defect cause increase stopping distance... I then called Chevrolet to see if the recall affect my vehicle, but the only open recall was a head restraint.. I took it to a local Chevy dealer to get it fixed, as I was driving there the ABS light came on.. The code the pulled was for the front right wheel speed sensor. They did have the part available due to the recall which fit my vehicle, but yet mine was not recalled...
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal pulsated and the vehicle failed to respond without warning. The contact continued to depress the brake pedal and the vehicle hesitated to respond. The failure recurred on several occasions while driving at low speeds of 5 MPH or less. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V379000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The approximate failure mileage was 185,000. Updated 04/13/16 the consumer stated the brakes functioned properly when the ABS was disconnected. Updated 04/20/16
Brakes stopped working with no warning!!! Unbelievable, thank god I was in a parking lot and able to very gently come to a stop by mashing on the brakes and hitting a parking curb. After a little research online it looks like there's a case you have opened for the same issue. When will there be a recall? Does someone have to die? Has someone died from this? We'll probably never know because who would think the brake lines would just go like that. Again, no warning, no lights, still no indicator light on!!! I apologize for my excitement but I'm just shocked this is a known issue and it hasn't been addressed. I consider hitting the curb to stop my vehicle a "crash". I know it doesn't compare to real crashes but given the circumstances. . .
The brake line on my 2002 Chevy Tahoe busted while stopped at a busy intersection June 2014. The brake peddle was depressed after a normal stop when all pressure went away and I began rolling forward into the intersection before pushing the brake firmly to the floor to halt the vehicle. Upon pulling over I discovered a leak in the line mid-body of the vehicle and a empty brake fluid reservoir. After doing some research I discovered this is a common problem GM refuses to fix. The second incident happened on February 14th 2015 when stopping at another intersection which I almost went through. I again discovered a break in the line at roughly in the same spot. The shop told me the ABS had rusted through.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles May experience unwanted antilock brake system (ABS) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas.
Remedy: Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel…
NHTSA investigations
Unwanted low-speed ABS activation
In a letter dated August 29, 2005, GM notified odi that it was recalling certain model year 1999 through 2002 c/k pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles to correct a problem with anti-lock brake system (ABS) wheel speed sensor corrosion that May result in unwanted ABS activation and extended stopping distances during low-speed braking (recall 05v-379).GM's recall covers approximately 804,000 vehicles currently…
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,…
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 Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA has 182 complaints about the brakes of the 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe, 41% of the model year's 449 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (29 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-379 (antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, Aug 29, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 1 fire and 5 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.