Brake complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Consumer was in heavy traffic, and he said that traffic in front of him came to a stand still. He was within two car lengths behind another vehicle. Consumer applied brakes and hit vehicle in front of him. Upon impact, airbags didn't go off. Also had problem stopping with ABS braking system.
Tl contact owns a 1999 GMC Suburban. While driving 1-5 MPH, the ABS activated without cause or warning when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the stopping distance increased. On another occasion, while driving 2 MPH, the contact's wife depressed the brake pedal and the ABS activated without warning and crashed into another vehicle. As of December 17, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 05V379000 (service brakes, hydraulic: antilock). The failure mileage was 92,500 and current mileage was 93,000. Updated 03/14/08. There was damage to either vehicle, no information was exchanged.
We own a 1999 GMC Suburban . We are the original owners of this vehicle which has never (til this time) been in a crash. On perfectly dry pavement, the brakes malfunction while coming to a stop. It sounds and feel like the antilock brakes are pulsating and greatly reduces my braking capability which is extremely dangerous. This occurs while coming to a stop from a speed of approximately 5-10 MPH. I respectfully request that an immediate repair be performed and be paid for by GM as quickly as possible. Kindly contact me as soon as possible as we transport our children and other adults on many occasions. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
I have a 1998 GMC Suburban just purchased and I experienced the same problem described in recall #05V379000. Result was my wife slammed into the back of another car in our driveway. Damage was minimal but I sure don't want her driving this vehicle until it is fixed! I called GM and they said this year (1998) is not effected! Yeah, right!
While applying the brake pedal the brakes failed. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. Consumer inspected the vehicle and noticed that the rotors needed to be replaced due to corrosion. This information was provided helen's boy friend erick wunk. Front passenger brake rotor separated from lug bolt hub. Drivers side rotter also ready to separate. GMC recalled this part but not for the serial number of the consumers vehicle. Consumer replaced parts at his own expense. Consumer states that if this incident happened while driving at a high rate of speed he would have loss control of the vehicle.
Dt: the contact owns a 1997 GMC Suburban. The contact was calling in reference to NHTSA campaign recall 05V379000 concerning ABS brakes. The contact stated that she was receiving a false reading with ABS brakes, and her state and model year was not included in the recall. The contact has been having this problem since early summer of this year around May or June. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, and they needed to replace the front hub. The contact disconnected the ABS system from both of the front tires and was no longer having this problem, but it will need to be repaired before winter. The ABS would activate while braking at slow speed which resulted in extended stopping distance.
ABS brakes do not and have not worked properly since this vehicle was first purchased (still original owner). Speed sensitive steering does not and has not worked properly as well. Thousands of dollars $$$ have been spent at the original dealership and at qualified automobile service repair centers continually replacing parts and sometimes the same parts of the years, this continues to this day even though the Suburban is in excellent condition and well taken care of. This includes master cylinder, brake pads, cylinders, etc. This braking defect seems to be experienced by many owners of the 1997 GMC Suburban c1500. Why hasn't something been done by GM engineers to locate and fix this problem?
Vehicle was exhibiting no problems. Upon approaching a red traffic light the brake pedal was depressed, and the pedal went to the floor, as if the ABS system was kicking in, but the vehicle did not slow down. I replaced the master cylinder and bled all brake lines, and the condition still exists. I performed diagnostics on the vehicle according to seveal service manuals and determined that the ABS modulator valve has failed in such a manner as to allow brake fluid to bleed into the ABS accumulator, without getting an ABS diagnostic failure light. I had to drive the vehicle home for over 20 miles with severely limited breaking power and was very fortunate to have avoided an accident. I would rather not have ABS breaks on the vehicle than have a break system that can fail in this manner. …
Related recalls (2)
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with vacuum power, 4-wheel disc brakes. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems." these vehicles were built with a kinked brake booster vacuum supply hose.
Remedy: Dealers will re-route the brake booster vacuum supply hose.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Rotor
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. One or both front brake rotor/hubs were built with an out-of-specification gray iron that can fail during the life of the vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rotors for a core date of "287" and, if found, replace the rotor.
NHTSA investigations
Poor brake performance
Poor performance of ABS brakes
Loss of power assist
There is no summary currently available
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.
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which GMC Suburban years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (123), 1995 (101), 1996 (62), 1997 (58) and 1998 (29) model years. Brake complaints make up 43% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for GMC Suburban brake problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 00V-222 (vacuum, Aug 8, 2000); 98V-033 (rotor, Feb 17, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do GMC Suburban brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles; 25% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (294 mentions), followed by the foundation components › disc (33).
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.