2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

MY SON WAS DRIVING IN BAKERSFIELD CA, HE WAS ON BUENA VISTA, WHEN HE CAME TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT AT MING AVE. THE LIGHT CHANGED AND WHEN HE HIT THE BRAKES THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE FRONT BRAKES FAILED TO WORK AND HE SKIDDED THRU THE INTERSECTION, THRU THE RED LIGHT. THE SPEED LIMIT IS 55 MPH ON THAT ROAD, THE TIME WAS 11AM. NO OTHER CAR WAS HIT. HE HAD MY TRUCK TOWED TO A AAA SHOP, THEY SAID THE FRONT BRAKE TUBING OFF THE ABS BOXED TO THE FRONT CALIPER FAILED FROM RUSTING OUT (WITH NO WARNING). THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIX IT AT THAT SHOP AND I SHOULD TAKE IT TO 3 WAY CHEV. I CALLED THE CHEVY FACTORY LINE AND SPOKE TO A REP. SHE SAID THEY MIGHT WARRANTY SOME OF THE REPAIR BUT THEIR DEALER SHIP HAD TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM. I INFORMED HER OF THE MILEAGE AND GAVE HER THE VIN# I TOLD HER I ALSO BOUGHT THE CAR FROM HERITAGE CHEVY IN MD. I CALLED THEM AND GOT A PRICE TO REPLACE ALL THE BRAKE TUBING FOR $1600.00 AND IF IT NEEDED A ABS BOX IT WOULD BE TOTAL OF $3400.00 FOR EVERYTHING.3WAY CHEVY IN BAKERSFIELD SAID IT WOULD COST $7597.07 FOR EVERYTHING BUT IT MAY BE MORE BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY HAD TO REMOVE THE CAB FROM THE FRAME. THEY ALSO SAID THE TRUCK SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN IN THE SNOW BECAUSE OF THE SALT THAT IS USED ON THE ROADS. THIS IS A 4X4 AND I LIVE IN NORTHERN MD AND I BOUGHT FOR THE SNOW AND I TOW A 24 FOOT BOAT THAT WEIGHS 6300 LBS. THE FACTORY REP SAID THEY COULD NOT HELP ME IN ANY WAY BECAUSE OF THE AGE AND MILEAGE, WHICH I ORIGINALLY TOLD THEM ABOUT. THE FACTORY REPS KEEP ON TRANSFERRING ME TO OTHER REPS TILL I GAVE UP. I WAS ASE TECH( EVERYTHING EXCEPT TRANSMISSIONS ) , MD STATE INSPECTOR AND MD CERTIFIED EMISSIONS FOR OVER 20 YEARS. THIS BRAKE PROBLEM WITH THE GM TRUCKS WILL EVENTUALLY GET SOMEONE HURT OR KILLED. I SOLD THE TRUCK FOR $ 1500.00 WITH NO BRAKES AS IS. *TR

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED A COLLISION WITH CAR THAT HAD SLOWED IN FRONT. INSPECTION UNDER THE CAR SHOWED BRAKE FLUID SPRAYED AROUND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE REAR AXLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN DOWN THE ROAD AND MY SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. I LOOKED ONLINE AND I FOUND OVER 40 INCIDENTS ON WWW.SAFECAR.GOV ALONE. WHATS THE PROBLEM WITH GETTING THIS SAFETY PROBLEM FIXED. I CAN GO TO THE DEALER AND GET IT FIXED FOR $500 OR MORE. DO PEOPLE NEED TO GET HURT OR DIE BEFORE THIS PROBLEM IS NOTICED BY CHEVROLET OR GMC? *TR

A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKE PRESSURE WITH NO WARNING LIGHT INDICATOR - WHEN INSPECTED THE DRIVERS SIDE LINE HAD CORRODED ALMOST DIRECTLY UNDER THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME OF OCCURRENCE, THE FIRST BEING THE PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LINE IN SAME LOCATION. *TR

THIS WAS THE DATE A MECHANIC ADVISED US THAT THE BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY CORRODED AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE REPLACED. OUR VEHICLE IS GARAGED IN THE WINTER AND WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW. THE BRAKE LINES SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THAT. *TR

ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER TO THE ABS CONTROL UNIT RUPTURED DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION, RESULTING IN SEVERE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID, AND NEAR COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING FORCE. REPLACED BOTH LINES ON THE ADVICE OF MY MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE OTHER LINE WAS JUST AS BADLY CORRODED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE BRAKE LINE FROM THE ABS CONTROL UNIT TO THE REAR BRAKES FAILED DUE TO SEVERE CORROSION IN DECEMBER OF 2012, RESULTING IN COMPLETE LOSS OF REAR BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS. REPLACED THAT PORTION OF BRAKE SYSTEM, AND VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT BRAKE LINES STILL EXTANT. *TR

AS I WAS BACKING MY VEHICLE FROM MY DRIVEWAY I NOTICED A PUDDLE OF BRAKE FLUID WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION I NOTED THAT THE FRONT BRAKE LINE LEADING FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER TO THE REAR ABS CONTROLLER WAS LEAKING FLUID ONTO THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THE BRAKE LINES ARE REPLACED. ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES ON THIS 2003 SUBURBAN ARE HEAVILY CORRODED AND LOOK READY TO FAIL AT ANY MOMENT. *TR

JUST FINISHED DRIVING VEHICLE FOR 1 HOUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITHOUT INCIDENT. PARKED CAR FOR 5 MINUTES, UPON TRYING TO RESTART, THE CAR DISPLAYED "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CONSOLE. APPROXIMATELY 8 RESTARTS AND THE MESSAGE DID NOT DISPLAY. DROVE CAR 5 MINUTES AND PARKED IT FOR 1 HOUR, UPON RESTART DISPLAYED SAME MESSAGE, CAR WAS VIRTUALLY UNDRIVEABLE. 3 RESTARTS LATER MESSAGE NO LONGER DISPLAYED. THIS MESSAGE HAS NOW INTERMITTENTLY OCCURRED EVER SINCE SEEMINGLY WITHOUT ANY PATTERN. THE MESSAGE IS RELATED TO A FAILURE IN THE "DRIVE BY WIRE" SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF A PHYSICAL CABLE FROM THE GAS PEDAL. IT CAUSES THE CAR TO BE COMPLETELY UNDRIVEABLE UNTIL SEEMINGLY RANDOMLY FIXING ITSELF. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A PAVED HIGHWAY, WHEN THE UPCOMING INTERSECTION LIGHT TURNED RED. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS VERY SOFT AND JUST KEPT GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. AFTER THE PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR THEN THE RED WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BEFORE ENTERING THE INTERSECTION AND LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF ME. IF THERE HAD BEEN, I WOULD HAVE HIT THEM. I DROVE TO A NEARBY TRUCK STOP AND GOT SOME BRAKE FLUID, THE VEHICLE TOOK THE WHOLE CONTAINER. I HAD NO FORE-WARNING OF ANY PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM. I CAREFULLY DROVE HOME AND BY THE TIME I GOT THERE, APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES, MY BRAKE FLUID WAS DOWN AGAIN AND THE BRAKES WERE FAILING AS I PULLED INTO MY DRIVE. AGAIN, THE WARNING LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AT ANY TIME UNTIL I PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. MY HUSBAND LOOKED AT THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING AND THE REAR BRAKE LININGS WERE CORRODED AND LEAKING. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS SUBURBAN NEW IN 2003. IN MAY OF 20011, I SUDDENLY HAD NO BRAKES WHEN BACKING UP AND GOING FORWARD IN PARKING LOT AFTER DRIVING FROM HOME TO STORE. TOOK THE SUBURBAN TO OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON CHEVROLET DEALER WHO SAID CAUSE OF THE BRAKE FAILURE WAS DUE TO RUSTING OF BRAKE LINES THAT WERE LEAKING AND RECOMMENDED REPLACING ALL BRAKE LINES. IN THE PREVIOUS WEEKS, I HAD DRIVEN THE SUBURBAN ON MOUNTAIN ROADS IN NATIONAL FORESTS IN THE AREA THAT WERE UNPAVED AND HAD STEEP INCLINES, WAS LUCKY NOT TO HAVE HAD A FAILURE ON THOSE ROADS OR ON PAVED HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE TRIP HOME. ALL BREAK LINES WERE REPLACED. THIS REQUIRED REMOVAL OF THE FUEL TANK. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE SERVICE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON I TOOK THE SUBURBAN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE FRONT FUEL TANK VENT THAT WAS ALSO RUSTED AND WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THIS REQUIRED REPLACING THE FUEL TANK SINCE THE VENT WAS NOT SOLD SEPARATELY!! THE NEW TANK WITH VENT COST $829 DOLLARS BRINGING THE TOTAL COST OVER $3,000 DOLLARS. NOTE, I ALSO PURCHASED A 2003 HONDA ACCORD NEW, WHICH I STILL HAVE, AND HAVE DRIVEN IT FOR OVER 70,000 MILES AND IN THE SAME ENVIRONMENT AS THE 2003 SUBURBAN, AND IT HAS NO SIGNS OF RUST ON THE BRAKE LINES OR FUEL LINES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SUBURBANS OF OTHER MODEL YEARS AND IT IS A LIFE ENDANGERING FAILURE. I FEEL I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED BY CHEVROLET FOR THESE REPAIRS AND A RECALL ISSUED ALL SUBURBANS TO CHECK FOR THIS RUSTING OF THE BRAKE AND FUEL LINES TO AVOID LOSS OF BRAKES THAT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND LOSS OF LIFE. *TR