2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

WHILE TURNING SHARPLY THE STEERING AND BRAKES SUDDENLY BECAME VERY DIFFICULT. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE HYDRAULIC PUMP DRIVESHAFT IN THE STEERING BROKE. THIS PART WAS A RECALL IN THE 2000 GM TRUCK LINE, WHILE MINE IS A 2001. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY RECALL WHY WON'T THEY PAY FOR MY REPAIR? *NM

ANTI- LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATING AT LOW SPEED EVEN THOUGH NO CONDITIONS EXIST THAT WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO KICK IN. *JB

I HAVE A 2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1/2 TON WITH 39,000 MILES ON IT. THE EMERGENCY (PARKING) BRAKE IS DEFECTIVE. IT WILL NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE. I HAVE NEVER USED MY EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND WAS TOLD BY VARIOUS REPAIR PEOPLE THAT IT WAS A KNOWN DEFECT AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ORDERED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, AS I AM SURE THERE ARE MANY UNKNOWING OWNERS WITH AN UNUSABLE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED: # 02-05-26-002A. *NM

2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HYDRAULIC PUMP DRIVESHAFT BROKE IN THE STEERING. *MR THE VEHICLE LOST THE STEERING AND BRAKES. *SC

DT: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL MALFUNCTIONED. WHEN STARTING VEHICLE HAVD TO APPLY ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON THE ACCELATOR, IT SEEMED TO BE STUCK. THIS ONLY HAPPEND WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN PARK OR REVERSE. THIS STARTED HAPPENING ON MAY 12, 2005. DEALER LOOKED AT VEHICLE BUT WAS GOING TO CHARGE THE CONSUMER FOR REPAIRS. NHTSA ACTION INVESTIGATION EA02015 DEALT WITH SAME PROBLEM. *AK

THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGES AT LOW SPEEDS, WHEN THERE IS NO WHEEL SLIPPAGE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LUNGE FOWARD ESPECIALLY ON INCLINES. *JB

2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, PARKING BRAKE (EMERGENCY BRAKE) HAS NEVER WORKED. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SIMPLE ADJUSTMENT AND SINCE THIS VEHICLE IS NORMALLY DRIVEN ONLY ON LONG TRIPS--RATHER THAN DAILY USE I WAS NOT TOO CONCERNED. DID NOT BOTHER TO REPORT TO DEALER BECAUSE TOO MUCH HASSLE OVER OTHER DEFECTS UNDER WARRANTY. RECENTLY CONSULTED MY MECHANIC FRIEND (FORMER GM) AND HAVE FOUND THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT MANUFACTURING FLAW--WRONG PARTS INSTALLED AT DATE OF MANUFACTURER. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED TO DEALERS ON THIS PROBLEM. BECAUSE THE VEHICLE NOW IS FOUR YEARS OLD AND HAS APPROXIMATELY 58000 MILES THE DEALER WILL NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEM WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT EXPENDITURE ON MY PART. I BELIEVE THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AT THE MANUFACTURERS EXPENSE. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER OWNERS OF SIMILAR VEHICLES EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. TIME AND MILEAGE SHOULD NOT DISCHARGE THE MANUFACTURE FROM THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *JB

DT: THE BRAKES AT LOW SPEEDS WERE WORKING POORLY, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES. THEY ALSO MADE A THUMPING SOUND WHEN THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY CLAIMED IT WAS OTHER THINGS BESIDES THE ABS SYSTEM. DEALERSHIP WANTED CONSUMER TO SPEND MONEY ON THE BRAKE PADS/ROTORS, AND CALIPERS FIRST AND THEN ON DEFECTIVE WHEEL BEARING. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC, AND STATED THAT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM HE RECOMMENDED TO THE DEALER, BUT DEALER DID NOT WANT TO FIX THE ACTUAL PROBLEM.*AK THE VEHICLE HAD EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF RUST ON IT (FRAME, CALIPERS, ROTORS AND NON-BODY PARTS). THE CALIPERS WERE RUSTED AND LEAKING. THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND CORRODED AND THE BRAKE PADS WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *NM

ON TUESDAY, JULY 19TH, I HAD 2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN SERVICED AT A LOCAL SHOP, WHERE I RECEIVED MY MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTED 60K MAINTAINENCE, WHICH INCLUDED AN INSPECTION OF ALL MY PRIMARY SYSTEMS, INCLUDING BRAKE. NO PROBLEMS WERE REPORTED. ON FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2005, I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 3:45PM. AS I APPROACHED MY DRIVEWAY FROM THE STREET, I BEGAN BRAKING WITH THE INTENTION OF PARKING IN THE DRIVEWAY IN FRONT OF MY GARAGE; HOWEVER, RATHER THAN SIMPLY SLOWING DOWN, MY BRAKES INSTEAD MADE A STRANGE VIBRATION (SOUND AND MOVEMENT), AND THE BRAKES APPEARED TO MALFUNCTION. I ATTEMPTED TO PUMP MY BRAKES, BUT THE "VIBRATIONS" CONTINUED AND MY TRUCK SEEMED TO "SLIDE", EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOW PRESSING ON MY BRAKE PEDAL WITH ALL MY MIGHT. MY TRUCK OVERSHOT MY DRIVEWAY PARKING SPOT, AND CRASHED INTO MY GARAGE DOOR. THE VEHICLE DESTROYED THE GARAGE DOOR, AND THERE WAS FRONT END DAMAGE TO MY BUMPER, HOOD, GRILL AND WINDSHIELD. THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS, MY NEIGHBOR AND I INSPECTED THE BRAKE FLIUD, MASTER CYLINDER AND VISIBLE SYSTEMS, WHICH APPEARED INTACT, AND TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENCE. HOWEVER, I DID NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK UNTIL 2 DAYS LATER, WHEN I DROVE ON SUNDAY, JULY 24TH, AT WHICH TIME THE BRAKE "VIBRATIONS" RE-OCCURRED AS I PULLED INTO A TURN LANE INTO A SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP, AND AFTER THEIR BRAKE INSPECTION, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ABS WHEEL SPEED SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, WHICH WOULD BE AT NO COST BECAUSE IT WAS "UNDER WARRENTY", AND THAT THEY ALSO WANTED TO REPLACE MY REAR ROTORS, AT A COST OF OVER $800. WHEN I ASKED CAROL, THE SERVICE REP, IF THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR COULD HAVE CASUED MY BRAKE MALFUNCTION, SHE SAID POSSIBLY, BUT NO DEFINATELY. WHEN I ASKED IF THE REAR ROTORS COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED, SHE SAID NO. NO OTHER BRAKING PROBLEMS WERE REPORTED.

THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM HERE IS A COPY OF WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY 2001 CHEVY SUBURBAN 4X4 2500 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05020 MANUFACTURER : GENERAL MOTORS CORP. COMPONENT : SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK DATE INVESTIGATION OPENED : APRIL 28, 2005 DATE INVESTIGATION CLOSED : OPEN SUMMARY: IN NOVEMBER 2004, GM NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT WAS RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 150,000 MODEL YEAR 1999-2002 C/K MODEL TRUCKS IN EASTERN CANADA TO CORRECT A CONDITION IN THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) THAT MAY RESULT IN UNWANTED ABS ACTIVATION AND INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING LOW-SPEED BRAKE APPLICATIONS. GM INDICATED THAT THE CONDITION CAN OCCUR IF CORROSION FORMS UNDER THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR AND MOVES THE SENSOR AWAY FROM THE INTEGRAL SPEED-SENSOR TOOTHED RING. THE CONDITION DOES NOT SET ANY ABS CODES NOR DOES IT ILLUMINATE THE ABS WARNING LAMP. GM'S RECALL PROCEDURE INVOLVED REMOVING THE WHEEL SPEED SENSORS, CLEANING THE SENSOR MOUNTING SURFACES ON THE BEARINGS, APPLYING ZINC-X TO THE CLEANED SURFACES, GREASING THE MOUNTING SURFACES, REINSTALLING THE SPEED SENSORS, AND VERIFYING THAT THE WHEEL SPEED SIGNAL OUTPUT VOLTAGES WERE WITHIN SPECIFICATION. GM REPORTED A FAILURE RATE OF 0.32 INCIDENTS PER THOUSAND VEHICLES IN THE VEHICLES COVERED BY THE RECALL IN CANADA. GM INDICATED THAT THE CORRESPONDING RATE IN U.S. CORROSION STATES WAS 0.03 IPTV AND THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT EXPERIENCE. ODI HAS RECEIVED 120 COMPLAINTS INVOLVING MY 1999-2002 C/K TRUCKS IN U.S. SALT BELT STATES, WHICH APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE DEFECT CONDITION ADDRESSED BY GM'S SAFETY RECALL IN CANADA. TWENTY-TWO OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT A CRASH OCCURRED, INCLUDING ONE THAT INVOLVED 6 VEHICLES AND RESULTED IN 4 INJURIES. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN OPENED TO ASSESS THE INCIDENT FREQUENCY AND TREND ASSOCIATED WITH THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CONDITION IN THE UNITED STATES.