2002 CHEVROLET TAHOE Complaints

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. THE PEDAL GOING TO THE FLOOR IS ABSURD! NO FAILSAFES? AND THE ANTILOCK BRAKE MECHANISM (VALVES/ELECTRONICS) ARE LOCATED IN A SPOT ON THE FRAME THAT WAS INSTALLED BEFORE THE BODY WAS MATED TO THE CHASSIS! GREAT!!! HOW THE HECK DO YOU FIX IT? IM THINKING OF CUTTING A HOLE IN THE FLOOR ABOVE IT AND WELDING IT BACK IN! THIS IS CRAZY...A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN PLACE YEARS AGO. *TR

BRAKE LINE LOCATED BETWEEN THE BRAKE CONTROL MODULE AND THE REAR AXLE RUPTURED ABOVE THE FUEL TANK DURING A STOP FROM 45MPH FOR A STOP LIGHT CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO VEER INTO THE RIGHT HAND TURN LANE AND ULTIMATELY TURNED INTO THE CROSS TRAFFIC PATTERN. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC AT THE TIME SO THERE WAS NO CRASH. IT IS ALSO FORTUNATE THAT I WAS PULLING A TRAILER WITH BRAKES TO AID IN MY STOPPING OR IT MAY HAVE BEEN WORSE. *TR

BRAKE LINE BURST FROM BEING SO RUSTY, UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME, WAS ABLE TO VEER OFF TO SIDE TO AVOID COLLISION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE COULD NOT BE STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL PERTAINING TO THE IGNITION SWITCH, HOWEVER HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 205,000.

I TOOK MY CAR IN TO GET IT SERVICED AS WELL AS HAVE THE DEALERSHIP CHEEK THE BRAKES. I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL STATING THAT ALONG WITH THE REAR BRAKES ON THE CAR, THE PARKING/EMERGENCY BRAKE PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING METAL ON METAL CONTACT. I THOUGHT IT WAS ODD THAT THE PARKING BRAKES NEED TO BE FIXED CONSIDERING I HAVE NEVER USED THEM BEFORE. THE DEALERSHIP FINISHED UP WITH THE CAR AND WHEN I GOT IT BACK, I BEGAN TO NOTICE SOME TUGGING GOING ON WHEN I WOULD BE DRIVING THROUGH TOWN OR ANYWHERE REALLY. IT FELT AS IF I WAS PULLING A TRAILER OR BOAT WHEN I WAS NOT. AFTER A FEW DAYS I NOTICED THAT THE TUGGING SENSATION HAD BEGAN TO DIE DOWN. IT WAS THEN THAT I READ THE PARKING BRAKES FOR THIS MODEL WERE SOMEHOW RECEIVING SOME TYPE OF CONTACT THAT CAUSED THEM TO WEAR DOWN VERY RAPIDLY. I PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE MANUAL ON HOW TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE, CONSIDERING I HAD NEVER USED IT, AND WHEN I FINISHED ALL THE STEPS REQUIRED, MY CAR PROCEEDED TO ROLL BACKWARDS DOWN THE VERY SLIGHT INCLINE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND BROUGHT THE CAR BACK IN FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT. TURNS OUT, I NEED NEW HUBS ALONG WITH A NEW SET OF PARKING BRAKE PADS AND A FEW OTHER THINGS IN ORDER FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE CORRECTED. IT ANGERS ME THAT GM HAS NOT ISSUED ANY SORT OF STATEMENT TO OWNERS INFORMING THEM ABOUT THE ISSUE. NOR HAVE THEY ISSUED ANY SORT OF RECALL ON THE MATTER. MY PARENTS BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW BACK IN 2002 AND DROVE IT BEFORE I DID. THEY NEVER USED THE PARKING BRAKE EITHER. MY BROTHER WHO DRIVES A SILVERADO OF THE SAME YEAR ALSO HAS HAD ISSUES WITH THE PARKING BRAKE NOT WORKING. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF THE PARKING BRAKE FAILING AT 25,000 MILES FOR SOME INDIVIDUALS. THERE IS NO TELLING WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE FIRST WENT OUT ON MY CAR, BUT IT HAS BEEN NOT FUNCTIONING FOR A WHILE FROM WHAT I CAN GATHER FROM THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

I RAN OUT OF GAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING 65 MPH WITH MY 5 YEAR OLD SON IN THE CAR. APPARENTLY WHEN A CHEVY TAHOE RUNS OUT OF GAS IT SHUTS DOWN THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM INCLUDING POWER STEERING AS WELL. I'M UNSURE OF THIS ------> BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE BRAKES ARE AFFECTED TOO. I HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME MERGING OVER TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY (I HAD TO CROSS THREE LANES AND MERGE WITH ON-RAMP TRAFFIC), GIVEN THAT I HAD VERY LITTLE STEERING CONTROL AND HAD TO USE AS MUCH MOMENTUM AS I ALREADY HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD TO SAFETY, WITHOUT BEING HIT BY SOMEONE TRAVELING OVER 50MPH. PLUS OTHER CARS WERE NOT LETTING ME OVER. I CAN SEE THIS BECOMING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. GM JUST RECALLED A BUNCH OF TAHOE YEARS FOR THIS ISSUE BUT NOT MY YEAR (2002). I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN MY VEHICLE, BUT RIGHT NOW THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THERE ARE "CURRENTLY NO RECALLS ON [MY] VEHICLE" AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO DIAGNOSE/FIX THIS PROBLEM. ALSO WHEN I FIRST GOT MY CAR IN 2009 I WAS WAITING IN LINE TO BOARD A FERRY BOAT IN WASHINGTON STATE, AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, HAD THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, I THOUGHT I WOULD "COAST" DOWN THE RAMP, THIS IS WHEN I FIRST LEARNED THAT THIS MAKE/MODEL DOES NOT STEER OR BRAKE PROPERLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS OFF/DEAD. THERE WAS NO INCIDENT AT THIS TIME BECAUSE I WAS ONLY GOING 5 MPH BUT I DEFINITELY FELT THAT I DID NOT HAVE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS CROSSING TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC TO TAKE AN EXIT RAMP WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I PRESSED THE BRAKES ON MY TAHOE AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN, HOWEVER, WHEN I WENT OVER A ROUGH AREA IN THE ROAD THE BRAKES RELEASED DESPITE ME PUSHING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I ENDED UP REAR ENDING THE STOPPED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME DUE TO THE BRAKES RELEASING ON THE ROUGH PART OF THE ROAD. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN I TRY TO APPLY THE BRAKES ON A ROUGH PORTION OF ROAD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS FAULTY AND MALFUNCTIONED. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 175,000.

THE REAR BRAKE LINE RUSTED THROUGH AND THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT LOSS IN BRAKE POWER. THIS HAPPENED WHEN I STOPPED AT A STORE. *TR

WAS DRIVING IN THE BUSINESS DISTRICT WHEN PUMP FAILED. ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHICH ALSO SHUT DOWN POWER BRAKES AND STEERING. GAS GUAGE SHOWED EMPTY ALTHOUGH TANK WAS HALF FULL. HAD TO HAVE THE UNIT TOWED INTO DEALERSHIP WHERE PUMP WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $1203.84. THIS WAS THE SECOND FAILURE OF THE GAS TANK PUMP. FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS I BELIEVE IN THE FALL OF 2005 SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AT A COST OF SLIGHTLY LESS THAN $1000.00. MILEAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETWEEN 35 & 40,000. DON"T HAVE THE TICKET FOR THIS BUT I BELIEVE I CAN GET IT. HAVE TALKED WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IF YOU HAVE PICKUP CAN BE CHANGED CHEAPER AS THEY REMOVE THE PICKUP BOX. IN BOTH INSTANCES I WAS TRAVELING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED SO THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WAS NOT CATISTROPHIC. *TR