1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500 Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems

FAILURE OF ABS SYSTEM IN 1997 CHEVROLET PICKUP CK3500.*JB

Mileage: 65,000

I HAVE A 1997 CHEVY 3500 4X4 PICKUP TRUCK. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ANTILOCK BRAKES. THEY SEEM TO COME ON AT SLOW SPEEDS UNEXPECTEDLY. I HAD THEM REPLACED 1 TIME AT A COST OF $700, HOWEVER WITHIN 3 MONTHS THE PROBLEM RECUERRED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP REPAIRING THEM AS UPON TALKING TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE OF VEHICLES BY GM THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THE SOLUTION TO WHICH IS TO REMOVE THE ABS FUSE RENDERING THE SYSTEM INOPERATIVE. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS 1999-2001. WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW IS THAT IS ALSO COMMON TO VEHICLES MADE BEFORE 1999. THERE MAY NOT BE MAY COMPLAINTS BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE PULL THE FUSE AND DISABLE THE ABS SYSTEM.

WHILE DRIVING AND UPON MAKING A STOP THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE THEN SURGED FORWARD. IT FELT AS IF SOMETHING DISENGAGED, AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER FOUND THAT A CLIP BROKE WHICH LEFT THE BRAKE PEDAL SWINGING. *AK THE CLIP WHICH HOLDS THE MASTER CYLINDER ROD TO THE BRAKE PEDAL BROKE ALLOWING THE ROD TO SLIP OFF. *NM

Mileage: 235,000

I LOST MY POWER STEERING AND BRAKES ON MY 3500 CHEVY. 1997 PICK UP TRUCK, THERE IS ONLY 56.000 MILES ON THIS TRUCK. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED IN AND HAD THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED AT MY COST, I CALLED THE CHEY. FACTORY AND THE GIRL SAID THEY HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE PUMPS. ALL I KNOW IS I'M GLAD I WASN'T TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS YOU CAN'T CONTROLL THE STEERING OR THE BRAKING ON THIS TRUCK.

Mileage: 56

IN AN EMERGENCY OR PANIC STOP ABS BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. ONCE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES THERE WAS 3 OR 4 SECONDS OF NO BRAKING POWER. *AK AS A RESULT, CONSUMER REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER SAID THAT IT WAS A NORMAL BEHAVIOR OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS PERFORMING BY DESIGN. *LA

Mileage: 20,000

WHEN TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE BY APPLYING THE BRAKES BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN BRAKE FAILURE. ALSO, POWER STEERING FAILED WHEN TRYING TO TURN LEFT. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP, AND MADE SOME REPAIRS TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM. HOWEVER, BRAKES STILL OPERATED POORLY. *AK

Mileage: 50,000

WHEN HITTING A RAISED SECTION ON ROAD AND APPLYING BRAKES, VEHICLE WILL TAKE AT LEAST AN EXTRA 5 FEET BEFORE IT WILL STOP. CONSUMER MUST APPLY BRAKES EXTREMELY HARD.*AK

BRAKES PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN APPLIED TO THE POINT OF CAUSING A LANE CHANGE OR DRIFTING INTO SHOULDER. WORSE WHEN TOWING A 8000LB FIFTH. RIGHT ROTOR OVERHEATS AND WARPS. SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. MECHANICS REP

VEHICLE ALWAYS PULLS TO THE LEFT WHEN BRAKING..SO HARD TO AS PULL YOU INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC..THE ROTORS/PADS AND THE CALIPERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED.SEVERAL TIMES.THE ROTORS ONCE, CALIPERS TWICE, AND THE PADS 6 TIMES..OK FOR ABOUT 50 MILES THEN STARTS THE SAME ALL OVER. *AK

VEHICLE ALWAYS PULLS TO THE LEFT WHEN BRAKING..SO HARD TO AS PULL YOU INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC..THE ROTORS/PADS AND THE CALIPERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED.SEVERAL TIMES.THE ROTORS ONCE, CALIPERS TWICE, AND THE PADS 6 TIMES..OK FOR ABOUT 50 MILES THEN STARTS THE SAME ALL OVER. *AK

WHEN APPLYING ABS BRAKES ON WET PAVEMENT FRONT WHEELS GRABBED AND LET GO, AND REAR WHEELS CONTINUED TO ROLL, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER COULD NOT DUPILCATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

UNDER NORMAL DRIVING BRAKES PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN THEY ARE APPLIED. CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. THEY HAD PADS AND BRAKES REPLACED THREE TIMES. VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW. *AK

UNDER NORMAL DRIVING BRAKES PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN THEY ARE APPLIED. CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. THEY HAD PADS AND BRAKES REPLACED THREE TIMES. VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW. *AK

WHEN TRAVELING ON ROUGH ROAD SURFACE & UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP, BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY RELEASE, CAUSING POOR BRAKING ABILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

ROTORS AND BRAKES HAVE BEEN WARPING, BOTH HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES WITHIN 4200 MILES ON VEHICLE. *AK

NO SUMMARY( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225/75/16 )

ANOTHER DEALER HAS CORRECTED THE PROBLEMS, BUT I THOUGHT I'D REPORT THESE SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK

WHILE COMING OFF A RAMP TO AN INTERSECTION AT ABOUT 60 MPH, WENT TO PUT ON BRAKES AND BACK WHEELS BOUNCED. PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND CAME RIGHT BACK. CONSUMER WAS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. *AK

WHENEVER ABS BRAKES ARE APPLIED, WOULD BECOME SPORADIC & NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN WEATHER IS RAINY & COMING TO A STOP, ABS BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP. VEHICLE WOULD SLIDE SOME DISTANCE. TOOK TO DEALER & MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK

INTERMITTNETLY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN A PANIC STOP THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

BRAKE PADS ARE RUNNING TOO CLOSE TO BRAKE DISCS. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS SEVERAL TIMES. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

DEFECTIVE GEAR BOX IS CAUSING STEERING TO BECOME LOOSE. IN ADDITION, BRAKE FLUID IS LEAKING, CAUSING A LOSS OF BRAKES/ TIRES WORE OUT IN A SHORT DURATION OF TIME. *AK

CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FRONT BRAKING PADS AND ROTORS REPLACED. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FRONT BRAKING PADS AND ROTORS REPLACED. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

11-8-98 INCIDENT, DEALER STILL UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE FOR BRAKE FAILURE. DEALER DROVE TRUCK AROUND BUILDING TO SHOP, HAD BRAKES. DEALER DROVE TRUCK INTO SHOP FOR REPAIR AND HAD NO BRAKES. SAMEDAY, SAME HOUR.

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 25 MPH AND UPON APPLYING FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 25 MPH AND UPON APPLYING FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES THE PEDAL TRAVELS TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

THE DEFECTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING A NOISE WHEN BRAKING AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. BEEN TO DLR 4 TIMES. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK

WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP, BRAKES FAILED TWICE, ONCE RESULTING IN A COLLISION. THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT SOFT AND WENT TO THE FLOOR. ALSO, BRAKE FLUID LEAKED OUT OF THE TRUCK. HAS HAD THE BRAKES REPAIRED TWICE. *AK