1999 GMC SAFARI Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S ABS SENSOR UNIT FAILED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE SERVICE DEALER REPLACED THE ABS SENSOR UNIT THREE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.

Mileage: 110,000

DT: ABOUT A YEAR AGO THE PROBLEM BEGAN. WHEN BRAKING AT LOW SPEEDS ABOUT 5-10 MPH ABS KICKS IN AND A GRINDING SOUND OCCURS. THIS CAUSES EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES. ALL WHEEL DRIVE, ALL WHEEL ANTILOCK TO THE OWNER'S KNOWLEDGE. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE DEALER SAID THAT THE ABS SENSOR LOOKED CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS PUT ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE BUT IT SHOWED NO CODES. WHEN THE ABS FUSE IS PULLED THE CAR WORKS FINE BUT HAS NO ABS. THE OWNER HASN'T DISCONNECTED THE ABS FUSE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET AND THE PROBLEM HAS REMAINED ABOUT THE SAME. THE PROBLEM OCCURS ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME DURING LOW SPEED BRAKE APPLICATIONS.*AK *NM

Mileage: 48,000

SECOND OCCURANCE OF SAME PROBLEM WITH ABS SYSTEM ENGAGING AT LOW SPEEDS FOR NO REASON ON 1999 GMC SAFARI VAN. THE PROBLEM IS A BAD SENSOR IN THE FRONT BRAKES BUT REQUIRES A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE HUB/BEARING ASSEMBLY UNIT.

Mileage: 60,000

FRONT ROTORS WERE WARPED AND GROOVED TO THE POINT THAT TURNING THEM WOULD HAVE MADE THEM TO THIN FOR SAFE USE. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CAR THAT THE ROTORS WARPED SO BADLY AT LESS THAN 30,000 MILES. IN MY OPINION AND MY MECHANICS, GMC IS INSTALLING INFERIOR ROTORS AT A GREAT EXPENSE TO IT'S CUSTOMERS. DT

PROPORTIONER VALVE CAUGHT ON FIRE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHT IS ON. REPLACED ALL WORN PADS AND SHOES. LIGHT WILL NOT RESET. THE VAN WILL NOT PASS UTAH SAFTY INSPECTION WITH LIGHT ON. NOT SURE OF HOW SAFE THE VAN IS. GMC HAS A KNOWN TRACK RECORD OF SAFTY ISSUE WITH THEIR ANTI LOCK BRAKES. THEY RISK FAMILIES HEALTH BY NOT RESOLVING THE KNOWN ISSUE WITH THEIR ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS. *AK

ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHT IS ON. REPLACED ALL WORN PADS AND SHOES. LIGHT WILL NOT RESET. THE VAN WILL NOT PASS UTAH SAFTY INSPECTION WITH LIGHT ON. NOT SURE OF HOW SAFE THE VAN IS. GMC HAS A KNOWN TRACK RECORD OF SAFTY ISSUE WITH THEIR ANTI LOCK BRAKES. THEY RISK FAMILIES HEALTH BY NOT RESOLVING THE KNOWN ISSUE WITH THEIR ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

CONSUMER STATES THERE IS DIFFERENTIAL WEAR BETWEEN THE LEFT AND FRONT BRAKE PADS, DEALER STATED THIS WAS NORMAL WEAR, CONSUMER STATES THE LEFT FRONT CALIPER WAS NOT RELEASING PRESSURE ON PADS TO ROTOR CAUSING EXCESSIVE WEAR, RIGHT FRONT CALIPER FROZEN OR PARTIALLY FROZEN CAUSING LEFT FRONT PADS TO DO ALL OR MOST OF THE BRAKING, AND WARPED OR OTHER DEFECTS IN THE LEFT FRONT ROTOR, DEALER STATED NEW ROTORS WERE NEEDED, FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE WORN, AND REAR BRAKES WERE OUT OF ADJUSTMENT, CONSUMER ALSO STATES THERE IS A PULSATING GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE LEFT. *SLC

FRONT ROTORS TURNED @ 16,000 MILES DUE TO SHIMMY. PADS WERE NOT REPLACED. NO COST-COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. VEHICLE NOW HAS 29,000 MILES AND SHIMMY RETURNED. DEALER REPLACED PADS/TURNED ROTORS AND REPLACED SHOES/TURNED DRUMS AT MY EXPENSE.(NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY). I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS EXCESSIVE BRAKE WEAR AND THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS THAT THIS IS NORMAL WEAR AND NOT COVERED. VEHICLE NOW HAS ROTORS THAT WERE TURNED TWICE. GUESS WHO GOING TO PAY AGAIN (FOR NEW ROTORS) AT NEXT PAD REPLACEMENT.*AK

ACCIDENT OCCURRED DUE TO ABS FAILURE. ACCIDENT OCCURRED APPROX. 10 MILES FROM MY RESIDENCE IN A SCHOOL ZONE. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROX. 30 MPH (35 MPH POSTED), FOLLOWING OTHER AUTOS AND WHEN AUTOS IN FRONT OF ME SLOWED, I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO POSITIVE RESULTS. THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THE BRAKES WERE GOING TO PERFORM IMPROPERLY AND I WAS NOT ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP. DUE TO THE BRAKE FAILURE, I IMPACTED THE REAR-END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY HIT THE AUTO IN FRONT OF IT. HAD VAN REPAIRED THROUGH A SHOP THAT WAS OF PREFERRED STATUS WITH INSURANCE COMPANY. UPON PICKUP OF VAN, WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT AN ABS FAILURE CAUSED WRECK. NOTIFIED GMC CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AS PER THEIR REP., CASED CLOSED DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY DID NOT INSPECT DAMAGED VAN--NOR DID THEY WANT TO OFFER INSPECTION/COMPUTER ANALYIS OF VEHICLE NOW. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT--CHILDREN AS PASSENGERS IN THIS VEHICLE AND OTHERS. GMC SHOULD TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY--THEIR ABS TRACK RECORD SPEAKS VOLUMES AND THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAYS *NOTHING* ABOUT HAVING THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY THEIR REPS BEFORE HAVING VEHICLE REPAIRED.*AK

BOTH WHEEL CYLINDERS FAILED CAUSING NOISE IN THE FRONT END WHILE BRAKING, FRONT BRAKE PADS ALSO REPLACED. NLM

BOTH WHEEL CYLINDERS FAILED CAUSING NOISE IN THE FRONT END WHILE BRAKING, FRONT BRAKE PADS ALSO REPLACED. NLM

THERE WAS NO FAILURES ON THE BRAKES BUT THE PADS AND SHOES HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 15,000 AND AT 30,000 MILES. THIS, I FEEL, IS EXCESSIVE AND THE DEALER CAN OFFER ME NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY A BRAND NEW CARS BRAKES WOULD GO BAD THIS OFTEN.*AK

WHILE TRYING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AT 20 MPH, AND WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL VEHICLE WENT INTO EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. *AK AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY DURING ACCIDENT. *YH

BRAKES FAILED ON THREE OCCASIONS, PEDAL WOULD GO TO THE FLOOR INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHEN BRAKEING VAN WILL PULL VERY HARD TO RIGHT. AFTER 1ST TIME IN SHOP THE VAN WENT ABOUT 6,000 MILES BEFORE PROBLEM ACCURRED AGAIN. AFTER THE 2ND TIME FIXED THE VAN WENT 5,000 WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS SO BAD THAT I WAS PULLING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LEFT EVERY TIME I HAD TO BRAKE TO PREVENT GOING TO THE RIGHT. JUST DROPPED VAN OFF WITH DEALER FOR 4TH TIME WITH ONLY 1500 MILES SINCE LAST REPAIR. NOW WE ARE FIGHTING THE DEALER ABOUT THE RENTAL CAR. *AK

GM IS REFUSING TO FIX PROBLEM. THEY CLAIM THAT FRONT BRAKES ARE OVER HEATED AND ROTORS BLUE. SUGGEST THAT CUSTOMER CHANGE DRIVING HABITS AND USE TRANSMISSION LOWER GEARS TO ASSIST SLOWING VEHICLE. ALL THIS ACCURED BETWEEN 35,693 MILES AND 37,389 MILES. *AK

POSSIBLE PROBLEM EXISTS AS, THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER.

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE SHIMMIES EXCESSIVELY. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. DLR REPLACED THE BRAKES 4 TIMES. STILL NO SOLUTION. *AK