2000 Chevrolet Suburban

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Defect Petition DP10-003 on March 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (MY) 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.DP10-003 was granted and on March 30, 2010, Preliminary Evaluation PE10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility vehicles manufactured and sold by General Motors Corporation (GM).On July 2, 2010, ODI received GM's response to an information request, which included GM's assessment of the frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. GM stated that:(1) the brake system of the subject vehicles is split front/rear and should a brake pipe suddenly fail for any reason, the affected vehicle would be capable of stopping with the pressure supplied by the remaining circuit; (2) the subject vehicles were designed to meet the hydraulic circuit partial failure requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 105 and 135, Light Vehicle Brake Systems; and (3) should a brake fluid leak occur for any reason, the brake system malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) would illuminate and warn the driver before the brake fluid level was low enough to cause a loss of line pressure.ODI's and GM's analysis indicates that 85 percent of the complaints occurred on vehicles used primarily in States that use salt on the roads during Winter months (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin).Overall the complaint rates per 100,000 vehicles for Salt Belt States is 43.0 and Non-Salt Belt is 3.0.In approximately 25 percent of the complaints the brake pipe failure occurred suddenly, with no warning (i.e., no MIL, Brake Fluid Loss Warning), and resulted in extended stopping distances.In 30 of these the increase in stopping distance that resulted was a factor in the crash and in 10 others the vehicle was intentionally steered off the road or into another lane of travel in order to avoid a crash.This investigation has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA11-001) for subject vehicles sold or currently registered in Salt Belt States to further assess the scope, frequency and safety risks associated with sudden failures of corroded brake pipes that can result in decreased brake effectiveness. ODI will continue to gather information on subject vehicles outside the Salt Belt as well.

ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

IN A LETTER DATED AUGUST 29, 2005, GM NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT WAS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1999 THROUGH 2002 C/K PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES TO CORRECT A PROBLEM WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION THAT MAY RESULT IN UNWANTED ABS ACTIVATION AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING LOW-SPEED BRAKING (RECALL 05V-379).GM'S RECALL COVERS APPROXIMATELY 804,000 VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING 14 SALT-BELT STATES:CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, AND WEST VIRGINIA.THE RECALL PROCEDURE WILL INVOLVE REMOVING THE SENSOR, CLEANING THE MOUNTING SURFACE, APPLYING A RUST INHIBITOR (ZINC-X) TO THE SURFACE, AND REINSTALLING THE SENSOR.IF NECESSARY, THE SENSOR WILL BE REPLACED. THE POPULATION AND FAILURE REPORT DATA GIVEN IN THIS RESUME ARE FOR THE FULL REGION THAT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED BY ODI AS THE SALT-BELT.THAT INCLUDES DELAWARE, IOWA, MARYLAND, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, WISCONSIN AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN ADDITION TO THE 14 STATES INCLUDED IN 05V-379.THE STATES COVERED BY GM'S RECALL HAVE THE HIGHEST INCIDENT RATES FOR THE SUBJECT CONDITION, ACCOUNTING FOR 91% OF THE INCIDENTS, BUT ONLY 24% OF SUBJECT VEHICLE SALES IN THE UNITED STATES.ODI'S ANALYSIS DETERMINED THAT 840 OF THE COMPLAINTS, 244 OF THE CRASHES, AND 16 OF THE INJURIES IDENTIFIED IN THIS INVESTIGATION OCCURRED IN THOSE STATES.THE RESULTING INCIDENT AND CRASH RATES ARE 96.2 AND 28.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES RESPECTIVELY (NOTE:RATES ARE BASED ON VEHICLE SALES, NOT REGISTERED VEHICLES). THE CORRESPONDING NUMBERS IN THE EXCLUDED PORTIONS OF THE SALT-BELT ARE 399,000 VEHICLES, 81 INCIDENTS (20.3 PER 100,000 VEHICLES), 3 CRASHES, AND NO INJURIES.THE STATISTICS IN THE REMAINING 30 STATES ARE 2,406,000 VEHICLES, 168 INCIDENTS (7.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES), 31 CRASHES, AND ONE INJURY.GM AND ODI ARE CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE PROBLEM EXPERIENCE IN STATES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.GM WILL PROVIDE ODI WITH UPDATED COMPLAINT, FIELD REPORT, AND WARRANTY DATA IN NOVEMBER 2005.ODI AND GM WILL REVIEW THAT DATA AND ASSESS THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE CURRENT SCOPE OF THE RECALL AT THAT TIME.

The contact owns a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle jerked. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to move while in reverse(R) and only responded while in drive(D). The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that an unknown sensor connected to the transmission and engine had failed. The contact bought the sensor, and when the independent mechanic repaired the vehicle, the failure persisted. The independent mechanic then diagnosed that the transmission had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that a year later, on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The contact replaced the battery. The contact stated that afterwards, an abnormal sound was coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to function while in reverse(R) or drive(D). There was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact rebuilt the transmission with a friend who was an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the fuel pump was replaced. The contact stated that three years later, the fuel pump failed to function as intended. The contact parked the vehicle, and the vehicle was no longer being driven. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11705912

Incident

May 10, 2014

Mileage

100,000 mi

Rear glass hatch hinge separation from glass, passenger side. Vehicle was passed to me after my father passed. Unknown when the hinge separated from glass. This is a safety issue for obvious reasons.

NHTSA ID

11442091

Incident

Jan 1, 2004

I STARTED MY SUBURBAN LIKE ANY OTHER DAY, STEP ON BRAKES TO RELEASE THE SHIFTER, PUT INTO DRIVE WITH NO PROBLEM, I WENT ONTO THE HIGHWAY AKA FREEWAY WITH NO PROBLEM, I NEEDED TO MAKE A PANIC STOP, AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR, TRYING TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE PEDAL, THAT ALSO FAILED.. WHEN DID A AMERICAN MADE PRODUCT LIKE THE CHEVY SUBURBAN GAT SUCH A CHEAP MANUFACTURING OF BRAKE COMPONENTS... MY PREVIOUS CAR, 1987 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON CAMPER NEVER NEEDED STEEL BRAKE LINES REPLACED. THE RUBBER HOSES I CAN UNDERSTAND... BUT STEEL BRAKES LINES SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 25 YRS.

NHTSA ID

11277785

Incident

Nov 3, 2019

Mileage

159,616 mi

I HAD A FLAT TIRE. WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE IT, THE SPARE TIRE HOIST WITH LOWERS THE SPARE WAS INOPERABLE AND WOULD NOT LOWER THE SPARE. HAD TO TAKE TRUCK TO DEALER. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT THE MECHANISM TO LOWER THE SPARE HAD RUSTED AND HAD SEIZED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED, WHICH II DID AND PAID FOR. IMAGINE BEING IN AN ISOLATED AREA WITH FOUL WEATHER AND NOT BEING ABLE TO CHANGE YOUR TIRE BECAUSE YOU COULD NOT ACCESS THE SPARE. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. I DID COMPLAIN TO DEALER WITHOUT SUCCESS OR SATISFACTION . THE CAR WAS OBVIOUSLY STATIONARY AT HE TIME THE EVENT

NHTSA ID

11021301

Incident

Nov 15, 2004

Mileage

79,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND ENGINE FIREWALL. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED AND WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR BLISTERS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FEET, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 232,000.

NHTSA ID

10993358

Incident

Jun 5, 2017

Mileage

232,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOORBOARD WITHOUT WARNING WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE CABLE FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 11,000.

NHTSA ID

10887885

Incident

Jul 22, 2016

Mileage

11,000 mi

IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING THE FUEL PUMP FOR THE 3RD TIME.. FIRST ONE WAS UNDER WARRANTY BUT THE NEXT 2 ARE ON ME..NOW MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME OF A NEWER DESIGN ... SHOULD HAVE CAME OUT EARLIER.

NHTSA ID

10882348

Incident

Jul 1, 2016

Mileage

225,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 4 MPH ON DRY ROAD SURFACES, THE ABS ENGAGED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER COMING TO A STOP. IN 2005, THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V379000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); HOWEVER, THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE AT THE TIME. THE REMEDY WAS INSUFFICIENT AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000. UPDATED 04/08/16*LJ *JS

NHTSA ID

10825109

Incident

Jan 26, 2016

Mileage

106,000 mi

This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester  and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.

This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature.

Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers.

GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This bulletin advises the dealers to be more careful not to damage the transmissions during removal and to package the core properly for return.