2016 Chevrolet Suburban Brakes Problems

While in the parking lot or stopping at the stop light the brakes will get hard and won’t brake .

NHTSA ID

11754919

Incident

Jul 20, 2026

Per AAA—Front Airbag/Seatbelt and Increase break pedal

NHTSA ID

11729162

Incident

Apr 4, 2026

I AM REPORTING A SEVERE AND RECURRING SAFETY DEFECT WHERE MY VEHICLE SUFFERS A COMPLETE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL AND ENGINE POWER WHILE IN MOTION. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DURING VARIOUS MANEUVERS, INCLUDING MAKING TURNS AND DRIVING STRAIGHT. THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER 500 TIMES SINCE THE 3 YEARS I HAVE HAD IT. I HAVE NOT FELT SAFE IN THE VEHICLE FOR A LONG TIME AND WHEN I HAVE TAKEN IT TO HAVE IT CHECKED NO ONE COULD TELL ME ANYTHING BECAUSE IT WAS NOT HAPPENING AT THE MOMENT. WHEN THE VEHICLE DIES IT COMES BACK TO LIFE ON IT'S OWN BUT THE TIMING IS NOT PRECISE AS TO WHEN IT HAPPENS. THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THESE POWER FAILURES CREATES AN IMMINENT RISK OF A HIGH SPEED COLLISION OR BEING STRANDED IN A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION. I CAN'T EVEN SELL IT TO SOMEONE IN GOOD CONSCIOUS KNOWING IT HAS THESE SERIOUS ISSUES. NOT SURE I AM DOING EVERYTHING OR CONTACTING WHO ALL I NEED TO ABOUT THIS SITUATION BUT THIS IS A START

NHTSA ID

11712643

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

Increased brake pedal effort to the point of difficulty to stop or control brake pressure at low speeds. This seems like the same issue reported in Safety Recall #N192268499-01, but my VIN is outside the covered range. Is the effected range in the recall correct? This has happened intermittently since we purchased the vehicle private party in 2022 with 115.5k miles on it, but is getting worse.

NHTSA ID

11712617

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

There are 2 components of the vehicle that I believe are malfunctioning. The first component would be the brake system. At first the problem presented itself when going down a parking garage it was approximately 5 miles an hour while applying the brake and the brake suddenly got stuck and really sticky, I had to apply extreme pressure to the brake to get the vehicle to stop completely. It was only after I put the vehicle in park, turned it off, removed the keys from the ignition, open the doors, and then restarted the car afterwards where the brakes would become unstuck. Since that first incident in summer of 2024, there has been other similar incidents when I am breaking in a parking lot at lower speeds, on side streets at lower speeds, or any other circumstance where I would be applying the brake at lower speeds. The brakes would get very sticky hard to press and would not come to a complete stop unless using extreme force. This is a very scary incident because if there was a vehicle a pedestrian and we weren't able to stop the vehicle then we would have crashed and potentially hurt someone. We brought this up to our mechanic and he was not able to reproduce the issue. The engine light does not turn on for this issue and we are not able to produce any engine light codes for the braking issue. This issue continues to happen until this day and it is scary when it does happen. The second component that we believe is malfunctioning has to do with the suspension system, the air ride system. We have taken this problem to our mechanic since 2019, 2020. They've been able to temporarily repair the issue but after some time the part breaks down and we believe that this is a manufacturing issue. There is a warning lamp that appears. What happens is there is air constantly being pumped into the suspension and is drawing electricity from the battery and ultimately affecting other parts of the electronic components.

NHTSA ID

11712068

Incident

Jun 14, 2024

When driving at low speeds the brakes do not work. The vehicle will stop, but it is very hard to get it to stop. You must push the brake pedal all the way to the floor to get the brakes to work. This does not happen all time it will just happen out of no were, this can be scaring. I looked up to see if our vehicle has any current recalls, which it does not. But on 9/19/2019 we had our vehicle in the shop and they did do a recall at this time. It was Increased Brake Pedal Effort. NHTSA Campaign # 19V645000 and this sounds like exactly what was happening. This was done when our vehicle had 60,000 miles on it and at the time it was having no symptoms. We had never had any brake issues at this time. Now our vehicle is having these issues and I feel that this safety issue should be another recall on our vehicle and should be covered and fixed as it sounds like the same issue. Please let me know what can be done about this.

NHTSA ID

11700004

Incident

Aug 8, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle brakes independently activated. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway and stopped the vehicle. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and regained braking functionality. The failure was intermittent but occurred at various speeds. The failure occurred mostly while driving up an incline and depressing the accelerator pedal and the independent braking failure would occur. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that prior to the failures the vehicle had been taken to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

NHTSA ID

11679020

Incident

Jul 31, 2025

Mileage

175,000 mi

Various times while I was driving my 5 kids have I had an issue with the brakes and having to over compensate to pump brakes to get them to stop in time or at all. Very scary

NHTSA ID

11658174

Incident

Apr 10, 2025

On October 23, 2024, my 2016 Chevrolet Suburban was stopped in a line of traffic on a downhill. As traffic began to move forward, the brakes failed to hold, despite pressure on the brake pedal. This resulted in a low-speed collision with the vehicle in front, which then impacted another vehicle. Component/System: The braking system failed to engage despite pressure on the brake pedal. The vehicle is a total loss; however, documentation of the damage is available through my insurance company, New Jersey Manufacturers, claim number 2024-884575, and the police report from the accident scene. Safety Risk: This brake failure posed a significant safety risk to my family (who were occupants), and other drivers. The collision caused substantial vehicle damage. Confirmation: The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or independent service center due to it being a total loss. It has been inspected by my insurance company. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by police at the accident scene and by my insurance company. Warnings: There were no prior warning lamps, messages, or symptoms of brake problems. The vehicle has been consistently maintained by All American Chevrolet with all recommended services performed. This incident raises serious concerns about the vehicle's braking system integrity, especially given its consistent professional maintenance. I request an investigation into this matter.

NHTSA ID

11637087

Incident

Oct 23, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while approaching a stop sign and driving at 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The brake service warning light illuminated after the failure. The contact was able to pull to the side, turn off the vehicle, wait a moment, and restart. The failure persisted and progressively worsened. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11634856

Incident

Dec 21, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

I see that some 2016 Chevy Suburban's have recalls on this with brake issues. I checked to see if ours had a recall and it doesn't but I believe that it should as we have a serious safety issue with ours. We have had a couple of mechanics look over our brakes and lines and none can seem to find anything wrong, but it is very intermittent and we never know when the issue will start. Sometimes the Service Brake Assist light will flash on, but other times it will not. Basically we will be driving and sometimes it is very hard to get it to stop, some times the brake won't push down at all and sometimes it will push all the way to the floor. It seems like it will happen after the car has been driven over an hour, but sometimes not. It has happened first thing in the morning, but not very often. When you drive it in traffic or go to park it, it has been vary scary as it sometimes is very hard to get stopped before hitting something in front of you. It will make a ABS sound sometimes, but the only light that has ever come on is the Service Brake Assist..... I strongly believe this sounds similar to the recalls in this Vehicles history and believe that ours should have this recall. An this happens pretty often, but not all the time..... This had happened sometime in 2023, but it happens more often now. Thanks for any information, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11620922

Incident

Jul 11, 2024

The breaks get hard and stop working

NHTSA ID

11612163

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while reversing at approximately 2 MPH and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brake pedal was very difficult to depress. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to depress the brake pedal before the vehicle stopped. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he shifted into park(P) and turned off and restarted the vehicle and normal brake functionality was restored. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was 109,260.

NHTSA ID

11575841

Incident

Mar 5, 2024

Mileage

109,260 mi

I keep getting a brake assist message on my dash. If I am braking at a slow speed, the brakes get so hard to press, and eventually will not let me stop unless I press the brake as hard as I can to the floor. An example, when I am dropping up and picking up my children from school, the brake will vibrate and gets harder to press with each time. With the stop and go in the school line by the time I get to the front to pick up my child it's almost impossible to stop. I have almost rear ended several vehicles going 2 mph because my brakes won't work. Same with pulling and parking into a parking lot space. I am reading there is a recall on some models but my VIN didn't pull up an active recall.

NHTSA ID

11537970

Incident

Aug 11, 2023

While driving at low speed, the brakes did not engage while being pressed with much force.

NHTSA ID

11534441

Incident

Jul 18, 2023

Brake problems started on 11/05/2019, brakes were unresponsive upon starting up the vehicle. During operation of the vehicle the brakes were not working properly, the brake pedal would drop to the floorboard with shuddering and did not stop the vehicle in a timely manner. I was driving my 2 small children to speech therapy and I stopped my vehicle and had a family member come pick up my children to get them out of my vehicle and I drove straight to the dealership. Left my vehicle. 1. Vacuum pump failure found at dealership on 11/06/19, vacuum pump assembly and belt replaced at dealership. Vehicle was under warranty at the time of this repair. 2. On 03/12/2020 brakes were unresponsive again with the brake pedal not working properly. During operation of the vehicle, the brake pedal would drop to the floorboard and shudder as its dropping without slowing the vehicle in a timely manner. I was driving to an oil change appointment at the dealership and advised them of the issue. 3/12/20 Vacuum pump ordered at this time under a special extended warranty coverage given by GM due to this issue with many vehicles. 03/18/2020 Vacuum pump replaced for the second time. 3. 04/07/2021 brakes unresponsive again with shuddering while pressing the brake pedal with pedal dropping to the floor then pushing my foot back up as I press down while not slowing the vehicle in a timely manner. I was driving to the store when this happened and again drove straight to the dealership. I have family members that will let me borrow their vehicle. Dealership notes that since the vacuum pump has been replaced 2 times, they advise to scan the system and they now find the brake booster vacuum sensor to have an internal failure with booster losing vacuum. 04/07/21 Brake booster vacuum sensor and brake booster replaced by dealership at a cost of $759.29 4. 06/05/23 Brakes again doing the same thing. Have appointment at dealership for a later date.

NHTSA ID

11525596

Incident

Nov 6, 2019

Brakes become really hard.

NHTSA ID

11505939

Incident

Feb 5, 2023

Issue with Power Braking System. Has longer than normal stopping distance when braking. Hissing noise coming from Power Brake Pump under the hood. Loses air pressure in brakes very easily. We are afraid to drive this vehicle because this will eventually cause a crash. Mechanic stated this is a known issue with these vehicles of this Year/Make/Model and was on the recall list. This is a known issue that shows reports online my vehicle has issues/recalls on but for some reason my VIN isn't showing the recall. There is no warning message lit up on the dashboard. Mechanic was able to check the OBD computer to pull a code of (C0299-00). I have reached out to a Chevrolet dealership who is supposed to be looking into this for me but I wanted to reach out to you guys as well.

NHTSA ID

11484188

Incident

Aug 30, 2022

Power brake failure as described in NHTSA 19V645 and 20V603. The problem and solution is identified by CHEVROLET Special Coverage bulletin N182202780-01 (October 11, 2019): BRAKE ASSIST DECREASE DUE TO VACUUM LOSS. Dealer CONCORD CHEVROLET (CA) would not recognize the Special Coverage Bulletin or fix the problem. CHEVROLET was notified and has not agreed to repair (case#9-8126430790).

NHTSA ID

11477193

Incident

Apr 4, 2022

When rolling in a parking lot or trying to park and not pushing the gas: When you try to stop or slow down and push the break it just goes to the floor and the car continues to roll forward. You have to immediately throw the SUV from drive to park in order to get it to stop moving or it would literally roll into whatever you were trying to stop for. Pulling out of parking lots or up to stop signs, it will do it then too. Anytime you rolling and then having to stop suddenly. But it doesn’t happen all the time. That’s the scary part.

NHTSA ID

11469263

Incident

Mar 5, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V761000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Service Brakes, Electronic Stability Control) and 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) at the dealer; however, the failure recurred after the recalls were repaired with a stiff brake pedal and increased braking effort while driving. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went over a curve and the front passenger's side crashed into a tree, then came to a complete stop in a ditch. There were no air bags deployed. The contact's wife sustained neck and back injuries but did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was towed to Coughlin Hyundai (2300 Hebron Rd, Heath, OH 43056) where it remained and was not repaired. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. Prior to the failure, the contact was receiving notifications from OnStar that NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V761000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Service Brakes, Electronic Stability Control) was unrepaired. The failure mileage was 111,572.

NHTSA ID

11460857

Incident

Mar 25, 2022

Mileage

111,572 mi

I noticed when driving in parking lots or at low speeds the brakes seem like you have to put more force to get the vehicle to stop.

NHTSA ID

11458095

Incident

Mar 24, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) in 2019. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10-25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to depress the brake pedal, which responded just before the vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump and belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under an unknown warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 72,779.

NHTSA ID

11453917

Incident

Feb 21, 2022

Mileage

72,779 mi

While backing up and going forward at a slow speed the car did not stop. The brake pedal was hard and my foot pressure did not help it stop. Terrible feeling. When I turned the vehicle off and back on the brakes seemed to work. This is worrisome. I bought the car used with the car fax stating it had previous minor front end damage. I am concerned this has happened before.

NHTSA ID

11452235

Incident

Feb 14, 2022

Loss of breaking power observed at low speeds. Has occurred three times in recent weeks when accelerating forward into a parking space, and when attempting to brake when coasting in reverse out of an inclined driveway. Brake cannot be depressed.

NHTSA ID

11434400

Incident

Sep 25, 2021