A. T

i have a 99 silverado z71, and this brake issue is so wierd. i'm not going to take it to the dealer for them to figure it out. i used to be a tech at a gmc dealer until they closed. this problem happens once a week or sometimes a few times a month for the past 6 months that i've owned the truck. what happens is that at about 5mph rolling down my driveway i put my foot on the brake pedal and the pedal doesn't move for about 20 feet. when the pedal is applied and the pedal doesn't depress, i start adding more pressure to the pedal to get the truck to stop. the scan tool shows all 3 wheel speed sensors at 3mph. the ABS also activates at low speeds. has anyone heard of this issue???

swift81

I had the same issue and it could have been very dagerous. My ABS would come on at low speeds and there was no way to predict when it was going to happen. My front right wheel bearing was worn out and was sending irratic signals from the wheel speed sensor and engaing the ABS. I actually rolled through an intersection and luckily no one else was there.

I replaced the front right wheel hub and speed sensor and that was it, good as new.

I would check both front wheel hubs and scan all trouble codes. My truck is a 2000 silverado 1500 4wd.

bsballfn172

My 98 had a similar problem. It felt like the ABS would engage every now and then when I was going slow and trying to come to a stop. My dad's 2000 sierra had the same problem. The wire leading from the wheel speed sensor was worn and must have gotten salt on it or something that made the brakes act up. Replacing the speed sensors and wires fixed the problem on both trucks.

A. T

thanks for the input. the ABS doesn't really concern me. what i'm most concerned about is the brakes not working at all. the other day was the first time the bakes didn't work until the truck rolled into the street (good thing no cars were around). it is very hard to duplicate the issue. it's like there is a brick behind the brake pedal, then as more pressure is applied or after about 20ft, then the brakes start to work. my truck is parked about 30ft from the road and the driveway has a downhill slope. obviously the throttle isn't needed to get to the bottom of the driveway. the brakes work when i shift to drive, then let off the brakes and apply them at the end of the driveway, and no brakes...... then stops. it doesn't only happen in the driveway. i was turning around the garage down the street (5mph or less) and no brakes....... then stops. the master cylinder, brake lines, calipers are all new. is no brakes related with the ABS? wheel speed sensors? brake booster?

isrummell

mine had the same problem. if i remember correctly all i did was replace a wheel speed sesnsor. now it only does it when i get mud in it

LARIDERS

GM to recall 553,00 SUVs, trucks to fix brakes..... DETROIT, Dec 23 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp..said on Friday it is expanding an earlier recall of sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks to include another 553,000 vehicles because of potential problems with brakes.
The recall is being expanded to include Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Vehicles affected by the recall include the Chevrolet Avalanche and Silverado pickups and the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe SUVs. The GMC Sierra pickup and Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs are also affected. All the vehicles are from the 1999-2002 model years.



<TABLE id=table139 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD height=75 width="100%" colSpan=2><TABLE id=table140 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=25 width=226>NHTSA Campaign Number: </TD><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=25>05V379000</TD><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=25></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=25 width=226> Manufacturer </TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=25 colSpan=2>GENERAL MOTORS CORP.</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=25 width=226> Recall Date: </TD><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=25 colSpan=2>8/30/2005</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=25 width=226> Potential Number Of Units Affected: </TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=25 colSpan=2>804,000</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=30 width="16%"> Description</TD><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=30 width="84%">SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=50 width="16%"> Summary</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=50 width="84%">CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE UNWANTED ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATION. THIS CONDITION IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN ENVIRONMENTALLY CORROSIVE AREAS. THIS RECALL WILL BE LAUNCHED IN THE "SALT BELT" STATES OF CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT AND WEST VIRGINIA ONLY.</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=50 width="16%"> Consequence</TD><TD bgColor=#cccccc height=50 width="84%">THIS CAN CAUSE INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING LOW-SPEED BRAKE APPLICATIONS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=50 width="16%"> Remedy</TD><TD bgColor=#ffffcc height=50 width="84%">DEALERS ARE TO REMOVE THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR AND THOROUGHLY CLEAN THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR MOUNTING SURFACE ON THE BEARING, APPLY RUST INHIBITOR TO THE CLEANED SURFACE, GREASE THE MOUNTING SURFACE, REINSTALL THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR, AND CHECK THE PEAK-TO-PEAK OUTPUT VOLTAGE TO ENSURE THE WHEEL SPEED SIGNAL IS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

A. T

i just called chevy, and they said i should take it to the dealer to have it inspected, then i told her that it could happen at any time. the truck could sit for a couple hours or days and randomly do it. then i heard her say something about normal wear on the truck (178K). then she also said something about cost assistance, then i said no, i just want to know what makes this happen so i can fix it. the truck had the brake recall had been done.

bsballfn172

I can't say for sure that your problem is related to the speed sensor, but it seems like a common problem with a lot of chevy's. If you get it checked out make sure they check the sensors and the wires connected to them. I can't think what else would be affecting the brakes if your master cylinder and everything else is new...

A. T

i did a 6" rough country lift on the truck. the wheel bearings were original, and would come out of the old splindles, so i got new ones. i've driven the truck about 80 miles so far without a brake failure or premature abs activation. while the truck was apart from the lift, i painted the frame, and everything else, installed moog ball joints, tie rods, idler arm, idler arm bracket, pitman arm, sway bar bushings, and timken wheel bearings.

bmcentire

I have a problem with very little brake fluid reaching right front caliper.The line is clear,is not showing any codes in computer.We pulled the rubber hose at the hard line so this isn't the problem.The fluid is getting to the other three corners fine. Any suggestions?This is on a 1997 1500 W/T.The truck has ABS.