Problems · by component
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 service brakes problems
42 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 cite service brakes, 24% of all 175 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
42
24% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“BRAKE LINES RUSTING. TWICE IN A MONTH THE BRAKES FAILED AFTER A HARD STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. LUCKY FOR ME & OTHERS THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME OR TRYING TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION. AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKE HARD TO STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR DID NOT STOP. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKE LINES RUSTED AND THEREFORE THE BRAKE FLUID LEAKED OUT OF THE SYSTEM”
“WITHOUT WARNING BRAKE LINE BLEW A HOLE AND NO BRAKES. NO WARNING AND TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES. SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. NO HELP WITH THAT. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PASS ON RIGHT SHOULDER THREW THE GRASS. ALMOST A THREE VEHICLE ACCIDENT. NEED TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ADDRESSED AND TAKEN CARE OF. PEOPLE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN INJURED OR KILLED.”
“I JUST STARTED LEASING THE VEHICLE FROM QUALITY AUTO THAT SAYS THAT THE CAR IS ROAD READY BUT HAVE LOTS OF HAZARDOUS THINGS TO IT A VERY BAD GAS LEAK THAT THERE TAKING THERE TIME TO FIX AND MY HOOD OF MY CAR WON'T STAY DOWN ...IT'S 7 DAYS INTO MY CAR LEASE AND THERE PROMISES HAVE BEEN BROKEN AND WON'T TRADE ME ANOTHER CAR .”
“TAMARA INFLATORS I'M LOOSING BRAKE FLUID AS I DRIVE I'M LEASING THE AUTOMOBILE FROM QUALITY AUTO ALSO THEY SAID IT'S OKAY TO STILL DRIVE THE CAR WITH A GAS IN THE TRUCK BUT IT'S SAYING NEEDS GAS I KEEP SMELLING GAS AFTER HE SAID IT PASSED ROAD INSPECTION TEST ! I'M VERY CONCERNED IT MORE WRONG IF I JAM OR PUMP THE BRAKES I CAN NOT STOP I'M IMMEDIATELY. IM UNSURE WHAT MY ACTUAL MILEAGE IS . THE SENSORS ARE NOT WORKING WHEN I WENT TO UNCLE ED'S OR EVEN OTHER AUTO SHOPS I DO HAVE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS”
“BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING MY HOUSE WHILE DRIVING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY. THE BRAKES WERE WORKING FINE WHEN I STARTED THE TRUCK AND COMPLETED A 3 POINT TURN TO TURN THE VEHICLE AROUND IN MY DRIVEWAY. AS I STARTED GOING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AND WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN THAT'S WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. LUCKILY I WAS DRIVING SLOW, UNDER 15 MPH, WHEN I EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE: THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE BARELY SLOWED DOWN. I STARTED TO PUMP THE BRAKES WHICH DID SLOW THE VEHICLE SOME AND I ALSO EMPLOYED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH ENABLED ME TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. HAD I BEEN IN TRAFFIC, AND NOT JUST IN MY DRIVEWAY, I MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AS I HAD VERY LITTLE CONTROL OVER STOPPING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ISSUE HAPPENED. THE ISSUE WAS DUE TO A RUSTED REAR BRAKE LINE UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE SINGLE BRAKE LINE FEEDING BOTH OF THE REAR BRAKES HAD BURST IN THE VICINITY UNDER THE DRIVERS SEAT. THE BRAKE LINE BURST WHILE I WAS GOING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AS EVIDENCED BY THE AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID SPAYED ONTO MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I FIRST ATTEMPTED TO APPLY MY BRAKES WHILE…”
“A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY, RUPTURED BRAKE LINES. LINES BETWEEN PROPORTIONING VALVE AND ABS PUMP RUPTURED AND FAILED COMPLETELY. LINES RUSTED AND FAILED. NO ACCIDENT AND NO INJURIES. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING, VEHICLE WAS OPERATED IN REVERSE {BACKING UP}, SHE THEN SHIFTED TO FORWARD, BRAKES FAILED, PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, AND ROLLED FROM A PARKING LOT INTO A HIGHWAY, FORTUNATELY NO OTHER TRAFFIC WAS PRESENT.”
Showing 6 of 42 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.