NHTSA Complaint #10068385 — 2000 GMC YUKON

PARKING BRAKE ISSUE. I OCCASIONALLY NOTICED A SCRAPING NOISE COMING SOMEWHERE FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. THE SERVICING DEALER PULLED THE REAR BREAK ROTOR OFF TO INSPECT THE PARKING BRAKE. THEY FOUND THAT THE PAD HAD WORN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE METAL AND THAT THE NOISE I WAS HEARING WAS THE REMENANTS OF THE SHOE, THE LINER, SCRAPING AGAINST THE DRUM. THE DEALER MAINTAINED THAT I MUST BE DRIVING WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED. I MAINTAINED THAT WAS NOT TRUE, THAT THERE MUST BE A DESIGN FLAW WITH SOME OF THE BRAKE COMPONENTS CAUSING THE UNINTENDED ENGAGING OF THE PARKING BRAKE SHOE AND THE DRUM. I CONTACTED GMC DIRECTLY A SPOKE WITH A SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO MAINTAINED THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I DID NOT WANT TO SIMPLY REPLACE ALL THE PARKING BRAKE AND DRUM AS I FELT THERE WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM AND THAT MY ISSUE WOULD BE RECURRING. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT THE BRAKE SHOE LINER COULD EVENTUALLY WEAR OUT THE DRUM AND POSSIBLE CAUSE A CRASH. HOWEVER, I AM NOT ABLE TO STOP DRIVING THE CAR. SUBSEQUENTLY, AFTER RESEARCHING THE NHTSA SITE, I FOUND GMC'S SERVICE BULLETIN, NHTSA # 10000172 DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM AND THE RECOMMENDED FIX, WHICH WAS REPLACING A PART WITH A "NEWLY DESIGNED PART ( A TENSION SPRING)! THE SERVICE BULLETIN DID NOT STATE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY DRIVERS DRIVING THEIR CARS WITH THEIR PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED. I BELIEVE THAT ENOUGH OWNERS COMPLAINED AND GMC REALIZED THAT IT WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM. THE BULLENTIN COVERS SERVAL GM MODELS. AGAIN, THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE NOISE CAUSED BY THE SCRAPING, BUT THE POTENTIAL ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THE BRAKE SHOE LINER EVENTUALLY WEARING THRU THE PARKING BRAKE DRUM POSSIBLE CAUSING THE ROTOR TO SEPERATE. THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. A LOSS OF CONTROL OR SUDDEN STOP PROBABLY WOULD TAKE PLACE. I THINK THAT COULD BE VERY SERIOUS AND NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.