NHTSA Complaint #10104896 — 2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

ON 2/12/04, I TOOK MY 2001 CHEVY SUBURBAN IN TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE DID NOT WORK. BEING THE FIRST TIME I TRIED TO USE IT AND IT DID NOT WORK, I ASSUMED IT WOULD BE A WARRANTY REPAIR. THE DEALER SAID NO, THIS IS COMMON AND A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ADJUSTMENT. I SAID I HAVE NEVER USED IT, HOW CAN IT BE! NOT BEING SAFE W/OUT A EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE, I HAD TO PAY! AFTER THEIR "ADJUSTMENT" THE BRAKES OR SOMETHING SQUEALED. UPON RETURNING TO THE DEALER, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THEIR ADJUSTMENT AND MENTIONED WHERE I HAD SEEN ON THE NHTSA SITE ABOUT PARKING BRAKES WEARING ALL THE TIME. THEY ADJUSTED AGAIN TO SPEC AND WHEN I GOT IT BACK, BRAKES STILL DID NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE WELL - IT WOULD NEVER HAVE HELD ON A HILL! I TOOK IT BACK AGAIN TO THE CHEVY DEALER ON 7/13/04 AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT AGAIN, AND THEY SAID IT WAS TO SPEC AND IT WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY BRAKE, JUST A PARKING BRAKE. I TOLD THEM IT WOULD NEVER HOLD A VEHICLE THIS SIZE AND WEIGHT ON A HILL! ON 10/25/04, THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A GRINDING/SCRAPING SOUND WHEN MOVING, SO I TOOK IT TO A TIRE STORE AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE PARKING BRAKES WERE TOTALLY WORN OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ($160). I THINK THERE IS A ENGINEERING DESIGN DEFECT WITH THIS SYSTEM IN THESE VEHICLES. FIRST THE BRAKES DO NOT APPEAR TO HOLD THE VEHICLE WELL AND SECOND THE WAY THEY ARE DESIGNED THEY FAIL WITHOUT EVER USING THEM! YOU DON'T KNOW THEY DON'T WORK UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE! VERY DANGEROUS!!! PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ASAP - I THINK BRAKE FAILURE IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *JB