NHTSA Complaint #10164999 — 2002 CHEVROLET TAHOE

PROBLEM WITH BRAKING SYSTEM OF MY 2002 CHEVROLET TAHOE LS 1500. WITHIN A YEAR OF PURCHASING THE TAHOE THE BRAKING SYSTEM BEGAN TO ACT STRANGELY. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO PRESCHOOL IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA. THERE IS HILL I DRIVE DOWN WITH A STOP SIGN AT THE BOTTOM. THERE IS A BUMP IN THE ROAD APPROX. 30 FEET FROM THE STOP SIGN - ALMOST EVERY TIME I HIT THIS BUMP, WITH THE BRAKE ALREADY ENGAGED - THE BRAKE SYSTEM "DISENGAGES" WHEN I HIT THE BUMP AND I HAVE TO FRANTICALLY PUSH THE BRAKE AGAIN TO TRY TO STOP THE VEHICLE. A FEW TIMES I HAVE ENDED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET BEFORE THE BRAKE ENGAGES. IT IS ONLY PURE LUCK THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN HIT OR KILLED. I KNOW NOW TO AVOID THIS STREET , BUT IT HAPPENS APPROX. 5 TO 10 TIMES A MONTH AT DIFFERENT TIMES, WEATHER CONDITIONS, ROAD SURFACES, ETC. I AM UTTERLY PARANOID ABOUT THIS AND DRIVE VERY CAUTIOUSLY - IT IS ONLY FOR THAT REASON THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. IN MAY OF 2005 I FINALLY INSISTED ON REPLACING THE BRAKES AT MY OWN EXPENSE, YET THIS HASN'T SOLVED THE PROBLEM. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE PROBLEM IS HORRIBLE. THIS STARTED AS SOON AS THE BRAKES WERE REPLACED IN MAY 2005- IT STARTED STICKING ONCE IN A WHILE AND WORKED ITS WAY UP TO A FEW TIMES A DAY. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS REPLACED IN APRIL OF 2006 YET THIS SOLVED NOTHING, THE PROBLEM IS JUST AS BAD IF NOT WORSE NOW. THE CHEVROLET DEALER I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH, PUTNAM CHEVROLET IN BURLINGAME, CA., ACTS AS IF I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE LIKE A MANIAC AND IT IS ALL MY FAULT. FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT, IN A TERRIBLE CASE OF FRUSTRATION, I TURNED TO THE INTERNET TO INVESTIGATE AND WAS STUNNED BY WHAT I DISCOVERED-A PROBLEM WITH ABS BRAKES FOR THIS VEHICLE THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED IN ONLY 20 STATES, AND A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE THAT HAS RESULTED IN BULLETINS TO THE DEALER BUT NO RECALL. FIVE OTHER PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEMS WITH EITHER A TAHOE OR YUKON - HUGE PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. *NM