NHTSA Complaint #10413771 — 2003 GMC YUKON XL 2500

2003 GMC YUKON XL 2500 SUDDEN BRAKE FAILURE. WHILE DECELERATING TO ENTER A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY, BRAKE FAILURE OCCURRED. DUE TO LOW SPEED (<20 MPH) AT THE TIME, I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE USING THE PARKING BRAKE. HAD THIS OCCURRED MOMENTS EARLIER WHILE DECELERATING FROM THE FREEWAY INTO A BUSY INTERSECTION, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN FATALITIES. WHILE STOPPING, SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE FRONT AND LEFT WHEEL WELL OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER STOPPING, I EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE METAL BRAKE LINE HAD RUPTURED WHERE IT CROSSES OVER THE FRAME RAIL LEADING TO THE FRONT LEFT BRAKE. THERE WAS BRAKE FLUID SPRAYED AROUND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE BAY, AND THE EXHAUST HEADER WAS STILL SMOKING. LUCKILY THE EXHAUST HEADER TEMPERATURE WAS LOW ENOUGH TO AVOID IGNITION OF THE BRAKE FLUID AND INITIATION OF FIRE. A LARGE PORTION OF BRAKE FLUID IN THE MASTER BRAKE RESERVOIR HAD LEAKED OUT LEAVING A TRAIL OF FLUID BEHIND THE VEHICLE ALONG THE LEFT SIDE. AN EXTREME LEVEL OF CORROSION AND FLAKING METAL WAS EVIDENT ALONG ALL THE METAL BRAKES LINES FROM FRONT TO REAR. INCIDENTALLY, THE POWER STEERING LINES WERE IN SIMILAR CONDITION. THE BRAKE LINE WALL THICKNESS IN THE RUPTURE AREA WAS SO THIN THAT IT COULD BE BENT AND CRUSHED WITH PRESSURE APPLIED BY THUMBNAIL. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT THE LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. BASED ON THE CONSISTENT AND EXCESSIVE CORROSION THROUGHOUT, I OPTED TO HAVE ALL THE BRAKE LINES AND POWER STEERING LINES REPLACED AT ONCE. BRAKES ARE THE MOST SAFETY CRITICAL DEVICE ON A MOVING VEHICLE AND MUST BE HELD TO HIGHER STANDARDS THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER COMPONENT. THE CONDITION OF THE BRAKE LINES AND RUPTURE OF A BRAKE LINE IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A VEHICLE OF THIS YEAR AND MILEAGE. I RECENTLY SOLD A 1994 SUBURBAN THAT HAD BRAKE LINES IN MUCH BETTER CONDITION THAN THIS 2003 YUKON. CLEARLY THERE IS A MANUFACTURING OR QUALITY DEFECT IN THE LINES INSTALLED ON THIS 2003 YUKON. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST NHTSA TO REVIEW BRAKE LINE DEFECTS ON BEHALF OF ALL OWNERS. *KB