NHTSA Complaint #11403797 — 2014 CHEVROLET IMPALA

I HAD NOTICED THE EPB LIGHT COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY, FAR MORE OFTEN THAN EVERY 50 KEY CYCLES, AND BEGAN EXPERIENCING A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ACCELERATION, POOR BRAKING, BRAKE DUST BUILDUP, UNEVEN TIRE WEAR, BOGGING DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT AND WHEN ACCELERATING OUT OF A SLOWDOWN AND/OR TURN. I WOULD ALSO CONSTANTLY SMELL BRAKE DUST AND TIRE RUBBER AND FELT MY BRAKES WOULD BECOME EXTREMELY HOT TO THE TOUCH AFTER SHORT TRIPS. I OBSERVED THE OUTER REAR BRAKE PADS THROUGH THE CALIPER AND THERE SEEMED TO BE DECENT PAD LEFT. HOWEVER I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES AND WAS TOLD EVERY TIME THAT THERE WAS NO NEED TO REPLACE THE PADS. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF ANY SOFTWARE FLASHES TO CORRECT ANY KNOWN OR UNKNOWN ISSUES, AND WAS ONCE TOLD THAT MY BRAKES NEEDED TO BE BLED AND AFTER HAVING THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE THEM WAS TOLD THE ISSUE SHOULD BE CORRECTED. I HAD FRIENDS AND FAMILY WITH AUTOMOTIVE BACKGROUNDS LOOK AT MY BRAKES AND TELL ME THERE SEEMED TO BE NO VISIBLE ISSUES. I FINALLY DECIDED TO HAVE A LOOK MYSELF ONE DAY. AFTER HOISTING THE VEHICLE UP, REMOVING THE REAR TIRE AND INSPECTING THE CALIPER AND PADS, I REALIZED THAT THE EPB HAD ACTUALLY HEAT/RUST-WELDED ITSELF TO THE INNER BRAKE PAD WHICH WAS COMPLETELY WORN WITH NO PAD WHATSOEVER. THE EPB WAS ACTUALLY UNABLE TO RETRACT, EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT WAS OFF, BECAUSE THE METAL PLATE ON THE BACK OF THE PAD HAD BEEN FUSED TO THE EPB. I HAD TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHO REFUSED TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN, AND WAS INEVITABLY TASKED WITH CORRECTING THE ISSUE MYSELF. I HAVE SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON NEW PADS, ROTORS, CALIPER PINS, GREASE, TIRES, ETC. BECAUSE OF THE PERSISTING ISSUE. WHEN I SEARCHED MY VEHICLE BY VIN IT TOLD ME THERE WERE NO RECALLS, BUT AFTER SEARCHING BY YEAR/MAKE/MODEL I FINALLY FOUND THE RECALL INVOLVING THE EPB CAUSING DRAG AFTER FAILING TO RETRACT. THIS ISSUE CONTINUES TODAY.